On Thursday, March 12, 2015 at 9:11:44 PM UTC-6, Surge wrote:
A Nimbus 2 is on the market which I'm interested in as my first glider and I'd like some feedback from those who've owned or flown one.


I had about 500 hours in a Std. Cirrus before transitioning to the N2A. As a first personal glider I would not recommend it mostly from the aspect of learning cross country. Your first personal glider should be something you are not afraid to put in any field. The N2A will limit that because it is a big ship with more mass and less maneuverability. Also, you will need a crew of at least two to come get you.

The tail chute is usually disabled because of the danger of inadvertently opening when you don't want it to. I took mine out and sealed the compartment with tape. The airbrakes are adequate and coupled with the flaps are enough for glide path control.

The biggest issue is everything happens fast on take off and landing in the bigger glider, not what you want on your first ten or so off-field landings. The slower handling and higher l/d make judgment and correction harder and slower right when you need them.

The all flying tail takes getting used to and is mostly a matter of having less feedback than other gliders. Once you get used to it is not an issue but there is a learning curve and newer pilots tend to PIO on early take-offs. It is also not stable in flight so you can't take your hands off the stick and must brace your arm at higher speeds.

It requires negative flaps at the beginning of the take-off and end of landing so you have to be well ahead of the glider to be able to adjust the flaps during the initial roll and landing roll.

With the large mass the wheel brake needs to be adjusted well and sanded often and will still be lacking in stopping power most of the time.

I enjoyed my N2A but also realized it limited my soaring options at times. Overall it flies well and is a fun glider once you have time to get used to it. It works well over flat terrain but is limited close to the mountains due to the slower handling.

For the same price range an early standard class ship or LS-3 would be a better option for the first personal glider to learn xc in.

As always, I recommend talking with a good instructor with cross country experience that knows your capabilities.