That's what I like: If one can "afford" a Stemme, he must be able to
afford it. How about this: I simply decided I wanted one and made
sacrifices in other areas to be able to afford it, then I got very lucky
knowing and meeting some folks who pointed me to a pristine example that
was sorely under utilized.

Super car? What's a new ASG-29 cost? Not a lot less than a 14-year old
Stemme. And you should get your numbers right. The S-10 has a 23 meter
span and the S-12 has 25. What's better? It has a baggage compartment
and electric trim! I believe you an also install an auto pilot, but for
me, that removes all fun and challenge.

The Stemme is an open class ship because it has long wings, not because
it's a super performer, but it /_is_/ adequate. It has a 50:1 glide
angle at best L/D and runs pretty nicely at 80 KIAS. It has a 1.10 OLC
handicap which means it's not a screamer. It's more like a Bentley than
a Ferrari to use the car analogy.

Never enter contests? Who cares about contests other than those few who
go to contests? I don't "play glider pilot" and fly once in a while.
In the 8 months I've owned my Stemme, I've flown it 223 hours, taught my
wife to fly it, and enjoyed her company on about 75% of the flights. We
flew a 285 km flight on 10/23. Where else can you find an aircraft with
the soaring performance of the Stemme and still be able to cruise on
engine power at 140 KTAS at 18,000' while burning only about 3.5 gph?
Of course, if I was a glutton for punishment, I could motor up to the
service ceiling of 33,000', but that would just be vulgar (and cold).

I once heard a guy in a Harley-Davidson dealership say, "It'd be cool to
ride a Harley", and I knew he'd be wasting a lot of money and the bike
would sit unused for a few years before he sold it for a big loss. It's
not about "cool". It's about doing what you want and not caring too
much about what others think.

Next time you're in Moriarty, stop by and I'll give you a flight.

On 11/14/2016 7:43 AM, Sean wrote:
Folks who can afford products like the Stemme tend to like that new car smell. Plus Stemme's seem to hold their value well, which makes the upgrade even more appealing. In my view owning a Stemme is like owning a Supercar. I've heard the Stemme is a descent glider, but I've also heard the new one (12?) with the longer wings (26m?) doesn't perform much better than the original one. But so what? :-) It has longer wings! It is therefore cooler. And so on... This doesn't have to be entirely rational. See classic or sportscar owners, or airplane owners, etc.

I'm always surprised that Stemme owners never seem to enter contests such as the open nationals or sports class nationals. It would be fun to see how they "actually" perform even within the minimal level of objective measure that US OLC tasking still provides. Do Stemme's ever compete in Europe?

At the end of they day, if I lived out west, and just wanted to play glider pilot once in awhile and take friends for rides with ease, the Stemme is still the coolest motor glider on earth.

Looking forward to taking a ride in one someday soon.

--
Dan, 5J