I think a T31 could still be a lot of fun - and I'm still the right side of 40! But then I've always considered myself a glider pilot with occasional adrenaline junkie tendancies rather than the other way around =)
There is a good argument that the majority of new entrants to gliding are probably going to be old enough to probably be a bit turned off by the gung-ho beat-ups & techno-gadgets. Personally, I think there is room for all of it in equal amounts, but each to their own. Richard McLean 2003 Forester GT driver (tows great & insurance is a lot less than a WRX =P) --- Mark Newton <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > DMcD wrote: > > > Glider pilots in general have a terrific ability > to be sucked down the > > technology tunnel and miss why we go gliding in > the first place. To > > have FUN! > > So does it matter if you are not flying the latest > 60:1 carbon fibre > > glider? Obviously not, or the average age of > gliders in this country > > would be younger than 25 years and nobody would > fly Libelles and > > Cirruses. Personally, the most fun I have had this > year was in a T31 > > with my head in the air. > > With all due respect, if I showed a T31 to a new > entrant to the sport, > they'd be in their car and back on the highway home > faster than you can > say, "termite." (lets face it, if that new member > was coming over > from PG, why would he be impressed by a sailplane > that doesn't perform > any better than the rigid weightshift rolled up on > his roofrack? :-) > > If you've been attracted to the sport because it's a > bit extreme, > and because promotional videos have pulled you in > with 250km/h > beatups along visually spectacular alpine ridges, > then I'd suggest > that aspiring to anything less than the > aforementioned 60:1 beast > is completely out of the question. > > If gliding is going to promote itself to new members > in that manner > (and the pulling power of the UK's "Smokin'" videos > seem to suggest > that it is), then it has to make damn sure that it > can deliver the > promised outcome. Otherwise it'll just attract > people who start > training, continue it for long enough to work out > that it won't > give them what they're looking for, and leave. > > (The HG, PG and UL people worked this out years ago, > which is probably > why they've been growing and we haven't) > > - mark > > -------------------------------------------------------------------- > I tried an internal modem, > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > but it hurt when I walked. > Mark Newton > ----- Voice: +61-4-1620-2223 ------------- Fax: > +61-8-82356937 ----- > _______________________________________________ > Aus-soaring mailing list > [email protected] > To check or change subscription details, visit: > http://lists.internode.on.net/mailman/listinfo/aus-soaring > ____________________________________________________________________________________ Sick of deleting your inbox? Yahoo!7 Mail has free unlimited storage. http://au.docs.yahoo.com/mail/unlimitedstorage.html _______________________________________________ Aus-soaring mailing list [email protected] To check or change subscription details, visit: http://lists.internode.on.net/mailman/listinfo/aus-soaring
