Cirrus vs ASW

Sorry Eric but you are talking b*ll*cks. The Standard
Cirrus may not have quite the same modern safe handling
as a LS4 or a Discus, but any competent pilot should
be able to fly one quite easily and safely. They also
have the advantage of costing a fraction of the amount
expected for these supposedly more desirable types
and are not that far short on performance.

The differences between the earlier Standard Cirrus
and the later Standard Cirrus75 are wing root fillets
to improve the low speed handling, bigger airbrakes
and I believe slight changes to the wing section and
tailplane mounting. The airbrakes on either type can
be greatly improved by fitting the bolt on double paddle
kits, and I would recommend that these should be fitted.


The last couple of versions were fitted with conventional
tailplanes after the vogue for all flying tailplanes
passed, and these handle pretty much like the Discus.

The only issue with all flying-tailplanes is that they
tend to trail along the relative airflow. This means
that if you let go of the stick the glider will have
little stick free stability. If it is not perfectly
trimmed out, or hits disturbed air, it will slowly
enter an ever increasing phugoid which will not damp
itself out. However if you do remember to hold the
stick, this problem disappears and the glider will
be as stable in pitch as any other type, as long as
the cockpit weight limits are observed. How often
and for how long do you normally fly without holding
the stick?

If you could be placed in a Standard Cirrus at 2000
feet and told to get on with flying it, you probably
wouldn't even notice that it had an all flying tailplane.
The only thing you might find out if you experimented
a bit is that the elevator loads do not change with
speed. This probably makes it unsuitable for aerobatics
unless you are very skilled at doing them, although
it is certified as semi-aerobatic. Best to regard it
as a soaring machine, which it does very well. Standard
Cirri usually clean up in Club Class competitions.

All the owners I know love their Standard Cirruses,
not least because of the light and precise handling.

Derek Copeland
----------------------------------
At 23:24 21 March 2006, Eric Greenwell wrote:
Derek Copeland wrote:
By comparison the Standard Cirrus was very easy to
fly, subject to the usual provisos for all-flying
tailplanes.
Don't be put off this lovely glider by all the scare
stories!

When a number of experienced pilots, some of them CFIGs,
and some with
thousands of hours, who have flown a variety of gliders,
issue warnings
about a particular glider, that rises above the level
of 'scare
stories'. For example, you do not hear this controversy
over the LS4.
These warnings should be respected and considered carefully,
especially
if you are a less experienced pilot. The Std. Cirrus
is not an LS4 with
a quirk or two.

For clarification, the Std Cirrus I refer is not the
Cirrus 75, but the
older models called 'Standard Cirrus'. The Cirrus 75
had a number of
changes, such as better airbrakes, and I am not familiar
with it.

--
Change 'netto' to 'net' to email me directly

Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA

www.motorglider.org - Download 'A Guide to Self-launching
Sailplane
Operation'