In article
,
vic20owner wrote:

I have not flown a 1-26 yet, only a Grob 103 and the Blanik, however I
would have no problem with a 1-26 aside from the single seat. If I
went that route, I suppose I could rent a glider when i want to take
someone else flying.

In my opinion, and that of a lot of people I've talked to who are much
smarter than me, this is the right way to think about a purchase. A lot
of people say, "I want to buy a two-seater so I can give rides!" But
look around you: how many glider owners do you see who own a two-seater?
Odds are that it's a very small proportion. (At my club the number has
been either 1 or 0 since I joined, as compared to perhaps a dozen
single-seaters.)

What's the point of buying your own glider? Obviously individual reasons
vary, but it's typically so you can take it places, so you can fly it
cross country, so you can stay up as long as you want (and as long as
the weather allows) without someone telling you that your hour is up,
and so you can have something that's nicer than what your local club or
glider rental has to offer.

What happens when you take a passenger? They're usually around your home
field, so no need to take it places. They're rarely interested in flying
cross country. Half the time they get uncomfortable (or sick) if you try
to push past 30-60 minutes airborne. And knowing nothing about gliders,
they'll probably completely fail to appreciate how much better your
machine is than the club's.

It's possible that your situation is different, of course, but if you're
like most people, your best bet is to buy a good single-seater that you
will enjoy for your solo flying, and rent a convenient two-seater for
the relatively rare occasions when you take people for rides.

--
Mike Ash
Radio Free Earth
Broadcasting from our climate-controlled studios deep inside the Moon