Welcome to the
Glasflügel CZ
OWNERS Pages
NOW WITH OVER 70
NEW HpH 304 Sailplanes  produced!
New glider deliveries
304C "FL"
I just picked up the glider a few hours ago after clearing customs, at the docks in Boston.
It is PERFECT - the finish is outstanding, and Eric and I are SOOO excited about flying it in a few weeks.
I did not pull the glider out but Eric and I will take a closer look at it in a few days when we can arrange some time to go over it carefully, install instruments and in general get it ready for our FAA certification person.
But, the trailer is wonderful and the glider is outstanding!   I can't believe the finish - it is also PERFECT!   Everything arrived with no scratches, problems or anything else to worry about. I'll send some pics when I get it out of the trailer.
THANKS!
Fred Looft

at the port

Fred Looft & Eric Frere Partners in Ser# 71C


Fred Looft 
SMILING ALL THE WAY  - FIRST FLIGHT.
The only problem?  Well, in spite of what the weather was forecast to be
,.... thermals?  What thermals?  Bumpy yes, thermals that could be worked,
no way!   16 minutes later after doing a low approach because I had not
realized HOW effective the dive brakes were I was on the ground thinking
about all the comments on the web about whimpy wheel brakes - they worked
just fine, takes a lot of leg force but worked fine.
For a 16 minute flight, it was great - everything worked well, it flew
beautifully, and will be a delight to have/own/fly.   Eric is flying it
now (i put it together and flew it, he then flies it and takes it apart).
Can't wait to get a SERIOUS flight in.   My biggest mistake today?
probably flying too fast in thermals (need to get the hang of it and fly
in the high 40's, not high 50's).
WONDERUL and roomy and comfortable and excellent visibility and quite and
WONDERFUL 304C Tim!

Ok, so I only had  a 16 minute "down in flames" flight - Eric took FL up  a bit later in the day and in spite of the 9-12 Kts winds predicted by the weather folks, he got wave up to about 8k around here (wave?  in 9-12 kt winds?  I think the winds were MUCH higher than 9-12 kts - in fact they were very brisk!)

He and a friend in a Dg303 acro managed to fly side by side for some distance a couple of times. 
 IN the past, when we had our Dg300, we would always be a bit lower and slower.  In the 304,
Eric said he was VERY CLEARLY higher and faster.   Great!

Eric Frere
When FL was checked for airworthiness last week,  the guy who did it was up for his annual FAA certification renewal.  He called me the day before he certified our ship and said "Fred, the FAA is coming out to re-certify me and they told me we were going to use YOUR ship - hope you don't mind, but they are VERY picky and while I think everything is in order, it will be a half-day process and they will go over it with a fine toothed comb!".  Of course, that really put me at ease (NOT!).   Well, they went over it and the most interesting comment was that the FAA guys refused to believe that it was a gelcoat finish.  "NO ONE makes a finish that nice - it has to be paint!"  Even Pete (my inspector guy) said he had his doubts but knew that it was gel coat - incredible finish!

Here you can see photographs of new Glasflügel 304CZ's and read comments from the owners and others who have had the opportunity to see and fly the the 304CZ sailplane from HpH Ltd.

"Follow the Leader"
Photo by Rita Edris.
304CZ's lined up and ready to launch owned by John Daly, Alan Kirlin and Pierre Parent all from Washington state.
Soaring Czech Style

Tour of the HpH Factory
By Kempton Izuno
Click on the text or image above to open, give it a minute, it's worth the time!)
(this is a PDF file and requires Adobe Acrobat reader to open)

The First HpH 304 Sailplanes
NOW OFFERED IN AUSTRALIA
25/09/2004 - Gliders 304C in Brisbane : Last week we packed two new 304C WASP for Australian customers. Nobody believed that two gliders and two trailers can go into one container. But they fit! Everybody is welcome to check out the quality and beauty of 304C WASP in Boonah gliding club near Brisbane, Australia.
If you are interested  don't hesitate to contact Robert Izatt on robizatt@telstra.com
Congratulation Rob and have a nice maiden flight!

304CZ's in Japan!

comments from HpH website:
304CZ in Japan
Our Japanese representative Mr.Takeshi Saito take maiden flight in Glasflugel 304CZ over Japan last week. Copy from Mr.Takeshi Saito Email: "We are satisfied with the good performance, comfortable maneuverability and very good finish of surface of new 304CZ. I am sure that 304cz is the single seat glider suitable for the glider club in Japan." We all hope that this is the first, but not the last Glasflugel 304CZ in Japan! Copyright for pictures held by Mr.Hiroshi Seo.

You'd be smiling too if you just received a new 304C!

