I am really curious. *How many of you got into soaring with no prior
interest in flying? *I wanted to fly since I was about 4 years old.
When I was 47, I finally got the chance, and almost all my lessons
were in a 2-33. *Frankly I don't think it would have mattered to me
WHAT the club had to fly. I just wanted to be in the air.

Yes I had an interest in all types of aircraft prior to my first
flight in a sailplane. I came to give it a try after 15+ years of
flying hang gliders and my first flight was in a 2-33. I can assure
you that I didn't get into flying sailplanes in order to fly a 2-33 or
a 1-26(No offense to the 1-26rs out there, it's just not what I
wanted). Hang gliding will give you far more challenges in going XC
than a 1-26 and you can do it without the hassles of towplanes, FAA
registration or the maintenance that comes along with sailplanes.

A sleek and beautiful glass ship screams efficiency and draws
attention even from non-flyers.

I am fortunate enough to own a Duo, a glider I bought in part because
my feeling is that far too many club members are lost because they
never experience the next level of performance and capability beyond
our basic trainers. The Blanik L-13 was a good step up from the 2-33
and a nice honest airplane that I enjoy flying, but still lacks the
performance of glass and is a bear to pack up and trailer making it
intimidating at a minimum for XC when the penalty for an off-field
landing is such a large effort.

When visitors come by the club and see the 2-33s and the Duo, which
one do you think draws their attention and interest in a demo more?
Does that mean I'm going to offer up my Duo for primary training?
Hell no, the 2-33 does a bang up job of taking the abuse of a new
student. But it does mean that a significant retraining or at least
additional training effort is required to get them prepared for flying
something slippery and pitch sensitive.

If it was within my power, I'd put an ASK-21 on the field. I wouldn't
toss out the 2-33's or 1-26's, but I would certainly love to replace
our L-13 with a 21 and have a glider to move people up in to and cross
train in.

Morgan