Flaps/spoilers on which sailplanes?

At 01:18 28 December 2006, Tony Verhulst wrote:
wrote:
I have the SSA's 'Directory of Sailplanes' from sometime
in the
1970s(?), which is a great resource for finding the
basics of certain
models of sailplanes, but I'm looking for something
more detailed on
glidepath control. For example, if I want to find
out if the Slingsby
Kestrel uses flaps or spoilers, or I want to find
out if the Phoebus C
uses flaps or spoilers, or...

Is there such a resource?

Ric T.


Hi, The Kestrel has flaps, airbrakes and chute. The
flaps have (given all the normal mods) two landing
flap positions which are independant of the normal
flying flap system in that they can be raised and lowered
without affecting the aileron setting.

The first position is roughly equivalent to full +2
flying flap, the second is about twice this.

There are then upper surface airbrakes. These are
fairly ineffective on their own but with flaps are
very good for control. There is a mod to add extra
depth to the paddles in the same way as Ciruses do.

If this isn't enough then there is a tail chute that
makes you feel like you are pointing straight down.

Between this lot there is a landing combination that
suits most eventualities.

By the manual, landing speed with flaps and airbrake
is 50 kts and with chute 55kts.

The various mechanisms to make all this work is what
gives the Kestrel its reputation for having loads of
knobs and levers.

Robin

Kestrel driver
A *great* but hard to find book is 'Sailplanes 1965-2000'
by Martin
Simons. See
http://home.comcast.net/~verhulst/GB...cellaneous.htm

Tony V.