Heavy pilot - what glider to opt for?

On Tuesday, November 12, 2013 12:27:08 AM UTC-5, 2G wrote:

So, I am repeating the advice: lose weight!

WRT to weight management, I found that taking up a second complementary sport that does not involve sitting in a reclining chair for 4-5 hours at a stretch, and that I can do when the weather is poor for flying (in the rain) helps. I arrested and reversed my creeping weight gain this season.

Also, if it is not dangerously hot where you fly, make taking a walk at the airfield part of your routine preflight preparations. I find that the walk also boosts my alertness after that long drive to the airport.

And if you can think of nothing else... try the no_beer_no_mayonnaise diet

At 05:27 12 November 2013, 2G wrote:
On Wednesday, October 30, 2013 12:17:44 PM UTC-7,

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wrote:
Good evening,
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I need some assistance!
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I am an early solo pilot looking to buy my first glider, but don't
really=
know what to go for! I want it for local soaring, but eventually to go
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ss country in it.
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The slight issue is that I am 6`4 tall and 17.5 stone - arguably too
heav=
y, but the question is what to go for.
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I'll obviously need a roomy cockpit!
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Any thoughts would be appreciated!

Many years ago someone else posted a very similar question and got pretty
m=
uch the same type of replies - except for mine. I recommended that he
lose
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weight. I know it can be done: I lost 50 lbs and am back into a 34"
waist.
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A year or so after posting that I was at Ephrata, WA when someone came
up
t=
o me and introduced himself. I knew him, but didn't recognize him - he
had
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read my post and took my advice, sucessfully! It gave my great sense of
pri=
de that I had had a material impact on someone elses life.

So, I am repeating the advice: lose weight! It is not that hard if you
just=
commit yourself (sort of like getting your pilots license). One pound of
f=
at is about 3500 calories. If you just cut 500 calories (two sugared soft
d=
rinks) a day out of your diet you will lose one pound a week. That is
FIFTY=
pounds a year. I did it by cutting one meal a day and being prudent
about
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the other two meals. Believe me, I didn't starve!=20

Good luck!

Tom



A little out of the box but jonkers JS1 say on they can uprate to 130kg,if
you
go to the web site and read the spec .
One hell of a first glider but it will be a while till you need to upgrade
again.

Looks excellent, if not a little expensive!!!

Looks excellent, if not a little expensive!!!

Pete: I've just taken ownership of a Jonker JS-1C. Yes, expensive. I'm 6ft 2in and it's a tight fit although once snugged in its comfortable.

But not quite as comfortable as the Genesis 2 I'm selling that I've have owned for 13 years. One prospective buyer I showed it to was just over 6ft 3in and with light/thin shoes he was comfortable and button-up. The G2 cockpit has a nice, deep seat pan and hip-wise is comfortable. Length-wise it's good and my feet are U.S. 10-1/2 with plenty of room. Head-wise there's enough canopy clearance. The key is your frame. If you're really wide in the hips and shoulders, it will be tight. I wear a U.S. 44-long sport jacket and I'm very comfortable at the shoulders in the G2 cockpit.

The G2's max cockpit weight limit is 242lb, and by my math that's slightly under your weight. CG correcting is ample though, with lead plate stations in the tail. But with a chute, you'd be slightly over the limit. However, if you'd like to see the Genesis I'm selling go to: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ge2glider4sale/

Looks great! However, out of my price range and indeed my country!!
What's everyones thoughts on some kind of single astir for a big pilot?

The original Astir CS, introduced in 1976 had the largest cockpit of the
single-seater range I think.

At 23:11 23 November 2013, wrote:
Looks great! However, out of my price range and indeed my country!!
What's everyones thoughts on some kind of single astir for a big pilot?

Anyone flown one? Is it good for early cross country flying??

On Sunday, November 24, 2013 6:58:18 AM UTC-5, wrote:
Anyone flown one? Is it good for early cross country flying??

Since the CS stands for Club Standard I expect that many people flown Grob G102 Astir CS.

You can look up gliders on Wikipedia to get a general idea of what they are designed to do and deduce a lot from the specs.

You can find the accident history of the type at http://www.ntsb.gov/aviationquery/index.aspx Search for Grob G102 will return more reports than searching on Astir CS. If you look at "probable cause" you will get some idea about the types of accidents that people have (for example, whether the glider is prone to enter spins.)

You can search Soaring magazine archives for articles about specific glider types.

On Sunday, November 24, 2013 6:58:18 AM UTC-5, wrote:
Anyone flown one? Is it good for early cross country flying??

You can find the owners of all of the existing aircraft of a type by searching at http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinqu...f_Inquiry.aspx

When you find a Grob Astir CS at a club or commercial operation near you, you can visit and see if the cockpit is comfortable for you. You might even be able to rent it for an hour.

On Sun, 24 Nov 2013 03:58:18 -0800, pete.gartland wrote:

Anyone flown one? Is it good for early cross country flying??

They are pleasant enough and quite easy to fly, though with a slightly
stodgy feel, a bit like its big brother, the Twin Astir/Grob G.103A Acro,
though obviously it feels lighter and more responsive than the G.103.
I don't have a lot of time in them: I flew a club-owned example while
visiting a different club for a few days.

A club-mate owned one a few years back. Like almost everybody in my club,
he got his Silver C in the club's SZD Juniors before (I think)
transitioning to the club's Pegase 90. Then he bought the Astir CS and
and did some excellent xc flights in it over the next couple of years
before replacing it with an LS-7.

At one time the world gliding altitude record was held by an Astir CS.


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