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Old May 21st 08, 08:21 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Darryl Ramm
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Posts: 2,403
Default a big question with a million answers

On May 20, 4:25 am, Colin McGinn
wrote:
ok here goes nothing
we as a couple are close to solo and because of limitation n time due to
business commitments we will find it hard to share club gliders once solo
so
look to buy one , however we are well aware that with time comes
experience
so we would like some advice on a good starter glider from solo on
i do like doing loops and inverted so ideally this glider will be able to
take that
in its stride when im proficient enough to do these solo ,
we also seek info as to if there is a web site with a pic of every glider
made
as its very hard to know what a mentioned glider even looks like ,
so i look forward to what im sure will be a multitude of suggestions and
views

kind regards
colin


This deceased horse has been abused here before. But here goes I would
heavily bias any decision towards what types are common where you fly,
so you can share experience from other pilots/owners. Also talk to
whoever will maintain the glider for you, they'll often have
preferences or advice. Assuming you are going to fly XC do not
undervalue the worth of a good trailer, or the value of a well put
together XC panel, O2 system, transponder?, (dual?) batteries, etc.
all debugged and known to be working. Stuff that might take weeks or
months of hassle just getting somebody to work on and get fully sorted
out to your satisfaction. If you are looking at older ships be sure to
understand what a good condition gelcoat/poly finish is really worth
vs. refinish costs in lotsa $$$ and time. Spend the time to find
somebody really good to do the pre-purchase inspection if you are
buying used.

In the UK with a strong club scene I'd be tempted to hang around some
of the clubs and try out different gliders before making a purchase
decision.

Darryl