KC is right - there's nothing between the top three he mentions.
(Except my Discus 2 has about a 10% extra handicap in the pilot, which
easily cancels any advantage in the aircraft itself)

I can't disagree about the ergonomics either - the Discus gear does
take a knack to raise, which some find difficult. Rear visibility is
probably best in the ASW-28. Being a broader person, I find the
LS-8/LS-6 cockpit a bit tight. Both the Discus and ASW-28 are fine for
me.

II also prefer the ergonomics of the Scleicher and LS front-hinged
canopies, but at least the side-hinged Schemmp-Hirth doesn't whack you
on the head if you jettison it in flight.

I still think the the Discus 2 is the prettiest!

Mike

MikeNot sure which list you are looking at WA but the Discus 2B (your glider)
handicap is 0.926 and the handicap is for the ASW-28 and LS-8 is 0.925. I
would call those identical for all practical purposes. Whether you believe
those or not I would guess that all that have flown them in or against them
in competition think that they are all within a percentage point of
performance....much less than being able to tell due to pilot variability.
Checkhttp://www.ssa.org/members/contestreports/scoring.aspfor the handicap
list.

Having said that I do think that the Discus 2 has slightly better high speed
performance but once again a barely perceptable difference. I really
dislike the ergonomics or lack thereof in the Discus.....I can barely raise
of lower the gear and have heard that complaint from pilots of all sizes
(I'm 5' 10"). The LS-8 gear is the easiest to operate of any sailplane I've
flown. The visibility is also far better in the LS-8....I can easily see my
tail. I can also turn my oxygen on or off during flight.

Now re "prettiest" I do think that the Discus is nice but beauty is in the
eye of the beholder and at least for me I would fly a pig if it had better
performance or better ergonomics!

Final line is that you can't go wrong with any of those choices.

Casey Lenox
KC
Phoenix
(in Mike's club or what's left of it ;-)