At 05:25 PM 6/04/05 +0930, you wrote:
>I did say: "a well chosen World Class Glider".
>Thanks for your thoughts Mike.
>It further confirms my views as to the movement of the sport across the
>economic spectrum.
>I'm lucky though as I am able to participate in it's last affordable days.
>The kids on low incomes and at todays rates?????????????????
>
>Chris McDonnell
Do you think it was *ever* more affordable? Ask those of us who bought
gliders in the 1970's. And drove junk cars. And went to contests counting
dollars and lived in tents, not motels. That also was a time when gliding
was expanding so used gliders went for very high prices. By comparison, in
real terms, good used gliders have never been cheaper. Oh yeah, most of us
were just out of "junior" category in our late 20's and early 30's. Some
younger, some older. The average age at the Nationals was something like 30
or a little more.
I'd really like to know how you think a world class would make competition
gliding more affordable, given that the airframe is just one of the
expenses and the rest stay more or less the same regardless of the chosen
airframe?
You can forget the new $20,000 glider. Even a very low performance one. It
isn't going to happen barring some very exotic manufacturing technology and
if that happens there will be lots of other interesting societal changes to
worry about.
Take a look at any kit/homebuilt power plane. The airframe materials cost
alone is more than that.
As for kids on low incomes my nieces and nephews and their partners all
seem to be doing rather well. Some of them are even interested in aviation.
They just laugh when I tell them how gliding runs.
Mike
Borgelt Instruments - manufacturers of quality soaring instruments
phone Int'l + 61 746 355784
fax Int'l + 61 746 358796
cellphone Int'l + 61 428 355784
Int'l + 61 429 355784
email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
website: www.borgeltinstruments.com
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