John Sinclair wrote:
First off, Bob, there are two Grob G-103's out there.
One is the G-103 Aster, it handles like a truck and
I wouldn't consider it at any price. The G-103 Twin-Two
handles very nice and is worth about 35K if the gelcoat
is in good condition.

I think JJ is probably about right on the price. I've flown two Twin
Astirs, and one Twin 2 and I have to disagree with JJ's assessment on
the handling qualities. The Twin Astir has retractable gear, is slightly
heavier and a bit more of a pig on the ground. In the air, I find flying
the TA much more pleasant than the T2. Neither one of them is particularly
responsive. Maybe the T2 handles marginally better, but the T2 seems
incredibly sensitive to coordination (underactive rudder?) whereas the
controls on the TA feel much more harmonious. I'd personally rather fly
a TA over a T2 any day.

That said, I don't think either is all that much fun to fly (better than
a 2-33, but thats not much of a compliment). Although the performance is
marginal, I find the K-7 and K-13 *MUCH* more fun to fly, and I think they
make a very good transition ship to single seaters. I'm also a big fan of
the Janus. It's not as nimble as the K-7/13, but its coordinates well,
has excellent pitch sensitivity, and relative to the Grobs, it handles
much better and has better performance and a lower sink rate. It's a very
demanding ship, but it's probably my favorite two seater.

dan