h3>Motorgliders = Opportunity

I've learned some things since getting my motorglider.. One of the most interesting things is how people that aren't motorglider pilots have a very limited concept of what a motorglider can provide.

"Opportunity" is the key word.

Everyone understands a few things, most of all what I call "towplane avoidance". The ability to self-launch gives you the opportunity to launch when you are ready, thereby avoiding the wait for the towplane and the delay caused by all those other people in front of you. This part everybody envies.

Secondly, everyone easily grasps the idea of "retrieve avoidance", using the motor to avoid landing away from home, whether it's another airport, or even farmer's field. Most people like this idea, though some don't, believing the chance of landing out is what defines the sport.

Indeed, self-launch and self-retrieve are important , but these abilities don't really allow a change in the way you soar, but just allow you to do it more conveniently or more often. After all, a typical weekend flyer at their favorite gliderport has little trouble getting a tow, avoiding a landout, or getting a friend or towplane to retrieve them once or twice a year.

Not so obvious is that a motorglider allows you to enhance your soaring. This is what is really important to me. Most glider pilots don't realize how much their self-imposed constraints limit their soaring. The biggest constraint is probably the desire to soar home, instead of getting retrieve from that airport or field. Once you realize you no longer have to soar home to get home, your soaring opportunities increase immensely. Here are some examples:

1) I stay hours longer in the great soaring in the mountains, while the plain gliders scoot for home before the thermals die in the basin.

2) I fly in low cloudbase, marginal, but exhilarating conditions when no one else will bother launching, because the lift is too unpredictable.

3) Sometimes I fly like it's a record attempt, speed ring way up and ruthlessly rejecting all but the very best thermals. Great practice, and the palms still get sweaty!

4) The soaring dying between me and home? I keep going towards the still good air knowing I can motor home if I need to.

5) Miss the wave on the first try? Instead of dashing back to the airport, I try another place, and another, until I get it right.