Added Responsibilities

Maintenance: Like most airplanes, there is more maintenance involved with the motor than the rest of the aircraft; further, the vibration, heat, fuel and oil tend to increase the maintenance of the glider itself. Because your safety during the launch depends even more on your motor than it did on the towplane's motor, it is wise to tend to it's needs carefully.

Preflight: It takes me at least three times as long to preflight my ASH26E motor glider as it did to preflight my ASW20; 4 times if I have to add fuel or oil. The "glider part" of the preflight is about the same as an unpowered glider.

Fuel and oil: You must use the proper types of each fluid, ensure there is enough to safely launch, and test for water.

Ground operation: To begin the flight, you must start the motor. Even though the propeller is shielded from people to a great extent by the wings and fuselage, you must still assure yourself no one is nearby and that your propeller wake will not tip another glider, slam a canopy shut, or kick up dust. Once started, you should move away from the crowd to reduce the aggravation of the noise and wind.

Pushing a glider out to the launch is easy because you are moving slowly and can see all around you; often, you have help and another pair of eyes. None of this is true for the self-launching glider. Additionally, the glider is much wider than a towplane, both in wingspan and track. Because you taxi with the wingtip on the ground the "track" is about 25 feet for a 15M ship, 30 feet for my 18M glider. You must stay close to the edge of a taxiway to keep the wing tip on the pavement.

Another complication is the possibility of the glider switching wingtips due to a gust of wind or propeller blast from an airplane. If it does this on a typical 40' wide taxiway, it means your wing tip is now in the dirt (or weeds or lights or...) and may stop suddenly, swerving the glider off the taxiway.

All these things make careful planning necessary when you make your choice of runway, taxiway, and the route to them . Rarely can you just jump in and go! In addition to the wide track of the glider, it's steering isn't even as precise as an airplane's. For example, turning towards the down tip means you are on the outside of a big circle, so you must not cut the corner, unless you enjoy colliding with lights! Turning towards the up wing is easier, as the tailwheel castor is in your favor. Because there is no differential braking like airplanes, you are totally dependent on the tailwheel. Particularly in the wind, you must remember, "Authority is limited".