Anyone have any experience with gliders?
I was never tempted to get one until I found this brand…
It’s basically an airplane if you want it to be and a glider if you want.
It can go back and forth, in flight, very quickly.
1:53 Glide Ratio
Almost 1,000NM range on 30 gallons and thats assuming you couldn’t find any lift allowing you to shut the engine off for hours on end!
I love the motor glider concept. Pipistrel has items in this category also.
It’s like that sailboat I had… We would just take it out with a gallon of rum, get it leaned over and feel like we were going fast in no particular direction so we felt like accomplished sailors.
Then when it was time to go back we would just drop the sails and fire up the diesel engine.
That way we didn’t have to bother with all the annoying sailing shit like making the boat sail in the direction you want. haha
@Dr.Badass remembers that nice sailboat that I used to have!
Haha yeah we sailed that beast all the way back to Huron from Cleveland. Definitely didn’t use the diesel at all!!
I believe the only fuel we had was 2 30 packs and some subway $5 foot longs 
Good old $5 footlongs, damn I miss that deal!
Your brother was looking for those elusive Lake Erie Dolphins on that trip.
They’re super popular at my airport being so close to the foothills before the proper mountains that seem to be ideal for lifting air. It’s been rare to see any conflicts between powered aircraft and the gliders just off to the east unless those powered aircraft are transients unfamilar with the operations, similar to skydiving being a localized activity.
I’m apprehensive to get into gliders strictly because of the dependencies around a support crew to get you airborne. This in more realistic terms means you need to be a part of that support crew to help other pilots get up and wait your turn, or fly first and play pit crew the rest of the day. I think for some (especially the retired) that kind of vibe is where they’re head is at and it’s just not for me. Am I selfish? Probably.
It requires just a very committed group of volunteers to make it all happen so I have great respect for those who can and do.
If I had to cast a vote, it would also be for team motor gliders. A few of those roam in my area and I think it’s the best compromise of self sufficient flying and most of the joys of gliding when you shut off the engine just sacrificing the insane glide ratios of the proper machine.
The one thing I don’t see mentioned often though is the dudes performing aerobatics. It’s fun top watch all that energy management from my back deck. A few years ago I saw a guy do a loop on downwind just to burn off speed. It was impressive yet didn’t seem like the FAA would appreciate that technique.
I am definitely on the same page as you as far as not relying on the ground crew or a tow plane.
That’s one of the perks I noticed when I came over to airplanes from boats.
It’s great knowing I can run every thing I need for the flight without having to leave my chair.
Boats you are having to do your own lines when you’re doing any docking/anchoring operations or you are dependent on crew. Crew is great when they know what they are doing, pain in the ass/potentially dangerous when they don’t.
The traditional gliders are a step in the way opposite direction… at least with a boat you can bribe the crew with the fact they get a boat ride out of it. Gliders not so much.
I just remembered the new Flight Simulator 2024 has gliders natively, with the whole launch sequence modeled by tow plane and even a winch launch.
If you have a VR headset and generally a gaming focused desktop it’d be a nice option to just get aloft on demand and practice catching thermals.
I heard that they came out with MFS 2024… I’ve had the 2020 version for a few years already and still haven’t purchased any controllers for it.
This “Yawman” brand is a nice low key controller that covers most functions without the hassle of some huge HOTAS setup. The throttles push/pull with even a trim wheel is a hilarious nice touch.
You just sent me down a 2 hour rabbit hole with this one… Thank a lot @TylerBrunkhorst!
