On Friday, October 9, 2020 at 12:08:08 PM UTC-6, Eric Greenwell wrote:
kinsell wrote on 10/9/2020 7:47 AM:
Now that this discussion is totally off in the weeds, I'm wondering what the
conclusion is?



On 9/15/20 11:48 AM, Nick Kennedy wrote:
Didn't want to hijack the current FES tread so I thought I'd start a new one.
This topic came up over dinner a couple of weeks ago.

When you add all the following into a pot and stir, whats the "Best"
Say for Western Great Basin flying.

I think it may be the Carat, but I don't know much about it.
CX thinks its the DG 800 series, but all I know is since he bought that thing
its been a endless battle to keep it running. But it does climb well.

FACTORS

Reliability
Maintenance required to keep it running
XC flyability, performance and control feel
Storability
Rigging
Initial cost
High density climb performance
Range
Cockpit layout and seating
Parts availability
Insurance cost
Landing gear complexity
Overall quality
Nick
T


Well, the weeds were interesting at times :^)

Thank you to all that replied to this thread!
Given the above criteria I think probably the best value is the ASH 26E.
They seen to be fairly reliable, go great, service is available.
But a JFitch pointed out these things are expensive, by any benchmark.
Best Regards
Nick
T