Research for a new glider

[Dave Rees]

Hello Folks,

Well it appears that the challenge of Sailplanes has gotten to me. I've just started flying sailplanes this year and am already really enjoying it very much. The first days out to training night had me grinning from ear to ear as I tried to remember all the things the instructors are saying. Oh Yeah, immidiately after release, fly the glider, not the parachute.. :D :o

I'm currently flying an Antares (Topflight kit I think) bought used at the auction. I have a Spirit 100 kit in the box which I'll probably start building in the near future but, am starting to do a little research for a stronger, more modern plane. I'm interested in a "full house" glider in the 3M category or therabouts that signals lift and thermals well. I keep hearing something about "friends don't let friends fly 2M" :p I don't really have an unlimited hobby budget so economy is also a factor. Any ideas or suggestions greatly appreciated.

Cheers,
Dave

[cgroves]

Bwhahaha, welcome to the dark side, or at least one of them ;). Gliders are really addictive and can be quite a challenge. One of the really great planes in the area for a reasonable price is the Saphire. I know a number of ORCC members have them and they seem to fly nicely and compete well. I know that the Sapphires where supposed to be for sale again this spring but I don't know if Sal has any in stock. Most of the full-on glass slipper ships are really expensive so the Sapphire is probably a better buy.
Maybe someone on RCSE or the ORCC-G mailing lists has a Sapphire for sale.

[Dave Rees]

The Dark Side :confused: ..... hardly........ now Heli's.....THAT's the Dark Side. :D

Cheers,
Dave

BTW, thanks for the tips. I'll be doing plenty of searching and I'll probably have more questions later.

[Ol' Ken]

Dave,

What you can get depends on your budget. About the least expensive "full house" gliders are from Art Hobby but from what I have read they are not designed for full tilt winch launching. North East Sailplanes have a large number of contest type planes available ranging price from about US$525.00 and up. These planes are reported to be very good flyers.

I do not beleive that any of the Ottawa guys are selling their Sapphires. The only plane that I know of that is similar to the Sapphire is made in New Zealand. It has a fibreglass fuselage and Obechi covered foam wings and a choice of 3 airfoils. The price is NZ$915 or about C$640 including shipping to Ottawa. Check out the links in Andrew's links under Sailplanes there is a hockey sock load of info there.

Happy Hunting.

Ol' Ken