New SOLO pilot looking for suitable glider

On Monday, October 1, 2012 5:34:41 PM UTC+1, Nick Hill wrote:
On 01/10/2012 11:29, ukpilot wrote:

Hi All



I am new to this forum and new to gliding and would like some info on

Looking for and purchasing a suitable glider. Where in the UK is best to

look??



I have a couple of hours in an LS4 and i have seen a few Discus and to

be honest have my heart set on a discus. Am i aiming to high?



There are so many different versions of the discus out there! What is

the difference between them.



Would a discus 2c or 2ct with both set's of wing tips 15m-18m be ok for

a newbie. 18m when i get more experience.



Any info you can give on gliders and suitable website will be great

appreciated.







www.gliderpilot.net has a UK forum at:



http://uras.gliderpilot.net/



It also has a Classified Adverts section in which there is a currently

Discus B for sale.



Adverts for gliders available across multiple european contries can be

found in the classifieds section of the German site www.segelflug.de



http://www.segelflug.de/cgi-bin/clas...lassifieds.cgi





regards,



Nick Hill















--



Nick Hill

The OP asked about models of Discus. Before the Discus 2 there were Discus A, Discus B and Discus CS. The Discus A, like other A model gliders from Schempp-Hirth, had a slimmer fuselage, and therefore gave slightly better performance, but at the cost of a very tight cockpit only suitable for slender pilots. The Discus B is probably the most common, and has a slightly wider fuselage. The Discus CS was pretty much the same as the B but made in an Eastern European factory whereas the B was made in Germany. Choose between CS and B on condition. Most (maybe all??) were originally supplied without winglets, but many have had winglets added, which are said to improve thermalling performance.

The Discus B and CS are generally perceived as equivalent to a Schleicher ASW 24, and perhaps to the LS7.

The Discus 2 replaced the Discus. It originally came out as a standard class glider only (ie 15m span), and is perceived as equivalent to an ASW 28 and an LS8. Because the LS8 was first of these in the market, and the newer ones were not significantly better, there are many more LS8's around, probably from lower prices, and people love them. A couple of early solo pilots at our club have bought 15m only LS8's.

Any of the gliders mentioned here are suitable from an early solo stage, though you should take careful advice on converting to a new type.

Soon after I got my Silver I bought a half share of a Discus CS, sharing with a more experienced pilot, and I learned a lot both about gliding and about owning a glider from my syndicate partner. I have always enjoyed sharing a glider (though I am just buying one on my own!). I certainly recommend getting into a suitable syndicate if there is one available at your club.

Someone else mentioned the importance of a good trailer. Think carefully about all the equipment you will need, and the price you pay should reflect what is included (think parachutes, loggers, PDA's, tow-out aids etc).