Anyone flown a SHK-1?

On Sun, 21 May 2017 06:28:00 -0700, Bruce Hoult wrote:

On Sunday, May 21, 2017 at 4:00:05 PM UTC+3, Chris Rollings wrote:
At 11:24 21 May 2017, Martin Gregorie wrote:
On Sun, 21 May 2017 03:39:09 -0700, Bruce Hoult wrote:

On Sunday, May 21, 2017 at 1:00:07 PM UTC+3, Mike Oliver wrote:
I flew one for many years. 1000 hrs+ Can't add anything on the
technical side but what I would say is that it remains fantastic
value for money. Make sure you get or make good rigging aids, a
root trestle at rigging height and a tip trestle along with a wing
dolly at the
root
end and I could easily rig mine single handed without any lifting
of the wings.

Flew at least 8 flights over 500k here in the UK longest was 564k.
Climbs beautifully on the early thermals so could leave early in
the mornings. Longest flight time was over 8 hours and never found
any discomfort in the cockpit. I'm just under 6'0.

Brakes are weak if you have no headwind but a tip I was given
(which goes against all training)! was that if seriously too high
IN NO WIND conditions and NO TURBULENCE you can open the brakes
and raise the nose to take it to the back of the drag curve. It
comes down smoothly and rapidly. When back to the correct angle
lower the nose and
complete
approach as normal. It works. I'll bet people will want to come on
here
who have never flown one and say different but try it at altutude
first. I could even do this whilst playing with the rudder and it
showed no tendency to drop a wing.

Std Libelle brakes are similar. But a slip works better.

As Bruce says, its easy to do a full deflection, full-brake slip in a
Std

Libelle. This turns it into quite a satisfactory brick and compensates
nicely for its rather weak brakes if you're a bit high on finals or at
a field, such as Borders, that needs a higher descent rate.

How vigorously can you slip an SHK?

I ask because I've seen a comment that applying full rudder in an SH
affected its pitch trim. I've heard that many V-tail control systems
may limit the available deflections if deflections on more than one
axis are used and am wondering if that limits slipping in an SHK.
Disclaimer: I've never flown anything with a V tail.


--
martin@ | Martin Gregorie gregorie. | Essex, UK org |


It's interesting to note that many, possibly most, of the glider and
light aircraft types that started out with a V-tail, went over to a
conventional tail-plane and rudder if the went on to a mark 2 or other
later development
In the current context, the first Cirrus was essentially a glass SHK,
the prototype inherited the V-tail, the production versions went over
to the conventional tail-plane and elevator.

ITYM "all-flying tailplane"

Early ones, yes. After that they first got rather more washout twisted
into the wing and final versions had a conventional tailplane plus
elevators.

I've never flown any of them, but I have crawled round and sat in a late
one with normal elevators (VTC built G/81). Biggest cockpit I've ever sat
in and even more limited rear view than an SZD Junior.


--
martin@ | Martin Gregorie
gregorie. | Essex, UK
org |