I had no trouble transitioning to a Libelle 201 from a 1-26. Back then (1970) there were no fiberglass two-seaters but I had a few flights in a K13 along the way. I had been flying our 1-26 for about three years, however, with a few (OK, a lot of) off-field landings.

Everyone has mentioned the smaller divebrakes, which makes the ability to slip on landing attractive if not necessary at times. It does slip beautifully.

One item that hasn't been mentioned is the offset stick, which means when your hand is bounced up/down, it feeds in forward/aft stick. Experienced Libelle drivers keep their forearms braced on their thighs in turbulent conditions or at high speed.

The buffet that was mentioned I experienced numerous times, especially when carrying water, in our 201 with balsa wings, upper/lower surface brakes, and (importantly) the smaller horizontal tail. I always thought it was the tail in the wake of the fuselage or possibly the tail itself separating. It was very benign on ours and made it easy to thermal up inside most other gliders with the stick in my lap and the tail buffeting on and off. IIRC, the later 201s I flew with the larger tail didn't provide the same tactile feedback.

FWIW, I was 6'3" and thin. I fit perfectly with an old Navy backpack chute and the tall canopy (there are two sizes).

I loved our 201 and still think it doesn't get the respect it deserves. At the TSA Standard Nats a few years ago, a young man in a 201 seemed to be able to keep up with almost everyone. We all got used to looking down and seeing that ##### Libelle still there at the next thermal.

Yes, the tail boom is not as robust as those of modern gliders. I knew multiple guys who broke theirs in ground loops. I ground looped ours in tall grass once with no damage, fortunately, but I looked back very quickly when the glider came to rest to make sure it was still attached.

Neiman, check your logbook. My father, Joe Bearden, flew a 201 we owned briefly at the 1977 Standard Class Nats with "WE" as the contest ID. I don't know the serial number but it would be fun to know if it's the same glider. We drove him crazy referring to WE as "War Eagle", the battle cry of Auburn University's sports teams. My father was an Alabama grad so he took these things seriously.

Chip Bearden
JB