Marc Ramsey wrote:
Waduino wrote:
My list of candidates:
What you didn't say is if you want to race someday in 15M class

LS-3/A
Glasflugel 303 Mosquito
Glasflugel 304CZ
DG200
LS-6

For slightly more advanced pilots
ASW-20 A/B/C
Ventus A/B/C


That looks a lot like my short list, BUT the LS-3 (and less so the 3A)
has fairly heavy wings and hotelier connections, I believe. So I'm not
crazy about that choice. The Mosquito sounds like a great choice, but
again I wonder about wing weight. [We rig on grass and a one-man
rigging thingie is not that easy to operate in a lumpy field]

Am I being silly in putting automatic connection so high on my list?
It just seems sensible to me and perhaps something that would make the
ship more marketable when I decide to move on or out in a few years.

You aren't being at all silly, I've lost two friends and two others
severely injured due to improperly connected controls (all were
experienced pilots, and in some cases, a positive control check was
apparently done). In particular, I won't even consider a glider with a
manual hookup on the elevator. From the above list:

LS-3A - wings similar in weight to other flapped gliders of the
era, I believe the flaperons are the only manual hookup,
accessible outside the fuselage, no hoteliers.

LS-3 - wings are quite heavy due to extra mass balance, otherwise
similar to A

DG-200 - automatic elevator hookup, rest manual, good access

LS-6 - manual flaperon hookup that is not visible except
through use of mirrors, history of disconnect accidents

ASW-20(A) - manual hookup on all controls, missed elevator
hookup has killed a number of pilots.

ASW-20B/C - automatic elevator hookup, other controls manual
hookup but reasonably accessible.

As others have mentioned, the Mini-Nimbus has automatic hookups, good
performance, and decent handling (particularly the later ones with
conventional elevator). The Mosquito shares the same wing, with nicer
handling, but slightly less performance.

In my opinion, the manual hookups on the LS-3A, ASW-20B or C, and DG-200
are not as big a problem as some other gliders, as there is no elevator
connection to miss, and the hookups are accessible and easy to inspect.
They are also great handling gliders with decent cross-country
performance. The 20B is noticeably heavier than the 20C, and as a
result suffers a bit in climb.

If one really wants to race 15M, and doesn't want to spend a fortune,
the Ventus B has automatic hookups, but is a bit of a challenge to fly
well, and I found it tiring after a few hours. The LS-6 is a delightful
glider in flight, but I personally would think twice about buying one
because of the flaperon hookups.

Of course, the ASW-27, Ventus 2, and LAK-17A are all great modern
gliders once you get them sorted out, if you can afford them...

Marc

The LS-6C has auto-hookups, but they are pretty rare in North America.

I've owned an ASW20 and LS-6b in the past. Both were great gliders. I
used auto-hookups as one of my rationalizations for getting my current
ASW27b, which is an incredible glider by the way. Might be reachable
with a three-way .

At the low end of your range a nice Mosquito would be a good choice. At
the upper end, an LS-6C or a 304CZ. A good Ventus B or C could be in the
middle. The Ventus is the only one of those with "light" wings, but none
are hard to rig.

Dave