304C ser# 55 and new owner Andre' de Baghy
Duane Jenkins 304CZ ser# 53
     I recently had the chance to attend Glen Holden's Turkey Glide with the new ship. The day started off looking pretty bleak.  The weather channel showed a small patch of rain directly over Anson County airport, home of the infamous Turkey Glide.  But with only two flights on the 304cz I was more than willing to take a chance on the weather.  Like an old climbing partner of mine use to say, "If you listen to everything those guys say on the weather channel, you'd never leave the house." I set out at about 6:30am from Wrightsville Beach.  Two hours later and I'm up to Harnett County airport where I keep the 304, also home of the NCSA (North Carolina Soaring Association).  This is a good size club, with many very active members, flying just south of the Raleigh-Durham area.  Once everyone was ready a procession of us made the drive with gliders in-tow to Anson County. By 11:15 we were arriving on the seen of the 2002 Turkey Glide!
    Very soon after arriving I started to get the feeling that this wasn't your usual group of glider guys.  As I walked up to the Pilots meeting I noticed some type of strange ceremony taking place.  All the pilots seemed to standing around praising a one foot tall stuffed turkey.  Now I'm starting to think  "what have I gotten myself into this time?" By 12:30 gliders where launching into blue skies,  that's right weather channel guys, BLUE SKIES. The Carolina sky was full of sailplanes for the rest of the day.
    By 1:00 I was on tow.  At 2500ft agl I'm off tow and climbing in weak lift.  Man do I love to drop those flaps and start circling!  The 304 climbs like a hot air balloon with the flaps dropped.  The rest of the afternoon I spent checking out the interesting terrain that surrounds Anson County.   The conditions were so good that by 5:00pm I'm still chancing puffy cu's around the area.   Having so much fun and not having earned my silver duration yet I decide to attempt a 5 hour flight.  At 5:15 I find myself at 4000ft agl in zero sink and all the cu's starting to dissipate.  With lots of blue in-between myself and the next cloud I decide to stay put.  A sink rate of zero is better than venturing out into the blue at this point.  For 45 minutes I circled the 304 lazily in lift that was just keeping us at 4000ft agl.  The air was so smooth at this point that I found myself flying with only my thumb and index finger on the controls.   At 6:00pm with just an hour of light left I decided to leave my nest in the sky and head back to the airport.  Not a bump in the sky left at this point, just silky smooth air between the 304 and the airport.  At about 6:10pm I turned final and brought the 304 back to earth.  My silver duration with my third flight in the 304,   I couldn't be much happier!     After disassembling the 304 I joined the rest of the turkeys for a cookout over at the hangers.  These guys are great, they even gave out awards at the end of the day.  Although I'm not sure you'd really want to be the recipient of any of these awards.  Categories included ugliest pilot,  ugliest trailer, shortest flight, longest ridge flight (no ridge for probably 200 miles) ....etc.  For my duration flight I was given top honors and deemed Head Turkey of 2002!  We all had a great day and in the process raised some money for a youth soaring scholarship.  Jeff cloud doesn't accept any money for his towing work but instead has the tow fees go toward promoting aviation for young people.  Thanks for all that you do Jeff!
By 8pm I was following Ray Lovinggood and the rest of the gliders down hwy 74.  They headed back to Harnett Co. and  I headed back to Wrightsville.  After 8 hours of driving and 5 hours of flying I was glad to be back at the beach.  If your in the area next year this event is a must.  This is truly a great group of Turkeys!
Leaving today for Chilhowee, TN. for the annual Octoberfest.  Hope to see a few 304s over there. 

