a big question with a million answers

On May 20, 8:10 am, Colin McGinn <colin.mcg...@flightpower.co.uk>
wrote:
> At 11:25 20 May 2008, Colin McGinn wrote:
>
>
>
> >ok here goes nothing
> >we as a couple are close to solo and because of limitation n time due to
> >business commitments we will find it hard to share club gliders once
> solo
> >so
> >look to buy one , however we are well aware that with time comes
> >experience
> >so we would like some advice on a good starter glider from solo on>>>>
> >i do like doing loops and inverted so ideally this glider will be able
> to
> >take that
> >in its stride when im proficient enough to do these solo ,
> >we also seek info as to if there is a web site with a pic of every
> glider
> >made
> >as its very hard to know what a mentioned glider even looks like ,
> >so i look forward to what im sure will be a multitude of suggestions and
> >views
>
> >kind regards
> >colin
>
> i cant believe no one has any comments ??

I think that is because we beat it up to death....

jk

I entered "first glider" in the search field for this group => 11
pages w/ten posts each.

First thoughts:

It might take you quite a time to become proficient at loops and inverted.
Also there are many others things to learn besides aerobatic. Pre-solo,
you probably have a year or two of learning, in all conditions and hopefully
different clubs to put into your knowledge base.

Second thoughts: When you were about to take your driving test did you
consider buying a high performance sports car, with all the twitchiness that
entails?

I would suggest you get something to learn on for a couple of years whilst
you gain experience. Like your first car, there's a really good chance your
going to scratch it a bit on the way :-(

If both of your have lots of free time, you could well get through the next
steps of learning in a year and can move onto a higher performance glider.
If not, you will take a bit longer. Having an expensive machine sitting
gathering dust is not that motivational. Breaking one due to lack of
experience or being current is even worse..


"Colin McGinn" <colin.mcginn@flightpower.co.uk> wrote in message
news:69fqofF32r5g5U1@mid....
> ok here goes nothing
> we as a couple are close to solo and because of limitation n time due to
> business commitments we will find it hard to share club gliders once solo
> so
> look to buy one , however we are well aware that with time comes
> experience
> so we would like some advice on a good starter glider from solo on>>>>
> i do like doing loops and inverted so ideally this glider will be able to
> take that
> in its stride when im proficient enough to do these solo ,
> we also seek info as to if there is a web site with a pic of every glider
> made
> as its very hard to know what a mentioned glider even looks like ,
> so i look forward to what im sure will be a multitude of suggestions and
> views
>
> kind regards
> colin

On May 20, 4:25 am, Colin McGinn <colin.mcg...@flightpower.co.uk>
wrote:
> ok here goes nothing
> we as a couple are close to solo and because of limitation n time due to
> business commitments we will find it hard to share club gliders once solo
> so
> look to buy one , however we are well aware that with time comes
> experience
> so we would like some advice on a good starter glider from solo on>>>>
> i do like doing loops and inverted so ideally this glider will be able to
> take that
> in its stride when im proficient enough to do these solo ,
> we also seek info as to if there is a web site with a pic of every glider
> made
> as its very hard to know what a mentioned glider even looks like ,
> so i look forward to what im sure will be a multitude of suggestions and
> views
>
> kind regards
> colin

This deceased horse has been abused here before. But here goes I would
heavily bias any decision towards what types are common where you fly,
so you can share experience from other pilots/owners. Also talk to
whoever will maintain the glider for you, they'll often have
preferences or advice. Assuming you are going to fly XC do not
undervalue the worth of a good trailer, or the value of a well put
together XC panel, O2 system, transponder?, (dual?) batteries, etc.
all debugged and known to be working. Stuff that might take weeks or
months of hassle just getting somebody to work on and get fully sorted
out to your satisfaction. If you are looking at older ships be sure to
understand what a good condition gelcoat/poly finish is really worth
vs. refinish costs in lotsa $$$ and time. Spend the time to find
somebody really good to do the pre-purchase inspection if you are
buying used.

In the UK with a strong club scene I'd be tempted to hang around some
of the clubs and try out different gliders before making a purchase
decision.

Darryl