On Sunday, November 4, 2018 at 1:31:00 PM UTC-8, Bruce Hoult wrote:
On Sunday, November 4, 2018 at 6:49:56 AM UTC-8, Dan Marotta wrote:
Well said!

For me, a single lead and follow showed me what the sky looked like from
out of gliding distance from home and that there was, in fact, lift "out
there".Â* Then I started working my way further away solo and, yes,
landing out occasionally.

Isn't it far easier to both sit in the same reasonable-performance two seater? You can't lose each other, the guy in back can shut up as much as he wants (safety pilot only) or give tips, or even maybe save the flight from time to time (e.g. if low in mountains and some precise close-in flying is needed)

Duos and DG1000s are fairly plentiful and perform as well as modern standard class, but Grobs will do the job (especially the original Twin Astir).

This is exactly what the Cypress Soaring Club in Southern California does with our PW-6, and it works great. I had several long straight-out flights with either our instructors or highly experienced cross-country pilots, and then began to make my own long(ish) cross-country flights in my own ship. For folks who have spent most of their time hanging around in the local air, such experiences can be a real eye-opener as to the the actual performance available. We also use the straight-out flights as an opportunity to train club members the art and science of being part of a ground crew; a ground crew is required by the club for any cross-country attempts. Fun for all!