Hello Rolf What an interesting point of view! Please allow me to present an alternative one. I would have agreed with you if we were talking about a competition glider but the ASK 21 is not a racing machine. It is just a good trainer with superb aerobatic capabilities. In recent years almost 20 ASK 21 have been purchased by clubs and private owners in Australia and several clubs now have more than just one ASK 21 on line. The aircraft is an obvious evergreen and it won't be long before Schleicher will announce 4 digit production figures. Over the last 30 years several other glider manufacturers have tried to come up with something better (or something cheaper) but all of them have either failed or have gone into liquidation. Their owners are telling me that they do not care how long ago the aircraft was designed - all they are intersted in is that the ASK 21 is the most robust trainer on the market with no maintenance requirements to speak of. The total absence of ADs and decades of trouble free operation have made it the only glider in the world certified for 18 000 hours. This makes the ASK 21 by far the most cost efficient trainer in the long run. But not only that - the ASK 21 is also the preferred trainer for instructors and students alike. It is still decades ahead of its competitors in that it has a safety cockpit with energy absorbing honeycomb structure and a very comfortable and roomy cockpit - front and rear. Its forgiving flying characteristics are welcomed by some but are sometimes criticized as being a touch too docile. Despite of its low all up weight this trainer has an enviable safety record. An estimated 5 Million flying hours has so far only resulted in one or two fatalities. Compare that to ANY other trainer on the market. You will hardly break a world record in an ASK 21 but keep in mind that it was never designed for that. To condemn such a superb piece of engineering just because it came on the market a long time ago is perhaps just a little unfair. Rolf, I respect your opinion! I just hope I have not offended you by presenting mine. Kind regards to all Bernard Eckey
_____ From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of rolf a. buelter Sent: Thursday, 19 August 2010 8:56 AM To: aus soaring Subject: Re: [Aus-soaring] Sale of..... With all due respect Emilis but what you call perfectly satisfactory hardware is considered scrap metal by others. The most modern piece of hardware on offer in the recent posts is an ASK 21, which is just a ASK 13 in fibre glass, i.e. a 40 plus year old design and actually 30 years old. No wonder clubs are not queuing up to spend their limited cash on them. It's not unhealthy at all to want something a little more of todays equipment rather than vintage. Best Regards - Rolf
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