Variometer installation

wrote:
I'm curious about the "sport canopy". Do you refer to flying with the
canopy removed? Is this something people talk about?

Not exactly removed, but replaced with one which only covers the front to
block the incoming wind, leaving the top and sides open. Kind of like a
convertible. I've never used one but I've heard they're fun, although they
cost a fair bit of performance.

--
Michael Ash
Rogue Amoeba Software

Not exactly removed, but replaced with one which only covers the front to
block the incoming wind, leaving the top and sides open. Kind of like a
convertible. I've never used one but I've heard they're fun, although they
cost a fair bit of performance.

not on the 1-26. You cant do anything to them to make them perform
worse

"Michael Ash" wrote in message
...
wrote:
I'm curious about the "sport canopy". Do you refer to flying with the
canopy removed? Is this something people talk about?

Not exactly removed, but replaced with one which only covers the front to
block the incoming wind, leaving the top and sides open. Kind of like a
convertible. I've never used one but I've heard they're fun, although they
cost a fair bit of performance.

Here are a couple links to pictures of an 1-26 "Sport Canopy:"
http://www.126association.org/graphics/lfsidesport.jpg
http://www.126association.org/graphics/harry-sport2.jpg

Wayne
HP-14 "6F"
http://www.soaridaho.com/

wrote:
I'm curious about the "sport canopy". Do you refer to flying with the
canopy removed? Is this something people talk about?

Not exactly removed, but replaced with one which only covers the front to
block the incoming wind...


Not quite true: both the front AND back (just behind the pilot)
canopy pieces are replaced...to "smooth the airflow".


Here are a couple links to pictures of an 1-26 "Sport Canopy:"http://www.126association.org/graphics/lfsidesport.jpghttp://www.126association.org/graphics/harry-sport2.jpg

Wayne
HP-14 "6F"http://www.soaridaho.com/

Here are some pix showing "all the pieces," showing a normal canopy
and a sports canopy (front and aft):
http://www.soarelsinore.org/graphics/sprtcomp4.jpg (all four pieces,
in front of the ship)
http://www.soarelsinore.org/graphics/sprtcomp3.jpg (normal canopy,
installed)
http://www.soarelsinore.org/graphics/sprtcomp1.jpg (sport canopy,
installed)
....and a pic of me "freezing" (29 deg F, 12,500 MSL, sucking oxygen
through the hose, because the mask is on the ground...)
http://www.soarelsinore.org/graphics/309sist.jpg

The "performance cost" has not been documented (that I can find). The
rumors of anvil-like glide performance are exaggerated, IMHO. Most of
these reports seem to come from pilots who have the CABIN for the
airspeed static pressure source, rather than hooked up to the external
static ports (normally on the nosecone, sometimes on the aft
fuselage). The normal statics are sometimes "reserved" for the
vario(s).

I installed an alternate static source switch (normal static =
nosecone side statics, alternate = cabin). When switching from normal
to alternate, the airspeed indication jumps +10 mph. This means the
pilots flying with cabin static source were flying 10 mph SLOWER than
they thought, which we know will kill L/D far more than flying faster.

Yes, I'd like to do a flight test to measure L/D with Sports (and
regular) canopies. It's on my list of things to do, but nowhere near
the top.

The glider handles very nicely (including stalls & spins) with either
canopy.

Other than the unexpected mountain wave (which took me to 29F @ 12k),
it's quite fun to fly occasionally with "the top down."

-Pete
#309

wrote:
Not exactly removed, but replaced with one which only covers the front to
block the incoming wind, leaving the top and sides open. Kind of like a
convertible. I've never used one but I've heard they're fun, although they
cost a fair bit of performance.

not on the 1-26. You cant do anything to them to make them perform
worse

I have proven to myself over many flights that opening the spoilers will
make them perform worse.

As for more subtle changes, you might be surprised. My friend who's
letting me fly his keeps talking about moving his oxygen bottle, currently
in the nose, to behind the seat in order to move the CG back and gain a
bit of performance. Personally I'm kind of doubtful about this strategy
but I guess it shows that 1-26ers can worry about performance too.

--
Michael Ash
Rogue Amoeba Software

not on the 1-26. You cant do anything to them to make them perform
worse

I have proven to myself over many flights that opening the spoilers will
make them perform worse.
--
Michael Ash
Rogue Amoeba Software

Clearly Michael is not referring to the "A" model...

On Nov 28, 8:56 am, wrote:
I'm curious about the "sport canopy". Do you refer to flying with the
canopy removed? Is this something people talk about?

Many years ago, afternoon on a nice summer day at
Sugarbush, one of the pundits spotted my whale, sans
overhead canopy, near the flight line. "Have you forgot
something Dave" asks the pundit ? Nawh, says one
of my buddies, Dave's just decided its too much work
to clean the canopy and decided its unnecessary in
any case, and its easier to see out without the
dirty canopy. So the pundit gives us a long lecture
on how the turbulence from the open area will
cause the thing to be unstable and I'll no doubt
crash and die. And a lot of really big words poor
Dave couldn't pronounce let alone comprehend.
Lecture continued for many minutes.

Had to finally explain that I came down because
I was freezing my ass off in the wave sans canopy,
really guys flies just fine, left it by the flight line
because I'll go back up after I warm up a bit
but this time not up in the wave. And I'll clean
the canopy some other day...

Will a B4 explode if you fly it with the canopy removed?

Undoubtedly, according to the pundit ;-)

See ya, Dave "YO"

PS: I know, I've got to get the whale back in
the air someday...

PPS: Seriously, not all of our toys are safe
without canopy...

On Nov 28, 11:25 am, Michael Ash wrote:
on the 1-26. You cant do anything to them to make them perform
worse

As for more subtle changes, you might be surprised. My friend who's
letting me fly his keeps talking about moving his oxygen bottle, currently
in the nose, to behind the seat in order to move the CG back and gain a
bit of performance. Personally I'm kind of doubtful about this strategy
but I guess it shows that 1-26ers can worry about performance too.


It would seem to me that this is a more cost effective solution than
buying the latest logger, glide computer, PDA and versions of
WinPilot, SeeYou Mobile, etc.

Sheesh. Next thing you know, somebody will be blaming (us) 1-26er's
for the demise of the sport (even though we seldom _race_, per se),
blame us for the Hobbs scandals and global warming... After all,
lower L/D means more gas (and hence CO) to tow a glider to a given
height...but then again, 1-26's are LIGHTER than the glass whipper-
snapper (younger) gliders...so maybe it's LESS CO to tow a 1-26 to the
same altitude... Hmm, I wonder if more CO was produced welding the
steel tubing of the 1-26, or in producing the chemicals needed for
gelcoat and it's underlying "structure." Which glider is the
"Hummer????"

Oh, sorry, I'll put away my flamethrower...I've exceeded my carbon
quota (on this thread).

-Pete
SGS 1-26 #309

P.S.: I'm trying to have FUN while soaring -- budget on L/D, skill,
time or any other aspect that constrains our "sport."
P.P.S: My oxygen bottle IS behind the seat (factory mounts!), and I
have two of the three diamonds...so tell your friend that the Oxy tank
in the back works!!! Okay, it's a little harder to reach it to turn
it on when you realize (after tow release) that you forgot to turn it
on pre-flight...but it IS possible, and my previous pic posting is
proof!