You don't mention what level of training it will be used for -
presumably ab initios?

We have two K21s. They are stored in a hanger so just get pulled out
when we use them, they are not constantly being assembled &
disassembled. The club also supplied the parachutes, and has a
parachute room with a bit of background heat and slatted wood shelves to
keep them in. They have identical instruments, but the really useful
ones you don't mention are an audio vario, and a radio.

I cannot comment on questions 2, 3 & 4.

They are very forgiving to fly, and very, very hard to spin - a spin
nearly always rapidly turns into a spiral dive. The air brakes are
powerful enough - I have heard that they are weak on the Grobs. So far
as I know all of us have managed to fit into them by hook or by crook.

Both of them have cracks in the front canopy from the DV panel (properly
stopped with a drilled hole & glued), not sure about the rear canopy.
They are easier to handle on the ground than some of the single-seaters
as it needs a lot less weight to push the nose down. Both of them have
a rear wheel instead of a skid.

The most tedious thing flying them is getting the trimmer set right, so
it works but isn't so tight that it's hard to move the trim knob and the
feel is removed from the stick.

Also, a K21 can be adapted (both seats) for being flown by paraplegics
by having a hand-operated rudder. Each seat is adapted independently of
the other, so you can have two paraplegics, two able-bodied or one of
each either way round.

You can argue the toss as to if it's better to teach ab initios on the
same kind of glider throughout, or to swap around.

In message . com,
ContestID67 writes
My home club is in the beginning stages of research on the purchase of
a new/used two place glider. Rather than focus on what you would like
to own, we want to focus on what you currently do own.

We would like to ask you a few questions;

- What two place gliders are owned by your club?
- What were the considerations when your purchased those gliders?
- Which glider would you purchase again?
- Do you prefer glass or aluminum for a club ship? Why? Pros/cons?
- Do you store the glider inside or outside? If inside is this in a
hangar or trailer?
- If in a trailer have there been any issues with assembly/disassembly
by club members?
- Does the club supply parachutes?
- What instruments do you consider necessary beyond altimeter, ASI,
compass, mech vario?

Thanks in advance for your responses.

- John


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Surfer!
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