Thread: Ugly Glider
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Old May 10th 08, 04:07 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Ed Winchester
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Posts: 16
Default Ugly Glider

sisu1a wrote:
On May 9, 11:59 am, wrote:

50:1 that you'll never have? Have you looked at a Lak-12? Great
performance for CHEAP!

There's a LAK-12 on W&W for $15k. Then add how much for the refinish
job?

(sigh) I can't even afford this... should try to sell off the kids,
then I'd have more money for flying.


I've seen that Lak 12 (it's been tied out on the flight line
atTehachapi for a long time, but removed for winters) and although
it's finish is far from perfect, it doesn't look all that bad. It
probably knocks it's L/D way down to like 47 or something.

List the family on Cragslist and you can jack the price a little more
since the buyer won't have to pay shipping.

Paul

Except for the fact that it offends your sense of esthetics, I don't
think a bad finish affects performance that much. At Tom Knauff's
Soaring Symposium in State College, PA this march a noted aerodynamicist
(whose name I forget) said that laminar flow was maintained even with a
certain amount of surface roughness. He said that the limit was about
the equivalent of 40 grit sandpaper. Now there's an LS3 that you will
see on OLC out of Blairstown, NJ almost every day the ridge is working,
and he does more miles than anybody. And that glider has the worst
finish I've ever seen flying. And he kicks everybody's butt.

Buy the LAK-12 if it's performance you're after.

Ed