Following submitted by Rodney Lusk
304CZ ser# 50
#50 finally made it into the air and it was a whole series of firsts – all with a good eventual outcome.
It took me an extraordinarily long time to get her into the air. As Tim might relate, certification could best be described as an ordeal because the FAA designate didn’t have a clue what he was doing and held me to the standards of airliners. This story is too long and painful to relate. I got the certification just as I was leaving St. Louis to relocate to Colorado my home state. I had hoped to fly the first time with my home field advantage but it was not to be.
Relocation was stressful and consumed all my time. As an academic Otolaryngologist (ENT physician) I had drummed judgment into my residents from day one and I didn’t feel safe flying in a strange environment without more instruction. I have worked with a great instructor in a Lark to familiarize me with the area and to get use to the flaps. I found the Lark not a smooth or easy glider to fly; very heavy controls and just not smooth.
Emergency Room and practice call, family visits, and travel occupied every weekend until now. This is where the story really begins. I went out to Owl Canyon Glider port north of Fort Collins where I am now a member. What a great place to fly; a well run club with a bunch of private pilots with plains and mountains to fly in. When I arrived the tow plane was in the hanger and the club was doing winch tows. I enjoy winch and am certified but not how I wanted to make my first flight. It was a great early afternoon and I was really hoping to fly my new bird. After about two hours and a few winches that were almost eventful, with students under instruction, I decided I would at least put my bird together as this has been a trial in the past.
With the assistance of one of the instructors and some considerable effort, she was together. The other “Lark” instructor was there as well and we went through the ship and thought everything was good to go. By now some high clouds were forming, they didn’t look like thunderheads and my instructor assured me they would provide good lift and not be a problem. After asking him three or four times and reassured as many times that the weather was not going to be a factor, I proceeded forward.
Out to the line we went, right behind a DG400 that self launched. I jumped in front of the 233, which is the practice for private ships on the field. Final checks and everything seemed to be OK. Locked in with my instructor on the wing, off I go. I over corrected the rudder some and “waggled” down the narrow paved strip and in the air without PTO’s. My tow pilot is an experienced 747-cargo pilot and knows this is my first flight in CL. I had heard all your stories about how great the 304 flies and much to my pleasure, they were all true. I felt like I was on “rails” behind the tow plane. At 2000 feet AGL it starts to rain, not bad but somewhat distracting. In spite of flying my entire life in the Midwest, I haven’t flown in rain before. CL continues to fly well so we press on. I jump off at the designated 3,000-foot tow, in light rain going up at 8 knots and decide to head away from the rain. I’m impressed with how well my new bird fly’s and recall my unfounded skepticism regarding the accolades of how great the CZ is. I now concur.
    As I’m working my way out of the rain I hear, “Owl Canyon ground to area gliders, wind has shifted to 270 at 15 to 20 knots”. About 2 minutes later “Owl Canyon Ground, winds 270 25 knots with gusts to 30”. I’m now out of the rain and finding scratchy lift at around 2 knots but have gained about 700 feet. I notice the DG400 heading in on our short runway 27. The air above is bumpy but not terrible. I notice the 233 below me and pulling away. I’m now in sink but only about 4 knots and raining again. About 5 minutes later I hear “Owl Canyon ground, wind now 30 knots with gusts to 40 knots at 270”. I’m now at about 2000 AGL and headed in prepared or not. I have not landed on our short runway; in fact I call in to find out if it is a left or right pattern. The DG 400 has just landed and I asked him what it was like; I hear “severe turbulence with Hard landing”. Not what I wanted to hear. The 233 is now on down wind shooting to the east at what looks like warp seed and from about 1500 feet I see him turn short final and from where I’m at it looks like he is standing still. I can’t judge how high he is but he is coming in low. He makes the field OK and I see about 6 club members running out to the glider as the wings are rocking back and forth.
    I pray daily but hope today He is really listening and head in. I have not tried the dive brakes to this point because I was concerned about staying up as long as possible to allow the traffic below to clear out. Winds are now gusting to 40 knots but I’m pretty much were I want to be for the short runway. As I turn final I feel like I’m high which is exactly what I was hoping for. I decide to make my approach at 65 knots and wondered about flap settings. Since the wind is straight down the runway I decide to set them at landing and notice no significant changes. I now decide to try the dive brakes and “wahoo Nelly”; I’m dropping like a rock and put them back in to just a crack. The glider seems to be just creeping along at 65 knots and I kind of just let in settle in. Just as I’m getting ready to land I pull full dive brakes and had a surprisingly light touch down without any porpusing. I come across the two paved runways with an unexpected bounce but handle it without problems. As I pull up to the hanger I’m met with 3 instructors, the airline pilot who did the tow and two other club members. The wind doesn’t seem to be blowing at 40 knots but is very brisk.
    Smiles abound and I think it is because I’m down alive. The tow pilot was the first to reach my glider and says, “yeah right! First ride, looks like your hundredth, what a great job”! The other two instructors give similar accolades and say things like, “you really handled the turbulence well” and “what a great confidence builder” (yeah right). I can only respond with, “Not what I expected for my first ride” and thanking God I’m down safely. They allude to my piloting skills and I’m thinking what a great bird I have and thankful for Divine intervention. I did remember and am thankful for all the great training from Tom Knauff, Doris Grove and my buddy at Silvercreek Glider Port in Illinois, Gene Franklin.
    I get out of the glider and wonder, where in the heck is my “Lark instructor?” We move the glider next to the hanger to cut down on the chance of wind damage and I head for my trailer. After pulling up my “Lark instructor” comes by and I said something like, “no problems with these small Colorado storms right?” He response was, “Yeah I didn’t think it was going to be that bad but I knew you could handle it.” He told me I had an impressive landing and he saw it from the Lark. I knew he wasn’t up and my confused look must have said it all. He slyly grinned and told me he watched my land form inside his cockpit while he was trying to make sure his Lark didn’t roll even though it was tied firmly in place. We decide the wind is blowing to hard to take it apart and we decided to make room in the hanger.
        Tim and other 304 “drivers”, thanks for helping me choose this bird. It was a confidence builder but if I had I had it to do over again, I would have stayed put and would have taken my first flight on a much different day. The good news is I’m now comfortable with my new bird and do have increased confidence in it and my piloting skill. I wonder about my judgment, however, and learned a lot about my self. THANKS again and can hardly wait to fly with you all somewhere in the west!!
Rod Lusk #50 N304CL (after my lovely wife Constance Lusk)

