Jim is quite right that the K8 is a nice glider of its period. When I began
flying 7 years ago my club in the UK had a K8 as the first single seater,
and it was known as the "Wooden Parachute" because it was easy to fly,
robust, and had no vicious habits.

If you decide to rebuild one with a view to flying it long-term, I think the
main consideration is the kind of flying you want to do. For XC flying the
biggest drawback of the K8 is that it has very poor penetration into wind.
The report from the UK Juniors competition this year gave one's experience
of a competition finish - "A K8 is the most efficient machine for turning
height into noise". Many pilots have flown Gold distance in a K8, but the
skill level required is very high - miss out on just one thermal by going to
the wrong cloud and you could be on the ground (in the UK anyway). My plans
for next year are Gold attempts in an Open Cirrus - if I get really good, in
a few years time I might try in a K8.

But for local soaring or short XC on light wind days, a K8 would be a
pleasure to fly. My club's K8 is nostagically missed, though I think that if
we bought another one it would be used far less than the glass single
seaters.


"Jim Culp" wrote in message
...
Harken to what I have to tell you, as follows:

Let me recommend to you a wonderful classic design,

the Schleicher Ka8B.
Get one and keep it flying.
They are superb.
They are resellable. You will not be disappointed.