Flapped Glider Recommendations...

On Jan 9, 9:12 am, Andreas Maurer wrote:
an advice: Don't stick too close to numbers. Performance numbers of
glider differ vastly depending on who measured them (Johnson or the
German Idaflieg), and, more important:
Sheer performance numbers are only one part of the truth.
In reality you are not going to notice if your ship has two points
better L/D or a slightly better sink rate.

Bye
Andreas


I totally agree with you on the numbers deal - especially when it
comes to manufacturer's specs! And I know that small variances in
finishing and mold changes over the years can affect the L/D by a
point or two. But at least with Johnson (and other practical flight
tests) I have demonstrated numbers that have actually been measured
*in flight* - not theoretical or predicted numbers.

And I understand that I won't notice one or two points of L/D - that's
why I'm going for a jump from ~31:1 to at least 38:1. That big of a
spread I _will_ notice.

The reason I use sink-rate as a measure of performance is because it
directly affects climb rate in a thermal, and just trying to figure
out which airplane "thermals best" is subjective, dependant upon
conditions, and plain tough to get an accurate reading on (especially
because so few people have flown a wide range of gliders over the
years - so there's little common basis for direct comparison).

Dave - The 1f is cool; but the two that I've found talk about having
rough finishes. A glider that old/cheap is just not worth the cost to
refinishing... Again, its not that I don't like them; but do you
think that an $18k LS-1f is a better purchase than a good-condition
LS-3 at $24k? The difference in monthly loan cost is not an issue for
me (I'm not rich, but I've carefully budgetted to handle $8k to $10k
down and a $15k to $18k loan).

Having only flown my Russia, Blanik L-13s, and SGS 2-33s I think I
ought to follow through with my original plan to visit Minden sometime
soon and try their Mini, LS-3a, and LS-4. I need some seat-time in
15m ships to see how they compare to my Russia...

Thanks again, all! The conversation is certainly good for helping
organize my thoughts and refine my opinions.

Anyone have any info about SZD-55's? I had two people email me
privately to say that they thought I could pick one up for around my
$30k limit - but those folks were in England and I haven't heard
anyone from the USA talk about this model. It got plenty of favorable
reviews when it came out... ??

Take care,

--Noel