Self-Launching Gliders are the way of the future

[Tim Wood]

The Saskatchewan gliding club at Regina experienced low membership a number of years ago. Only when every member showed up at the field did they have enough bodies to operate. I flew with them for a few days on my return trip from Invermere one summer. This highly unusual group were very welcoming. I got to experience thermal soaring conditions in the middle of the prairies, where summer breezes kick off thermals from clumps of bushes on otherwise bare ground. Different!

Their novel history endowed them with a lottery license when legalized gambling was just starting. Proceeds from the sale of this license and from the sale of towing equipment allowed them to purchase a self-launcher DG-400. Since then, they have purchased at least one more self-launcher. This streamlined club configuration seems to work well for them.

Glider manufacturing in Germany shows a strong trend towards powered gliders. It is a strong and probably permanent market trend.

I advocate a good look at purchase of a self launcher by our club, financed at least in part by sale of surplus equipment. This would include one tow plane and several wallflowers that rarely get to dance any more.

Aside from the obvious benefit of being able to fly when the towing operation was not functioning, like today, I believe that the addition of a self-launcher would attract the senior cohort of glider pilots from our region- people with high skill levels. This could only benefit the club. It would add enormous "blue sky" for our up and coming flying members.

The cross-country potential of a self launcher is huge. Believe me. It unlocks access to the +99% of our geography that has no tow planes

Here is a bonus for the less adventurous: land-outs are rare.

Think about it. I see it as a win-win-win

Tim

[Eitan Rotbart]

Are you talking about a gas powered engine or electric?
Electric is much more reliable than gas with little to no maintenance

[Tim Wood]

Cost might be a factor. I am only familiar with gas.

Tim

[Eitan Rotbart]

Gas has it's risks of not starting when you need it and it requires maintenance... on the long run it will require some attention. what is the price difference between electric and gas powered glider? I know that it will be a significant difference, but it might pay itself after a few years

[Javed Ali]

Hi Tim,

Thanks for bringing this up. A selflaunching motorglider would be the coolest ofcourse, yet something like the LS8 e neo looks like a hell of a machine also.

I think that something similiar and possibly less costly would attract many more clients in addition to what you mentioned.

Just to give perspective, a diamond da20 rents for around $175 per hour at the moment.

Javed

[Kenneth Voort]

I think that something similiar and possibly less costly would attract many more clients in addition to what you mentioned.

I disagree. Nobody buys an intro flight from or joins a club because they have a fancypants motorglider.

The general public comes for intros to cross something off a bucket list. Students joining aren't doing so because of the high performance ships, they're doing it to learn to fly. And licensed pilots join (or stay) for the membership and camaraderie, not the club fleet.

There are many very good reasons to purchase a motorglider. Attracting intros and new members is not one of them.

(BTW Javed, welcome!)

[Javed Ali]

Hi,

There are many reasons why people join or try new things, including the ones you posted.

No one mentioned intros or new pilots but Tim spoke of experienced senior pilots that are limited when operations are not fully online.

I believe the initial post was a suggestion for a direction the club can grow toward as the possibilities mentioned are real and promising, which can be a net positive for the club.

We also need more members to post their thoughts se we don't go down rabbit holes or maybe I'm late and you all have been down this hole before

Javed

[Kenneth Voort]

No one mentioned intros or new pilots but Tim spoke of experienced senior pilots that are limited when operations are not fully online.

Sorry - I incorrectly inferred that you were talking about attracting intros and new pilots. You're right, it would be a very good option for existing members.

I do think it's a good idea. But I don't think it will benefit the club with new members or more intros.

I have safety concerns, but those are better left for another discussion.

[Ryan Dewsbury]

I think this idea needs to be looked at from the perspective of a shrinking membership and recreational pilot population in general.

Having something that can self launch would allow people to fly even when there are very few people around. Rather than looking at it to bring new members it would be more of an existing membership retention tool.

There is at least one self launcher in the area. I saw it at Edenvale a few years ago and it was operated out of Collingwood. Used a small electric motor to get airborne similar size to an LS4 but I cannot remember the exact model.

[Tim Wood]

Another huge benefit of powered gliders is that land-outs are virtually eliminated. For clubs like YSA, that have an extreme aversion to landouts, this is a biggy. I would expect that a powered glider in the club would be going cross country on every flyable day. It would open cross country flying to our upwardly mobile pilots in a low stress way.

Tim