S/N 41, N304BU

Bud Bauder
03/16/02
The wait is over, finally got S/N 41, N304BU into the air and "How Sweet It Is". After horsing around an open class ship for the last six years, it sure is nice to fly something as smooth and responsive as the 304CZ. (First flights in the 15m config.)   Take off was with a light quartering tailwind and +1 on the flaps.  What a comforting sight to see the airspeed come alive for the first time (phew-hooked the tubes up right anyway); before I know it the tail is up and a little back pressure on the stick at 45 kts. and away we go!  Nice and smooth on tow behind "Moose" and the Pawnee. Had planned on going to 3000' but felt a pretty good bump at 2.4 so I let go and turned right into a 3 knot'er and it was nothing but fun, fun, fun, from then on.
Mark Malmros (S/N 26, N304MK) came up to join me about 10 minutes later and we both thourghly enjoyed looking at each-others beautiful 304 in the thermals.  He took some great pictures as well and are attached.
Did some stalls, no suprises here; tended to drop off toward the heavy wing but easy recovery. It thermals like a dream, and trims up so nice you have to force yourself to stay with it or you just might doze off.  The approach and landing was a peice of cake (or maybe the frosting to the flight); flew the pattern at 60 kts and +2 flaps until base leg, set flaps to "L" and slowed to 50 on final.  Used very little speed-brake until just before touchdown then pulled them full on, held the nose up, and walla - she lands herself just beautifully.  I love this ship!  Now if I can just get her to average 75 mph around the Gov's Cup I'll be estatic.   Bud, S/N 41, N304BU 

Standard Class 304's arrive in the USA!

#45
03/17/02
This one is my 3rd HpH Sailplane and my first of the new standard class 304C models....all I can say is "OUTSTANDING!" These, if you can believe it or not, just keep getting better and better. #45 has again, new improvements and additions and it's easy to see the 304C will be a real honest Standard class contender. The new wing tips are canted back and slightly up on the last meter or so and are fitted with a new smaller winglet designed specifically to take advantage of this flapless wing. Water ballast has a new venting system that should allow even quicker dump times and easier filling, #45 has the new Hydraulic disk brake for even greater braking (even though on my past 304CZ's the heel operated 5" mechanical brake could skid the wheel in a panic) and the fit and finish is in the words of others "the best of any new sailplane they have ever seen"
Best regards
Tim Mara "the real 1M":-)

Richard Garrison's New 304C Ser.#39
Caesar's Creek, Ohio

OK, the day came. The most beautiful of Midwest autumn days. Recent cold front passage, new sailplane. It doesn't get better. Oh yes it does. Rigging is finally a snap ! Out to the flight line. A lull in the student activity and the old glass birds have also left. I take my place and tell the crew chief "lets get on with it". TO & tow are a dream. I then thermaled around the airport for 2 and 3/4 hours. I am tired and land. Uneventful. I get many compliments from the members of the club. Also the exclamations of "how much?" with surprise at the reasonableness of my ship and the apparent quality. I get a snack and restroom stop. I get back to the line and I look and say, " Hey those look like standing wave clouds!" In Ohio? Yes they were. I went out with 5 others. I made to 8600 AGL while 2 of our members probably broke a state altitude record with climbs to over 10,000 ft. I know it is not much for you all from AZ, but in the eastern flat lands this was a rare phenomena. After the wave died I played with an LS-6 and ASW 28, low and behold the 304C made a respectable comparison. The LS owner stated, looked comparable at 60, 80 and 100 knots. He is a known national competitor and I don't think he was blowing smoke.The 304 can hold its own! Thanks to Tim, HpH and others who have endured my anxiety and questions in dealing with this transatlantic endeavor.
I had a great first flight and was more than just pleased with my new ship!
Richard Garrison
October 7th, 2001

304C Ser# 38 arrives in S.C.
Glenn Holden


Well gang, it finally got here.  304C SN38 arrived in Charleston SC in fine shape.  Attached are a few photos that were taken in the dock warehouse.  I was led to a corner of the warehouse by a couple of dock workers, and the first thing I did was to open the trailer!  Several of the workers came over to gawk with me.  For several minutes, all you could hear from everyone were comments such as "Oh man.  This thing is beautiful.  I'm jealous."
  Thank goodness we were in the warehouse, because a huge thunderstorm came up while we had the trailer open.  Rather than pull the trailer out with their tractor, they let me drive my truck inside, where I was able to complete the ritual of "rewiring for the USA" on the trailer.  After scratching my head over the German-English instructions on how to do this, I resorted to the engineer in me and threw the instructions away, whacked off the original connector, and then proceeded to figure it out for myself. Fifteen minutes, and it was ready to roll.  However, it was still pouring outside, so the workers and I pulled the fuselage out of the trailer  to gawk some more.  It was a repeat of when the trailer was first opened with "Oooooo's, ahhhhhs", etc.
  I can't wait to get this bird in the air.  Tim, Jaroslav and crew, thank you very much!
Glenn Holden
N304GH

