Hello from Germany

[Jeremy_n_Germany]

Hi everyone,

I have decided to pull the trigger on a large glider, and this seems to be the place to be. I am an American stationed in Germany and fly at a local club. Soon I will retire and continue living in Germany as a teacher, also I have just bought at house, so you can say I have put down roots here.

I look forward to learning from everyone. One problem I have been having is trying to decide on a glider. I had narrowed it down to two models, the Hangar 9 ASW 20, and the HV-Tech 2cx Ventus... http://www.hvtech.cz/eng.html

I have decided to go with the ASW 20 for the moment. This is a hard choice, as many of the flyers at my field use the SLS vs. the FES type of power. I guess I will break the mold and go FES with the ASW 20.

Happy Flying and Building.

Jeremy Chrisman

[lenb]

Hi Jeremy,
Welcome to the forums!!!!
You are so fortunate to be in and near some of the greatest soaring location on the planet. (insert jealousy here)

I looked at the link you provided, its a nice looking plane. I would caution on only getting the larger version if you decide to go this route.
One thing for sure, the bigger the plane, the better it fly's. This is realized in many aspects of flight, whether it lands better, tows better, thermals better, etc. With longer wings and a bigger fuse, everything fits better too, its easier to see and handles windy conditions much better than something smaller.
My rule of thumb is the smallest plane I'd consider is 4m, then size is only restricted by you're wallet. Some will say they are restricted by their car size or truck size, which again comes right back to the wallet.. ........ buy a bigger car lol

The ASW20 fly's very very well for a reasonably priced 4m sailplane.

Keep us all informed on you're progress and I'm looking forward to hearing more.

LEN

[ARUP]

Lucky guy! Germany... where it all started! Good luck with your purchase choice. Don't forget about building some old timers!

[Jeremy_n_Germany]

Ilenb / ARUP,

Thanks for the words of advice! I ordered the Hangar 9 ASW 20 on Saturday, and should pick it up this coming weekend. I have a Dodge Grand Caravan, so I will have plenty of room to haul it. A German friend of mine in the club who already has a few 6 meter gliders showed me an article in a Germany RC flying magazine where they gave this model great reviews. And since I do not pay the German 19% VAT (tax), I am able to get it for a little less than $900 after the dollar to euro conversion rate. Which is $100 less than I could get it stateside, so that worked out nice.

By the way, I do like the old timer planes too, however I wanted my first bird to really cut through the air. If I do get an old timer, I would seriously consider the Phoenix Model Ka-8b 6 meter glider. http://www.phoenixmodel.com/Product.aspx?ProductId=295

Since I am going to be here in Germany for 20+ years as a teacher after the military, I plan to do lots of glider flying.

Cheers,
Jeremy

[ARUP]

Jeremy, if you ever get to the Deutsches Museum in Munich and can get some detailed pics of the Vampyr sailplane there I would be indebted. Interior arrangements would be extremely helpful as well as fittings, hinge points, wheels and attachments, and etc. Have a look at my Vampyr in the 'scale sailplanes' forum here. Show some of your German friends, too. I'm sure they'd get a kick out of seeing the Vampyr modeled and flown! Everyone loves the ASW20. I had one and almost finished it before selling it off. I have come to the realization that time IS limited and I need to build some models on my 'list' before it's too late! Cheers, Michael

[Jeremy_n_Germany]

ARUP, I will remember this next time I am in Munich. Wow, I just looked at your Vampyr build, very cool and you are certainly an accomplished modeler! Excellent job sir!

Cheers,
Jeremy Chrisman