Great description

Over here in Germany, where it was invented (by Lilienthal, if one wants, before the Wrights) and where it grew to a grass root sports during the wars on the Wasserkuppe (we simply weren't allowed to build powered aircrafts), we have a huge club scene, which makes it affordable to everyone, even kids. Almost every city has its own gliding club and most of the gliders in the world are still developed and built here, despite high labour expenses. I loved the sport, but Germans are Germans and they are bureaucrats and nitpickers. Clublife also isn't easy, because there are always one or two oldies in every club, who ruin everybodies' day. This makes the greatest experience of freedom (gliding) to a hell of a prison on the ground, because there is not just the Luftamt but a lot of paperwork and also the club work. Therefor I gave up. But noone, who does not share the experience of fighting with a thermal and hearing the vario twitter, might understand the magic and fascination. There is no Lycoming and propeller noise and even the raptors have accepted us as their buddies, flying close to us. Over here they show thermals to us and vice versa. They have adapted, because there are so many gliders over here. To this day I repent having quit.

one of the best if you have the fly bug❤

The rocket plane has a slow climb rate

Thank you ...

Icing is not that common here

smart move

I had never heard of it.

It looks like a Buecker 131 Jungmann with a Lycoming engine !!

Thank you! Cheers!

It would take a week

No, because to less fuel...

👍

that would be a stemme S10 or S12

@@trueairspeed130 I had a client that took me up in an S10, what a great plane to fly, very intuitive for a complete and utter newbie on the controls for 10min 2nd ever time with hands on controls of a plane. He had done a cost country flight in less time and fuel cost than a small car.

they don't need, but that makes me wonder if they can air start.

true, this one is interesting inasmuch as the configuration of 2 small jet engines, as opposed to one large one.

Those really well informed and less pedantic know that New Mexico is the 47th US state

it can have a water filled stabilizer tube to even out weight distribution dynamically

Indeed

Good times obviously

cool

Glider is a category with no sub classes, in this particular case I think they just get an LOA

The jets are not "engines" for a glider, they are an optional launch assistance appliance, they could just as well aerotow or auto/winch launch to get into the air...

100%

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Well Bob is was not the first but definitely one of the first

So these perfect batteries going on fire occasionally is a design feature? That’s very cleaver

I agree.

@@trueairspeed130 me too!!

really😂

The problem with batteries is they are too heavy. You would have to design an entire new sailplane from scratch to keep the batteries at the correct CG. To go faster, sailplanes carry water in bladders in the leading edge of the wings, but dump it before landing.. If you put the batteries in the wings, It would take 4 people to put the wings on, and the landing speeds would be excessive.

Shame no sound

kzfaq.info/get/bejne/b9-ljZaGp9uyn4U.html sound on (4:20)

Flying a Calif is really an expierience ! Doesn´t feels like a glider with the big Helicopter stick, and bumpy thermals ? Not existing in this one, too heavy ! Landing configuration set, nose down in an breathtaking angel with stable 100Km/h , save and smooth landing on the double wheels, and than look in the face of your passenger! Hilarius !!! I am still smiling ...

Not sure these days $35-75 depending on how high?

10-15 knots

You bet

That would be interesting to see

aren't they all, if the engine quits :)

Thanks for the feedback

Of course