1st Flight #38
After getting to the airport and assembling the #38, I took off around 1PM. Takeoff and tow were very easy.  No surprises!  Off tow, the first thing I noticed was how quiet this ship is.  In fact, it's the quietest glider I think I've ever flown!  After thermalling up to 5000', I took some time to familiarize myself with the handling.  Stalls were soft, and were preceded by a slight buffet in both turning and level flight.  Recovery was very quick.  Again, no surprises!  I played around with the spoilers while at
altitude also.  They are HUGE, and very effective.   After 2.5 hours, I decided it was time to land.  Like everything else, the landing was easy.
I didn't get to fly with any other glass ships today, so I couldn't make any comparisons.  Maybe next time. Now, after landing, the 304 and I were instantly surrounded by about 15 people at the airport.  As had previously been experienced, there were lots of "Ooooo's and Ahh's",  and tons of questions from some the other glider pilots.  However, something different happened today, and this is where it
got really interesting.  About 5 pilots wives and a couple of female pilots came out to look, and the first thing they said was "Oh Glenn, this is sexy!".  This was repeated over and over!  Tim and Jaroslav, you might want to consider this for a marketing gimmick!!!
Anyway, the first flight was pure joy.  I can't wait for the next one.  As promised, attached is a photo of me sitting in the plane on the runway after landing.  The peanut gallery was ushered off to the right so we could take this picture.  Two seconds later, the "Sexy glider" and I were surrounded again.
Glenn Holden
N304GH
Owner impressions of the new 304C:
Since October 13th, I've logged about 14 hours in my 304C, with 2 XC'sover 140 miles.  I flew a 1-35  for 5 years prior to this ship, so my initial impressions were based against that glider.  Here is what I've noticed thus far.  I hope I don't bore anyone...

Assembly:  I'm still doing the 2 man routine.  However, it goes together so easily, I'm hoping to purchase a 1-man rig in the future.  Everything fits together very precisely.  I've learned to recognize how the spar "looks" when it's properly inserted into the fuselage.  The other wing slides in, and the 'pull tool' finishes the job.  The only time I've had trouble is when I thought I could improve the process, and deviated from the procedure in the owner's manual.  Follow the instructions, and it's click, click, click.  I've had many comments from helpers that went something like "you mean that's it!?".  I've never had to do the "move it up, now down, front, now back, push, wiggle" routine that some of my buddies do every time. Disassembly is the same way.

Takeoff:  I opted for both nose and belly hooks.  I've not used the belly hook yet, but I plan to on a winch this spring.  On initial roll, the ailerons become effective very quickly.  Not nearly as fast as a PW-5, but much quicker than the 1-35.  I dropped the 1-35 wing several times when learning to fly it.  I've not dropped the 'C' wing yet.  With slightly forward elevator trim, the tail comes up on it's own, and plane will float off as it gains speed.  With the nose hook, there is no tendency to balloon at all.  In smooth air, I believe I could release the stick and stay in position behind the tow plane.  Tows are very easy.

Thermalling:  In a smooth thermal, I can set the trim and bank, and the 'C' will hold attitude as it circles.  I've heard this characteristic described as being 'groovy', where it's almost as if you're flying in a groove.  Full back trim for my weight (190lbs plus the chute) produces a speed around 45 knots with little/no back pressure.   If I pull back to around 42 knots, the airspeed indicator will start to twitch.   Slowing further, the indicator really waves at you, and the ship will produce a mild shudder, followed by a stall.  You're probably unconscious if you don't see or feel it coming.  The stall itself I would describe as 'soft', and it doesn't seem to want to drop a wing.  Forward stick and it's flying again.  I've had to force myself to look at the airspeed as I set up thermals.  With the vents closed, if I don't do this, I find myself trying to thermal at 70 knots!  It's quiet. I've started opening the side vent so I could have some noise during thermals.  This lets me "hear" my speed so I can keep looking outside!

Cruise:  Hoooo-weee, this thing is slippery.  I love to leave a thermal, and watch the airspeed wind up.  It happens fast, without shoving the nose way down, and the varios go down slowly!  Pulling up from high speed, it seems as if it will never stop climbing.  And it stays very quiet at speed too.  The only ship I've flown with that had a noticeable performance advantage on me was an LS8-18 with the long wingtips.  I miss the flaps.  My left hand was getting bored while flying, so I put a PocketPC on that side so it would have something to operate.  I've not flown it with water yet.  I will this spring.

