son_of_flubber wrote, On 4/20/2014 7:34 AM:
On Sunday, April 20, 2014 12:31:16 AM UTC-4, Eric Greenwell wrote:

If a pilot isn't using the FES on 10% to 20% of the flights, the pilot
has wasted his money buying the FES. The FES can and should be used to
increase the amount and quality of soaring the pilot does, and flying so
conservatively it's rarely needed will not achieve that goal.

Does this hold true in practice for most pilots and most propulsion systems?

== I have no idea about "most" pilots, but I know self-launching pilots
that do an in-flight restart only every two or three years; I typically
use the engine for self-retrieving or saving a flight 15% to 20% a year,
quite consistently over the 19 years I've owned my ASH 26 E.

What's your theory/philosophy on motor use and to what extent does your logbook conform to your goal?

== Because I don't have to worry about a retrieve, I often linger in
distant (but good) soaring conditions rather than running for home when
the soaring starts to die there; sometimes I'll launch (too) early and
use the motor a time or two until things firm up; or check out some odd
but interesting weather situation that may not have enough lift. My
"Guide" (see the link below) goes into more detail.

Do FES flyers use their motors more frequently than petrol-powered pilots?

== I'd expect so, given the ease and reliability of the FES, but I don't
think there are enough of the FES to conclude anything.

Does a motor increase the number of 'good soaring days' for you?

== Absolutely! With a self-launcher, I can fly when and where I want,
and I've flown areas in Florida, in Alaska, and most places in between.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to
email me)
- "A Guide to Self-Launching Sailplane Operation"
https://sites.google.com/site/motorg...ad-the-guide-1
- "Transponders in Sailplanes - Feb/2010" also ADS-B, PCAS, Flarm
http://tinyurl.com/yb3xywl