Roy Bourgeois wrote:
I think that the difference is that my original post focused on "rudder
response" and others are focusing on "yaw stability" - which are different
and somewhat opposite. The 1-34 is quite stabile in yaw but as Doug noted
in his first post, it's response (time to desired effect) to your stepping
on the pedal is pretty bad.

It sounds like you are saying it has plenty of rudder power, but the
response is slow. So...

If you are flying straight and level, then step on the rudder (no
ailerons), are you saying it is slower to yaw than most/many gliders
(i.e., slow response time)? But if you are patient (wait 2-3 seconds
more than you do in most/many gliders) it will have plenty of yaw (i.e.,
plenty of power)?

I flew several 1-34s about 250 hours (and
still occasionally). It doesn't have a problem with adverse yaw in a
turn.

No glider has problem with adverse yaw once it's settled in a turn,
because very little aileron is required to hold a turn. It's always
during the turn entry/exit that adverse yaw is a problem.

But when you step on the pedal (say, to begin a slip) - nothing much
happens (compared to other gliders). I was suggesting to Doug (and still
believe) that the lack of rudder "response" is a function of the
extraordinary fuselage length and that he would need a much bigger rudder
to solve that problem.

The kind of response you need when entering a turn is force to
counteract the adverse yaw, not a rapid change in direction. During the
initial turn entry, the fuselage mainly rolls, not yaws.

Your concern about the length of the fuselage would be appropriate for
aerobatic maneuvers that involve rapid yawing, which is why aerobatic
aircraft typically are small. A Pitts is a good example of this. Short
wings and tails reduce the moment of inertia and the changes in angle of
attack due to motion about the axes, allowing rapid response. A glider
turn entry isn't rapid in yaw, so these effects aren't important, but
rudder force is, and a long boom makes it more effective.

Now - if somebody will show me how to make my Nimbus 3 do ANYTHING
responsively - I'll be eternally grateful

Can't help you there, but at the convention, it was interesting
listening to Dick Butler talk about cutting off the tail of his ASW 22
so he could graft on a longer boom and a new fin (and maybe new rudder -
I'm not sure about that) to improve the handling with the longer wing
tips he also installed. JJ might be able to help you, as a long time
Nimbus 3 owner, and I think he also has replaced a tail or two on them.
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Eric Greenwell
Washington State
USA