At 18:24 16 March 2015, wrote:
On Thursday, March 12, 2015 at 8:11:44 PM UTC-7, Surge wrote:
A Nimbus 2 is on the market which I'm interested in as my first glider
an=
d I'd like some feedback from those who've owned or flown one.

I owned a Nimbus 2c, It has exactly the same performance as the 2a and 2b,
but the handling was better with the fixed tail and the trailing edge
brakes. I thought it was a great cross country glider, and did my 750 kms
in it. However without water it was like flying a paperbag, which meant it
would climb on next to nothing on the last climb of the day, but was a
handful to fly empty in rough thermals. I always flew with a minimum of 10
gallons a side.

Some people who flew the Nimbus for the first time found the delayed
response and lack of coordination difficult to get used to. And a number
groundlooped on landing in cross winds.

Having said that there was a young girl at my club who flew a Nimbus2b
exceptionally well. Now an airline pilot.

Recently a friend was killed in a Field landing in a Nimbus, and he had
been flying it for many years.

The Nimbus had a 50 to 1 Glide, at a low speed, but above 90 knots it would
be beaten by an LS 3 or LS 8. The time it came into its own was at the end
of the day in weak thermals and when flown at Max LD.
The main advantages to me was the trail edge brakes which meant I could get
into a really small field, and being 6 foot 4 tall and 105 kilos the
cockpit was large and comfortable, I moved down into the Nimbus from an ASH
25 which I found uncomfortable when flown from the front.
In the end its horses for courses, If you are large and a skilled pilot you
can't beat it.
Max