On Friday, March 12, 2021 at 7:27:24 PM UTC-8, Eric Greenwell wrote:
Dan Marotta wrote on 3/12/2021 10:30 AM:
Hows a self launch starting at 6,200' MSL up to 18,000' MSL followed by a distance of 350
nautical miles? That's what I'll be doing in June to relocate the Stemme from Moriarty, NM to
Rifle, CO. And it might use half a tank of gas.

Of course, I'll only do it that way if soaring conditions don't support gliding the whole way.

Dan
5J

On 3/11/21 6:18 PM, Eric Greenwell wrote:


How long a self-retrieve distance is the minimum acceptable to you?

Ok, you are not a current candidate for an electric motorglider (I knew that already :^) )

But, I'm still interested in Waremark's far smaller requirements. So far, the majority of the
pilots I've talked to that are considering moving to an electric self-launcher think 100 sm is
enough retrieve distance, and some think 50 miles is plenty. These are the people that are
willing to drive from where they live to where they want to fly. I'm one of those people,
because my wife and I like to travel in a motorhome with her sewing projects and sewing machine
in it.

Those must be flat-landers that don't have to clear even taller hills, let alone mountains. Your self-retrieve "distance" vanishes the moment you have to climb to clear an obstacle. Also, the electric self-launchers like the GP15 don't specify the retrieve distance when launching at MTOW. Think of it as getting you to a safe out-landing field which is how one pilot did at Ely last summer (and he took tows).

Tom