27B and Ventus 2

Do both sailplanes have new horizontal stabilizer designs ? Is this the next big breakthrough? Which is trying to get the jump on the other sailplane? What is the rest of the story? Regards, RE Gaines

Only the Ventus 2 ax

Improvements on the 27 b: - Larger winglets - integrated ballast tanks

maybe

These two are the last 15 m planes. All new development effort will probably focus on 18 m, 20m two seaters and std class

So this will come as quite a disappointment for the company developing the LS-10 for 15m.

The LS-10 is for both 15 & 18m.

the ASW-27 was supposed to be optimized for 15, with no compromises for a 18m version, so it will be interesting to see how the LS-10 will compare.

two >are the last 15 m planes. All new development effort will probably

Strategic thinking has never been their greatest strength. I hate to say it, but in Europe, the 15 m class is in decline. Even pilots with older 15 m ships, like ASW20 L and ventus C, strip on their 17 m tips and (try to) compete with the newest 18 m class ships. I'm doomed to merge with the future std class.

They might as well skip the 15 m LS-10 and optimize it for 18 m. And BTW, the 27 is not supposed to be optimized for 15 m. it is optimized for 15 m.

Interesting that this seems not to be the case in the US. Here, the 15 m class continues to be the largest, and seems to attract the top pilots, despite the predictions of decline when 18m came along. Future health seems likely as the top pilots show up in brand new gliders, most that do not take 18 m tips (i.e. ASW27 or Ventus 2 a/b). Standard is doing fine, with a surprising number of pilots that own two gliders or borrow standard to fly it, but does not seem to be displacing 15. 18m is so far just another 15m nationals. Perhaps it is the stronger conditions out West, the ridge in the East ( I live in the soggy middle alas!) and the much lower popularity of motors here.

New development will focus on whatever gliders customers want to buy!

John Cochrane