I called Waibel a couple weeks ago to chat and congratulate him for the Lilienthal medal he recently received from OSTIV for his leadership in making gliders more crash resistant. The curved rear lower corners of the canopy frame instead of the usual weak right angle and the mingling of carbon and Kevlar and glass has made the difference in the outcomes of many prangs. The deformation of the front of the fuselage in a crash has been transferred from the hip/torso region to the area in front of the stick.

Thanks go also to Schleicher for supporting these more expensive designs in a financially competitive environment.