wrote on 12/8/2019 9:47 AM:
I remember an engine that would not extend caused by a spark plug wire stuck to the muffler! Apparently the engine had been retracted without a sufficient cooling period and spark plug wire came to rest on the muffler and melted the insulation that turned to glue when it cooled down! Oddball malfunction for sure. Also heard rumors about pilots forgetting to add oil to the fuel in 2 stroke engines and another guy that accidentally added oil twice to the same batch of fuel. Then there was the pilot that leaned out his engine for peak power and melted a cylinder on takeoff. Seems to me that electric motors are the best way forward, but self launching with a motor in the nose gives very little prop clearance. The JETA looks promising.

The 15M GP15 Jeta does look good; the 13.5 M category has the GP14, Silent
Electro (an FES) and miniLAK-FES, all appearing capable of good XC flying; and if
you gotta have 18M, the new AS34 has deliveries available for next spring,
according to the Schleicher dealer. The GP and AS gliders are "motor on a stick",
so no problems with prop clearance.

None of these has the powered range of a gasoline powered self-launcher, but 25
years of flying my ASH26E tells me the 100km powered range most have is enough for
all but a small percentage of my self-retrieves, and the 100km range would greatly
shorten the retrieve by trailer or aerotow.


--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to email me)
- "A Guide to Self-Launching Sailplane Operation"
https://sites.google.com/site/motorg...ad-the-guide-1