Sailplane Classes - a different perspective

Michel Talon wrote:

And as far as performance is concerned, look at was has been achieved
with the Diana, sticking with normal sized wings. Much more than a lot
of open class gliders.

Maximum L/D is only one little part of the story. Much more important
than 2 or even 5 nominal points are the flatness of the polar curve, how
it behaves in turbuence, with bugs, in rain, and, of course, for fun
flyers like myself, the overall feel of the glider.

E.g. many pilots in our club fly the LS8 with 15 meters rather than with
18, because above ca. 150 km/h, the L/D is better with the short wings.
I personally fly it always with 15 meters and unballasted, just because
of the feel. There's much more in a glider than maximum L/D.

Stefan