Landing:  Good God, Jaroslav stuffed half a barn door into each wing and called them spoilers.  Huge is an understatement.  During positive control checks, it's never failed yet where someone said "pull those things out again and let me look at them!".  And they WORK!  I don't recommend leaving them fully deployed to landing unless you're in a jam, as the flare need to arrest the descent will cause the tail wheel to touch well before the main. Closing the spoilers to about half let's it grease onto the runway and stay there.  I entered a downwind pattern for a 2700' runway at 2000' AGL once. I had to close the spoilers before turning base so I would make it to the runway.  The heel actuated wheel brake seems a little odd at first.  I had to 'think' about it the first time I used them, and afterwards I thought "huh,that was easy".  I haven't thought about it since.

Random:  The parallelogram stick is a non-issue to adjust to.  I completely forgot about it on the first flight as soon as the ship started rolling. The controls seem well balanced.  I hold the stick with my finger tips now (I strangled it on the first flight!). The trim works pretty well.  I almost always drop the winglet anchor screws into the grass on assembly/disassembly (I've got extras now).  I purchased a tinted canopy.  My face was always getting sunburned in the 1-35, and this hasn't happened yet in the 'C'.  The compass is hard to see (with GPS, it's a non-issue).  The hinge up instruments make entry/exit much easier.  The canopy is a snap to remove, and instrument access is superb.  I'd like to have an in-panel flight computer, but the budget said 'no'.  I wish more air came through the vents.
The wing weight seems comparable to DG 300/303, ASW-20, LS4, etc.  I wish they were lighter.  The battery that I got (10AH) would start a transfer truck!  I'm not worried about it dying during flight from a full charge. Battery installation/removal is a "blind man" event.  Don't bother trying to see what you're doing, just reach back there and feel your way around.  The finish is excellent.
On the Cobra trailer, order the rear jacks.  You won't regret it.  The Cobra hubcaps are a joke.  They're only good for a laugh when they pass you as you're driving down the highway.
  I have no regrets on purchasing this glider.  I'd be interested in hearing any comparison comments.
Glenn Holden

DON LARSON 304CZ ser# 29
On Sept. 5, I made my first two flights in N304L (a 304CZ-17 configured 15m w/ winglets) at Warner Springs, CA.  My recent experience has been in Grob 103,  SGS 1-36 and G-102.  I had never flown flaps, retract gear or a 40+:1 ship before.  I wondered what it would be like to open those famous dive brakes or fly the parallelogram control stick..... After a mild wing drop when the wing runner let go (my fault), liftoff was smooth and I easily held 4 feet aloft waiting for the tow plane to fly.  Suddenly the tow plane shot up and I followed right along.  About 30 seconds later I started to relax as I realized that the 304 was flying responsively and I had a fine view of the tow plane, tow rope and 55 kts on the ASI (it works!). At 5000 agl I released and then pulled up the gear for my first time ever.  I used 1000 ft playing with stalls in all the flap settings and relaxed more as I confirmed that the stall onset is friendly.   I am flying with nearly maximum aft cg (I weigh 158 lbs and have 4 nose trim weights and O2 cylinder onboard). With the wheel down, flaps at L and 55 kts I eased the airbrakes open to where they just contacted the flaps and saw 7 kts down on the B-40.  So far it was very similar to the G-102.  Next I pulled harder until the brakes came on smoothly all the way and WOW !  I still had just 55 kts,
but the fuselage was pointed 45 degrees down, the B-40 was hard pegged and the altimeter was really winding down fast.  I held this for about 10 seconds and smoothly closed the brakes while doing my best to hold airspeed constant (I saw 60 kts). The EXPERIENCE is impressive.  Very good control with a super-capable airbrake. A few more minutes of S-turns with various bank angles and it was time for the first landing.  I flew a mostly normal pattern but followed Tom Wescott's advice to start final at about 300 agl.  About half way through final, I pulled the brake from 20% to 80% and got a really good view of the landing area!  At this steeper glide slope I think it is easier to estimate just where the plane is going to land. Anyway, I held the steep descent and then flared at about 10 feet and pulled the air brake on all the way.  The plane settled nicely.  After a few seconds of roll out, I closed and locked the airbrake and pushed the flaps from L to -2 and let it roll to a stop with just a touch of wheel brake.  With the slight head wind I was able to gently set the right wing onto the runway.  End of 34 minute flight #1.  WOW. Did I want to go again?  Silly question.  I towed into the foothills and released into 4 kts.  Bye Bye.
Over the next 2+ hours I discovered that the plane thermaled and climbed nicely and was simply fun to fly.  It was stable in pitch.  I had some fun circling in broken lift with +10 kts on one side of the circle and -2 on the other.  No sweat, round and round and up and up. At Hot Springs peak I worked slope lift back and forth and over the top while a 2-33 gradually descended the same face (I sure am glad it wasn't the other way around).
At last I decided to make a bee line from Hot Springs peak to the power switch station 8 miles away.  At 105 kts (flaps -2) I hit a couple of very sharp bumps and backed off to 90 kts.  I think the parallelogram control stick is a good thing.  I shut the air vent and side vent and it was very quiet at 90 kts...
In short, I really like this ship!
I want to thank Jaroslav and HPH for building this fine sailplane and helping out in every way needed.
Thanks also to Tim for consistently good advice and super service.
And thanks to Tom Wescott and Polly Ridgeway for the preflight and cockpit checkout.
Don Larson SN 29

