I used to own a Slingsby Dart 17R. If you can fly the Dart, you can fly the SZD 55-1. The SZD will require more precise control of pitch attitude, as it will accelerate more quickly than the Dart.

On take off, it sometimes will drop a wing. I had a couple dozen flights before my first wing drop. Normally, it can be picked up with rudder. Getting the tail up is the key to having aileron control. Start with the trim slightly forward of neutral, and the stick slightly forward. Starting with the stick full forward will cause the tail to come up quite quickly, and if you do not react in time, you could scrape the nose. On pavement, start with partly open spoilers to slightly apply the wheel brake to avoid over running the tow rope. I recommend the wing tip wheels sold by Williams Soaring.. I used heavy duty double stick tape - if caught in a runway crack, I want them to rip off.

On tow, everything is normal. No surprises.

In flight, it handles nicely. Good control harmony. No quirks. The rudder is more effective than most gliders that I have flown, so at first, I was over controlling with the rudder. The only quirk is that if the gear is not properly adjusted, it can drop when you hit a big bump. Not a problem, just startling.

Stall and spin characteristics are completely benign. If stalled, just ease up on the back pressure on the stick, and it will just fly right out of it. Spin recovery is standard, no surprises. I do three turn spins both directions every season just for practice, no problems.

Rigging is dirt simple. Everything self connects and goes together easily. Just make sure that the ballast and spoiler controls are full forward before fully inserting the wings. It helps, but is not necessary, to have trim full forward when attaching the horizontal stabilizer.

Landing is perfectly normal. The only "gotcha" is do not touch down with full spoilers. The wheel brake is on the spoiler handle, and you could bang the nose down.

The quality of construction is fine. Mine was built in 1998, and so far, no gel coat crazing or spar hump.

Support from Windpath has been excellent, for both the glider and the trailer.

The SZD 55-1 is light for a standard class glider. With all my crap it weighs in at 513 pounds. (basic instruments, transponder, radio, Themi, Cambridge 302/303, O2, Flarm, PDA, and dual batteries) It has wet wings, and the ballast is easy to load. It has an odd cable activated disk brake, which unlike most gliders, actually works. Even with an aft CG, it is possible to put it on the nose depending on how it is adjusted and how hard you apply the brake. Once you understand how it works, it is not hard to adjust.

P9