Bill Daniels wrote:

I think the Duo's airbrakes are better than many people think. The Duo is a
big heavy glider with lots of inertia. It doesn't like to change direction
quickly. That includes its behavior on sudden airbrake deployment. You
don't get a lot of sink right away.

My first reaction was that the airbrakes were weak but a little more
experience showed me that with a little patience, the brakes took effect and
produced a respectable decent rate. The Duo just makes you plan ahead a
little more than with a light single seater.


In other words, the Duo "airbrakes" are not very effective. Lots of big,
heavy, fast aircraft do have effective spoilers/speedbrakes/"airbrakes",
or whatever you want to call them, that make the desired changes in
speed/rate of descent promptly.

Every car's acceleration from 35 to 65 for merging into Interstate
highway traffic is adequate--if you are willing to wait for it.

I learned to "plan ahead" when passing on two lane roads in my VW
Beetles and early un-blown Corvairs. I know what planning ahead means
and that is not "performance" as we like to think of it. The same goes
for sailplane spoilers whose effects are not prompt, and rudders which
are not effective enough to allow a good steep high descent-rate slip.


Jack