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Old July 8th 05, 12:05 AM
W.J. \(Bill\) Dean \(U.K.\).
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I have never flown a glider of more than about 20 metres span (ASW 17,
Jantar 2).

However, I am in the process of asking for other pilots' experience.

One such pilot's reply includes the following:

From your experience of big Nimbi do you think there is merit in Stan's
ideas?


"Only to the extent that you fly a big glider like a big glider, not like
a Spitfire. You adjust all your flying to the fact that you are flying
a big ship. For instance to adjusting your thermalling technique to
gradual bank angle changes rather than spirited use of controls to roll
in and out of thermals.

"I have always said about large span gliders, of whatever make, that you
regard them like flying a 747 Jumbo. Not like an agile 15m glider.

"For instance, in a very turbulent thermal such as what you often get
over power stations, I often am reluctant to put on over about 15
degrees of bank. Yes, fifteen degrees. I do not wish to be sucked in
to a "loss of control" situation like Ivans and Engen or the Levers.

Which particular brand of Nimbus do you fly?


"4DM. I am entirely happy with it but I fly it like the big glider that
it is."

I would like to add the following:

On the question of use of air-brakes, it would appear that they were not
opened in the case of the Spanish accident.

In the case of the Minden accident, there was correspondence on Rec.
Aviation Soaring when the report was published by others who had experience
of the inadvertent deployment of the brakes at high speed in turbulence;
the suggestion was that deployment may have been uncommanded.

In addition, Dick Johnson posted that with the Minden accident there may
have been a problem with the oxygen system undiscoverable after the crash,
such as oxygen tanks filled with Nitrogen (not entirely unknown I am
afraid).

It is also notable that whereas there seems to have been no attempt to bale
out with the Minden accident, with the Spanish accident both pilots did bale
out and deploy there parachutes, but unfortunately one of them had his
canopy foul of the wreckage which brought him down with it.

W.J. (Bill) Dean (U.K.).
Remove "ic" to reply.


"Bill" wrote in message
oups.com...

I posted the message below on the thread, "Nimbus 4DT accident 31 July
2000 in Spain." I am posting it again for better visibility.

Stan Hall presented his analysis of the Nimbus-4DB accident in Minden,
NV, 1999. Stan's analysis is scary, to say the least.

The article, Probing for the Smoking Gun, was reprinted in the Soaring
Association of Canada's free flight, 2/04. Go to the link below. Click
on free flight on the side bar. Go to free flight back issues - 2004 -
issue 2. Down load the PDF file.

http://www.sac.ca/

Bill Feldbaumer 09