Waduino wrote:
My list of candidates:
What you didn't say is if you want to race someday in 15M class

LS-3/A
Glasflugel 303 Mosquito
Glasflugel 304CZ
DG200
LS-6

For slightly more advanced pilots
ASW-20 A/B/C
Ventus A/B/C


That looks a lot like my short list, BUT the LS-3 (and less so the 3A)
has fairly heavy wings and hotelier connections, I believe. So I'm not
crazy about that choice. The Mosquito sounds like a great choice, but
again I wonder about wing weight. [We rig on grass and a one-man
rigging thingie is not that easy to operate in a lumpy field]

Am I being silly in putting automatic connection so high on my list?
It just seems sensible to me and perhaps something that would make the
ship more marketable when I decide to move on or out in a few years.

Wad.

If you're OK with 1st-generation, 15-meter performance, Zuni's fit your
criteria.

For any of a number of reasons (e.g. large-deflection flaps *only* [i.e.
no spoilers], side stick [in as-built Zuni-I's...parallellogram center
stick in Zuni II's and some modified Zuni I's], non-German glass, a
high-profile fatality in the prototype, all-flying tail, probably some
other items I'm forgetting...), it tends to be overlooked/dissed by fans
of groupthink.

Nonetheless, its Wortmann FX-67-K-170/150 airfoils are relentlessly
docile, and were used by many 1st-generation glass ships (e.g. Nimbus
II, (metal) Nugget, PIK-20, Mini-Nimbus, Vega, and probably more. Come
to think of it, the last two ships in that list *might* also fit your
auto-connection criteria (I'm hands-on familiar only w. the Zuni).

Zuni's are not all that common (~20 manufactured), but for all the above
reasons, the price tends to be right when they do come on the market.
I've been flying S/N 3 since '81; hopped into it w. ~400 total
hours...and it hasn't killed me (or even scared me too much :-)) yet.

In any event, have fun looking...and buying...and SOARing!!!

Regards,
Bob - YMMV - W.

P.S. To the best of my knowledge, no one has ever died from failing to
connect a self-connecting sailplane connection. Personally, I think
self-connections are a HUGE safety feature, regardless of how paranoid,
safety-conscious, or disciplined someone is. They're also hugely
convenient. FWIW, my present perspective arose only after purchasing a
Zuni. In any event *I* don't think you're being silly in placing
auto-connection high on your personal list. Moreover, you know yourself
better than anyone else.