#36 flying is Seattle!
Wow!...I picked up #36 yesterday and I am very pleased. It almost brings tears to my eyes. The quality of the finish is very fine and not just on top but every where I have looked. 20 years wishing for a new ship was worth it. (sniff) I must complement HpH for their fine workmanship. Hundreds of hours of hard work, and pain staking polishing  goes into each sailplane. As a A&P mechanic myself, I work at Boeing doing shakedown of interior's prior to customer inspection, I am also strict on detail. I would like to thank Jaroslav personally if I ever have a chance to visit the factory. All the paper work arrived on time and now is on the way to the FAA.
I'll just spend the entire day installing the instruments and thanking the Lord.
This sailplane is really unbelievable.
Alan Kirlin #36-17

304CZ #36-17 Flew for the first time in the USA Saturday Aug 11th
What a beautiful Sailplane
First tow in calm early morning air, easy takeoff with +1 flaps. So smooth it was like I was a cloud being tow by the towplane. Off tow and a few gentle turns and tried out the flap settings and checked the spoilers, very effective. Hardly any lift this early, landed after 40 mins, touch down was a little fast and bumpy but I'll get it down. Second flight nearly 3 hours, ran out of water but not the fascination of the way the 304 handles.
Yes it also thermals hands off, with just a tap of the rudder.
Landing again was too fast and popped up when I reached for the brakes, a couple more bumps and back on the ground.
If I could just learn to land it as well as it fly's I'll be very happy.
We now have 3 304CZ 17's in the Seattle Glider Council, and they are getting a lot of attention.
Alan Kirlin

Life is good! 

After the agony of registration completed on 7/31, and a thorough Airworthiness Certificate check by the FAA on 8/2, was able to fly N839CZ on 8/3.  Wow!!  It's all I hoped for and then some.  Did 2 hours in marginal conditions around Dansville, NY.  The 304CZ-17 is a joy to fly. 
Had a little surprise on takeoff.  I started with the recommended -1 Flaps and mistakenly put in +2 upon getting aileron authority.  It kind of leaped off the ground but I was able to correct with stick with no problem.  Great visibility over the nose during tow.  Easy to watch the towplane.
Off tow, lovely coordination and easy to keep in thermals.  Nice little shudder during stalls. Stable but responsive.  The parallelogram stick is great.  Very easy to get used to. I love it!
My first landing was OK but not great. Did a little six inch (150 mm) bounce because I didn't hold off properly. The flap/airbrakes combo takes a little getting used to but a few more landings will fix that.
Had no problem on take off on the second flight.  I just put flaps at +1 and left them there.  Our Pawnee gave me aileron authority right away.  Flew three hours and toured the Finger Lakes Area here in Upstate , NY.  Love those negative flaps for getting places.  Love the positive flap for thermals.  Spent a lot of time at 7,500 ft.  Need to get the right setting put into my B50 Borgelt Variometer.  Second landing was about the same. Didn't hold off properly.  I'll get it next time.
Assembly was interesting the first time.  Had a little trouble getting the spar pin in after the initial wing assembly.  Second assy was quicker after a through cleaning of the spar pin bearing holes.  It's certainly tight. Seems to want a lot of up on the right wing for the spar pin to go in. Will get better on the technique.  All assemblies were done on 90 Degree plus days so we had some nicely expanded pins and spar bearings.
Cobra Trailer is a joy.
BTW, the airworthiness inspector found that the Air Speed Indicator (ASI) marking didn't match with the manual for the 304CZ-17.  I had installed a Winter ASI for the 304CZ which is different the ASI for the 304CZ. The 304CZ-17 ASI marking are lower when in the 17 meter configuration. I do not have the wing extensions so I was allowed to have the 304CZ ASI.  FAA directed me to note the different speeds in the 304CZ-17.
I'm really happy with the 304CZ-17. Jaroslav and people of HpH, thanks for a great sailplane!  It's wonderful!!!!  Can't wait to get back up.
Chuck Zabinski
N839CZ

Flying 1M from Sterling
Arnd Wussing
Partner in Ser#3 "1M" with Richard Roelke of Bedford MA

