On Thursday, October 24, 2013 10:13:10 AM UTC-4, Papa3 wrote:
I'm sure the "conventional wisdom" gives the nod to Schleicher.

Say what ? The modern Schleicher cockpits are huge
improvements over earlier designs, however:
- no crush zone in front of your feet to absorb energy and
decelerate the glider before your feet do
- a giant hole is cut in the side beam for air ventilation
output, reducing the buckling strength needed here

Again, please look at:

http://www.lange-aviation.com/htm/en...0e/safety.html

Hope that helps,
Best Regards, Dave "YO electric"

PS: Some of you will remember I donated a fuselage for crash
testing some decades back, hoping to help improve cockpit safety...