On Friday, November 15, 2019 at 2:15:05 PM UTC-8, Jonathon May wrote:
At 21:29 15 November 2019, Charlie Quebec wrote:
The first thing you need to do if you want a 19m go well is check
the
profi=
le accuracy, Slingsby never managed to get it as good as the
Germans. That=
=E2=80=99s why the 10 gained only one L/D point after adding 2
meters.
Stri=
efeneder used to do the canopy mod, but when I asked them said it
was too
e=
xpensive to be worthwhile, I=E2=80=99ve got a photo somewhere
of one that
w=
as done, and it looks great. It won=E2=80=99t give you any better
performan=
ce though.
In the UK several have been legally modified to 20M span. A
slingsby Vega
c=
anopy fits exactly, as the front was from the Kestrel. Just a canopy
frame
=
and bubble without labour will be well more than you have
budgeted.


Don is starting to show his 80+years,I have not seen him at the
gliding club this year.

Don is legendary, even stateside.

Because of him, I am endeavoring to make a Kestrel T59D fit a 279 pound, nearly seven foot tall pilot. Bought the plane and cannot even fly it until I get some mods done.

Have to make a 6 inch taller canopy. Have to move my body back two inches into the wing root--trading off my body weight as the wings water ballast.

I will be a rocket in the skies. Even the trailer will look amazing when I am done. I have a reasonable, yet serious budget to finish this airplane--I am so big in size, have had to plan this for years. If it was not for Bob, probably would not have ever entertained this large and risky of a project.

Figuring I am only a test pilot for the first fifteen minutes-then if all things work, I get to find out how well.

If anyone runs into Don, send him prayers from Stateside. The man has gone where very few venture, and I would like to recreate some of his work--only with my new data.

I think I can reach 48:1 with that aircraft.

Stephen G. Elder
Chief Operation Officer
Precision Innovation
Black Ops Division
(951) 515-6029