I've been fortunate that both work and weather conditions kept me home in Arizona this spring and had a number of wonderful flights over the desert. Although I hadn't been able to fly the 304CZ "1M" from Sterling all last year and my last flight in that ship was at Sugarbush about a year ago, I
didn't really miss it.
Then came Last Weekend
Rick made the mistake of allowing me to fly 1M on both days and I'm sure he is still regretting his generosity. I got to Sterling at about 10am on Saturday and, to my jaded Arizonan eyes, the day didn't really look like anything particularly special. No high clouds and blue skies all around. By 10:30 the skies had changed with Cu's popping in the distance. It took me a while to figure out that the bases were not at the expected lower altitudes but at heights which would do any location proud. Rick explained the flight computer set-up to me and told me that the active task was a 500Km flight which I could shorten to 300Km by dropping the last turnpoint. At the time that he was explaining this to me I was thinking that if I was lucky I could perhaps do the first leg and fly around a bit.
I took a 2500" tow just to be on the safe side and couldn't really find any lift upon release. I felt cheated by the good looking conditions and settled down to working a 1-knot thermal just north of the airport; after a couple of minutes and no real altitude gain I drifted south downwind and worked a
bit better thermal almost over the lakes. Another glass ship started off only about a thousand feet above me but quickly disappeared upwards and away from me, so I knew that I was still below the lift band and could hope for bigger, faster and higher thermals. At just below 3000"agl I went through
the start sector and activated the task on the magical computer. Shortly after that I found a good 6+ knot thermal that took me to 7000" and I was off on my way towards Mt. Ascutney. Initially I was awed at 1M's performance - the flight computer told me that I was only just over 1000" below final glide to Mt. Ascutney from over the ski slope at Mt. Wachusetts. Then reality set in and I saw the little number on the right which told me that I was only 10,000" off! I headed north over Fitchburg (even though this was by no means on the direct route) because the cloud streets looked better that way. Almost no turns to Jaffrey and the mountain just a couple of miles to the NW of it and the bases had now gone up to 8500". I decided to dispense with the scenic route following the cloud streets and staying just 500" below the base and headed almost straight for Mt. Ascutney in the distance. Soon I was much further along but under 6000" and starting to feel nervous(I've gotten used to the high AZ altitude ranges). But with averages of 5-8knots in straight flight I had no reason to be worried! I did get back to base before crossing the Connecticut river valley, of which I'd heard lots of (bad) things and turned Mt. Ascutney at 8500" at a leg speed of 48mph. With conditions this good (and with such a nice glider) I should have done a bit better and decided to concentrate less on the wonderful view and conditions and a bit more on getting somewhere; so on the leg from the far north back to Metropolitan I pushed a bit harder and, even though I never got below 6000" for most of the stretch on this leg I broke 80mph (the 10-15 knot tailwind helped, too).
As I made the turn at Metropolitan the wonderful gizmo told me to head for Sterling - it was not programmed for a 500Km flight but just a shorter one of 300Km! That was a disappointment as was the fact that unfortunately the big reservoir to the north of Metropolitan had shut down convection and I found myself underneath the lift for the first (and only) time on task after the turn. For 10 minutes I struggled to find anything and thought I might land out at either Metropolitan or glide into Tanner-Hiller. Had this happened I had my game-plan all set - I wouldn't call for a retrieve until shortly after the lift died down and be very quiet on how far I had made it that day <g>! But the fates were on my side and I found a smaller core that quickly developed into a boomer and I was again sitting pretty at just under cloudbase.
I turned at Sterling and debated on what to do next, as most of the soaring day was still ahead and my bladder wasn't talking to me yet. I started off towards Mt. Ascutney again with the vague intention of doing the same triangle again, but after hitting Gardner and Jaffrey and Mt. Monadnock and Bryant-Williams I decided to head east instead of north and visited Nashua as well as Pepperell, where I met up with the Duo for a couple of turns (the first glider I'd seen close up since leaving Sterling). By now my bladder was making some demands and I was getting a bit tired, but with the day still booming with 3/8 cloud cover at 9000" MSL it was hard to make that final glide home. I bounced around the east-west line towards Mt. Monadnock a bit and then, from Nashua, did my final glide back to Sterling. The log reads a total of 618Km with 8 turnpoints; and a total flight time of 6:26!
This was certainly one of my most memorable flights - it wasn't the highest or the fastest or the furthest or longest. But it was the nicest! Wonderful scenery and conditions that made for incredibly easy flying, with nary a worry about landing out or not making it anywhere. No huge blue holes or
cloudless conditions that can make crossing the countryside a crap shoot. And 1M flies wonderfully well; the large, roomy and comfortable cockpit coupled with good performance made this flight an absolute pleasure. I'm almost tempted to move back permanently (to Rick's chagrin).
Arnd.

(see Page 2 of 304CZ Owners pages)
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