The long wing on a glider (over 50 feet on a craft weighing 1,000 pounds) makes it respond slowly to control inputs in roll and yaw, imitating somewhat the response of a much heavier craft.
And it provides experience of many components of aviation that have been lost in the compu-jet age. Things like:
The clutching-hand (instant stall) effect of low-level windshear.
The inability to turn in low-level windshear (if you have long wings).
The correct technique for extending a final glide.
The huge effect of rain or bugs on a supercritical wing profile (have you seen the in-flight bug removing machines?)
The effects of weight on glide (you need to be as heavy as possible).
How to cloud climb with a 30 deg angle of bank, only using a turn and slip and airspeed.
How to fly and navigate simultaneously (throw out the gps).
How to fly with no instrumentation (instructors are known to stuff paper in the pitot).
How loading effect the flying and stalling, with huge difference between max forward and aft.
How to stall 50 times in one flight, and consider it absolutely normal (rough winter thermals). (with no height loss, I must add).
How to land in one spot, and not where the aircraft takes you (rest of the field covered in gliders and sheep)
I could go on.....
A semi-automatic glider bug and rain remover in action - demonstrating how wing contamination effects stall and performance.
