We had a Club-Libelle (H205) in our club and I did my first 300h of cross country gliding with it.

Performancewise it is very similar to an unballasted Standard-Libelle due to a higher base wingloading of usually ~33-34kg/m². Club-Libelles have an empty weight of 230-240kg, which is 30-40kg more than a Standard-Libelle. This offsets the penalty of the fixed gear compared to an H201 in a glide. The 205 climbs very well which may be a result of the wings being mounted high on the fuselage. The wing geometry of both 201 and 205 is the same, but the 205 introduced the trailing-edge airbrakes. Unlocking the airbrakes causes a slight positive flap deflection which helps the 205 to climb even better and slightly improves aileron effectiveness. I found the 205 to be overall comparable to gliders like an ASW15 or LS1-c.

The flight charecteristics of the 205 are better than the 201 in free flight, mainly because of a more powerful rudder and a longer fuselage, which helps with overall flight stability. It shares the empennage with the 206 Hornet and 303 Mosquito. It's also not that easy to get a 205 departing into a spin. But the ailerons of the 205 are of the same ineffective design like the 201 and 206. Winglets help with that.

However, I would not consider a 205 to be a good glider for beginners or low-time pilots, mainly due to demanding take-off characteristics. On winch launches, it has a tendency to jump into the air and drop a wing. Ground runs of aerotows are also demanding due to the poor aileron effectiveness. Both issues were reduced in later serial numbers through an even lower main gear and a modified tail wheel mounting which made the tail stay a bit higher on the ground. The angle of attack while on the ground was simply a bit too high in the beginning.

On the pro-side, the 205s are well built and the construction was ahead of its days in several points: It was the first glider introducing the Hänle-type self connectors for aileron and airbrakes. It also introduced the trailing-edge airbrakes, which are very effective but require a proper introduction by someone who understands how they work. The aileron and elevator control system is quite sophisticated with the intention to make it insensitive to vertical acceleration in gusts. The 205 has an access hatch underneath the control system in the fuselage which simplifies maintenance. You can also fit an oxygen system without sacrificing space in the baggage compartment.

Rigging may be a bit tricky if the spar stubs are not aligned properly. Wings are pulled together with the help of a rigging tool like with the 201 and 206. On the other hand, the wings are quite light (~60kg) and all controls are self-connecting.

The 205 is a good ship to learn cross country flying and it's fun to fly once you got used to it. But it was not well liked in our club due to the demanding winch launch characteristics. People also did not like the airbrakes that much, mainly because they work differently than what they knew from other club gliders.

Cheers
Christoph