David Bingham wrote:
Sailplane Classes

Initially I came to soaring via paragliders and then my wife
suggested sailplanes (because she thought they were safer - maybe) and
I have flown many different gliders and motorgliders (plus single
engine power planes both tricycle and tail dragger types). I have
ended up with a DG800B, a Lancair ES and a Stemme S10-VT with a
SparrowHawk on order. I have noted the different classes, Std, Sports,
World, Open etc with amusement. Are people serious? I have flown them
all and all have minor advantages and disadvantages. The bottom line
is nearly always "It's the pilot stupid". Subtle differences between
say the most popular Std class gliders are so small its only the pilot
who matters.
Now I want to suggest that, in my humble opinion, the way the
classes are currently set up by the SSA don't make any sense. Lets
take a step back, reset our prejudices, and see if we can't make our
grey matter operate at a higher level than usual.
What do we know? Well actually quite a lot! A large heavy glider has
a better Reynolds Number for lowering effective air resistance –
suggests better L/D. All things being equal the L/D is improved by
having a high wing aspect ratio. A smaller light glider will perform
better in light conditions. Flaps marginally improve the extremes of
the polar and so on and so on.
I think when all is said and done the most significant parameter
that affects the overall performance of a glider is its weight! So I
propose that we consider just 3 classes of sailplanes based solely on
their weights.
Lets forget about wing spans, flaps and other enhancements. All 3
classes would be free to choose their own goodies as long as they kept
to prescribed weight limits. Wouldn't this make glider design so much
more fun?
I propose that:
Class 1 be limited to 70kilos maximum
(plus safety equipment such as a ballistic parachute).
Class 2 be limited to 250kilos max

Class 3 be limited to 250kilos minimum

Note that in theory a Class 1 type glider could, if suitably
ballisted and structurally strong enough, be flown in all 3 classes.

Innovations are usually assisted not by having strict rules such as
today's strict glider classes but rather the freedom to exploit the
limits of technology and the mind. Bert Rutan with Spaceship 1 was not
encumbered by prejudices of what a space ship should look like
according to NASA. He designed it to do a job. Likewise forget this
nonsense about glider wingspan etc. Let the designers use modern
materials for best advantage to push the state of art of sailplanes.
My hat's off to people like Rutan and Greg Cole (SparrowHawk) who defy
outdated traditions. If you don't believe me go and demo a
SparrowHawk.
Dave

So what you're saying is, as I interpret it, "It's the pilot's wallet,
stupid." It's not a bad idea, but some other constraint would be needed
to limit the cost, or soaring competition will become as relevant to the
regular sailplane pilot as F1 racing is to most car owners.

Shawn