Stemme S12 in Michigan this Saturday, May 20th (KOZW) @ 4 pm

On 24/05/2017 09:28, Dave Nadler wrote:


Stemme has a different issue: it can get "rocking" (in roll) and hit a tip.
I know this has happened more than once (on grass fields) - damage results.

Always trade-offs!

See ya, Dave

I walked interestedly around the first Stemme I saw some years ago with
an aeronautical engineer friend. As we chatted about it he ran one hand
under the trailing edge of the wing tip and suggested I do the same.
The aileron bottom was heavily abraded for the outboard 4 feet or so.
Same on the other side.

'Every aeroplane touches the edge of the envelope somewhere' he said.

--
GC

I owned a Stemme S10-VT for 8 years. I never scraped a wing. Once I scraped a wing tip skid, while taxiing at well above walking speed, I allowed one main wheel to drop into a drainage grate depression in the tarmac. No damage to the wing finish. I have never experienced "rocking and rolling".

As to handling, I would compare the difference between the S10 and my current ASH26E as a bit like that between a sedan and a sports car. The Stemme deals with turbulence better and gives a smoother ride. Ailerons are heavier, but I would not characterize roll as sluggish, and the addition effort is mostly unnoticed after flying for a few minutes . . . until after 5 hours or so when I found myself using two hands on the stick sometimes. Once cranked over into a thermal, the Stemme is more "stable" in that it tracks well and does not need the many small corrections one uses on a lighter ship.

Stemme ground handling is in a class by itself, making operations at even busy towered airports the same as with a power plane - blends right in.

The Stemme will operate in conditions that would have other high performance gliders staying in their boxes. Four of us launched from Cedar City after winds stiffened up overnight, blowing 35 knots mostly steady when it came time to go. Our taxiing to the runway center intersection required four 90 degree turns, all to the left, so we were exposed to that wind from every angle during taxi. I went first, and told Marty Hellman to just "cover" my wing tip, not touch it, for the first two turns when I would then be on my own. Launch required something less 20 feet and levitation straight up like an elevator! All of us took of safely.

bumper

On 5/24/2017 9:03 AM, bumper wrote:
snip

Stemme ground handling is in a class by itself, making operations at even busy towered airports the same as with a power plane - blends right in.

snip

bumper


Except in tight places. Taxiing in yesterday, I found the FBO had
parked a fuel truck about 77 feet (my span is 75') from the propeller
spinner of a Cessna. It was extremely slow taxiing between the two
using the shadows of my wing tips and the obstacles to maintain
separation. Of course, I could have folded the wings or taken an
alternate route.
--
Dan, 5J

On Wednesday, May 24, 2017 at 8:39:24 AM UTC-7, Dan Marotta wrote:


Except in tight places. Taxiing in yesterday, I found the FBO had
parked a fuel truck about 77 feet (my span is 75') from the propeller
spinner of a Cessna. It was extremely slow taxiing between the two
using the shadows of my wing tips and the obstacles to maintain
separation. Of course, I could have folded the wings or taken an
alternate route.
--
Dan, 5J

Dan,

There is that. Been a couple of airports, Once at an airshow due to close aircraft parking, and then at Pine Mountain Lake, CA with an embankment too close to the taxiway. Stopped and folded the wings. Didn't happen often. Much more difficult on some early S10's with no winglets - the winglets, like you shadow example, help with depth perception for clearance.

The opposite problem would occur too. Once parked IFO my hangar without the 90 degree turn, as the adjacent hangar at Napa was open and had a bunch of people milling about. A lady in an SUV comes driving up right towards me, I had shut down but not opened the canopy. She clearly was not slowing and had not seen my wing. People in the hangar were screaming at her to stop - - and she did, just feet away. I could've used a defibrillator on myself if I'da had one handy.

I always hung orange steamers on the wingtips when parked on the ramp. Cord, lead weight, fluorescent tapes.

bumper

On 5/24/2017 10:13 PM, bumper wrote:
snip
I always hung orange steamers on the wingtips when parked on the ramp. Cord, lead weight, fluorescent tapes.

bumper

Now THAT is a capital idea!

--
Dan, 5J

On Thursday, May 25, 2017 at 7:44:03 AM UTC-7, Dan Marotta wrote:
On 5/24/2017 10:13 PM, bumper wrote:
snip
I always hung orange steamers on the wingtips when parked on the ramp. Cord, lead weight, fluorescent tapes.

bumper

Now THAT is a capital idea!

--
Dan, 5J

Bumper, it could be proprietary Mk-V Kiddie Car Quiet Vent information, but....
How do you steam an orange?
Jim