Cool thread!!
I learned to fly on the slope and I think it was the best thing ever. Searching for lift and being able to 'work' it back home will never replace just jamming on the throttle to escape your mistake. I have to laugh when people absoutely panic after their plane goes deadstick thinking it's going to fall out of the sky. A glider pilot just sets the correct glide slope, keeps the speed up, and cruises right in for a silent greaser.
I just finished up a fun project that is a pretty cool design. No, it's not a woody zagi, it is a little more complex than that...