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  #34  
Old January 16th 19, 03:26 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Richard DalCanto
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Posts: 35
Default Anyone test fly both the JS3 and the Ventus 3?

Just an update:

I was able to fly to Texas and meet Ken Sorenson and sit in his V3. First of all, Ken was incredibly nice and accommodating to allow a complete stranger to come into town and sit in his glider for a while. I took up a lot of his time and greatly appreciate his generosity. The glider club there is also first rate, with an amazing private field and really cool club house. Those guys should be very proud of the community they have built there! Just wow!

The V3 is gorgeous. The carbon fiber interior is stunning. The cockpit is a little wider in the shoulders than the Ventus 2A. In the 2A, my shoulders were squeezed so hard it was painful. In the V3, they were barely touching the sides. The pedals don't go as far forward with the FES in the front, and it was maybe another 1/2 inch shorter still because he attached flat plates to the stock pedals for his feet. In that configuration, at 6 feet tall, I either had my head hitting the glass, or if I slid down a little in the seat, my knees hitting the underside of the dash. Without the plates on the pedals, I MIGHT have been able to fit, but with no wiggle room at all. After sitting in there 15-20 minutes, my back, butt, ankles, all hurt. I don't think I could sit in there flying for hours. In the JS1, I had an inch to spare on each side for the shoulders, and I don't remember being tight on head room. The JS3 cockpit is even bigger than the JS1 per report.. So I cancelled the V3 order and will go through with the JS3.