The big issue with a kit is that it is difficult to type-certify it. An experimental two-seater has very much less utility than a type certificated one that can be used for rides, sightseeing, demos, flight instruction, transition training, and other commercial purposes.

Furthermore, the type of wing construction used in the RVs does not scale very well up to the kinds of spans and aspect ratios required to make a glider that is worth building. When Dick was building a motorglider, he used wings from an HP-18. When I was deciding whether and how to move beyond the HP-18 and build kit sailplane wings, I settled on a Marske-style wing spar and European-style molded sandwich skins. No, not many people can do that in their garage. But it's not rocket science, and it has proven to be the most time- and cost-effective path to a set of glider wings worth having.

I'd be perfectly willing to work with clubs and even commercial operations on a sweat-equity basis. Given the right tooling and infrastructure, making sailplanes is not that hard, and I can get pretty much anybody doing it in just a couple of hours. I'm doing that today, in fact, up at the HP-24 Project 2013 Summer Akaflieg. The next Akaflieg is scheduled for the week between Christmas and New Years. If there's enough interest we can start laying out CNC cut parts for Aurora's big shells.

Thanks, Bob K.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/HP-24...t/200931354951