Turbos: real climb rates?

(Also posted on u.r.a.s.)
Any owners care to contribute? I don't own one but would be
interested in knowing which models/engines are capable of
climbing to self retrieve from the far side of a 9,000ft Alpine
pass; so a climb from 6000' to 10,000'?
Range and reliability comments also welcomed.
Dave Walsh

On Tuesday, September 22, 2015 at 10:15:10 AM UTC-4, Dave Walsh wrote:
(Also posted on u.r.a.s.)
Any owners care to contribute? I don't own one but would be
interested in knowing which models/engines are capable of
climbing to self retrieve from the far side of a 9,000ft Alpine
pass; so a climb from 6000' to 10,000'?
Range and reliability comments also welcomed.
Dave Walsh

That would be a very interesting test article for a large club to do; compare jet to electro (FES and conventional mast) to internal combustion (sustainer and self launch if available). Start at the same altitude, start at the same time, use 1 sec log files to determine rate of climb (including engine deployment if applicable). We only have a single sustainer at my club (17b FES) so we can't do this one (we also don't have mountains). A second test from lower altitude (say 1000 msl to 4000 msl) would be interesting.

If you do the flight at the same time, you'd get a relative result - no need to reduce to ICAO Std Atmosphere, though with correct data gathering you could do that.

Do Akafliegs in Germany test this sort of thing, or are they only doing relative performance testing?

Il giorno martedì 22 settembre 2015 16:15:10 UTC+2, Dave Walsh ha scritto:
(Also posted on u.r.a.s.)
Any owners care to contribute? I don't own one but would be
interested in knowing which models/engines are capable of
climbing to self retrieve from the far side of a 9,000ft Alpine
pass; so a climb from 6000' to 10,000'?
Range and reliability comments also welcomed.
Dave Walsh

Hi Dave,

all manufacturers declare climb rates around 1,2m/s but if you ask a table of rate of climb versus altitude you soon discover that turbo is not for you if you, like me, fly in the mountains. Those toys are mainly for flatlands where they make an excellent job (have you seen the new ASG29Es?).

Also for this reason I decided for a selflaunching.

Carlo Orsini

I've climbed to 2500m with a ASG29E in the alps. It's possible because in the mountains there are almost always some small updrafts, and even with the very small climb rate you can go and find them. Climbrate below 1500m is about 1-1.2m/s. Above 1500m it's smaller, maybe 0.5m/s at 2000m.

Duo Discus T. Two adults - about 400 pounds. Near Parowan, Utah.
Climbed out from about 600 feet AGL with no issues.

Tom

I know on the Schempp turbo gliders, many remove the exhaust restrictions to get a few more horses and better climb. Apparently the Schleicher gliders do not have an exhaust restriction, one would have to port and polish to get more from the engine, has anyone on this group done the port and polish with a Schleicher?

On Tuesday, September 22, 2015 at 3:11:45 PM UTC-6, Jonathan St. Cloud wrote:
I know on the Schempp turbo gliders, many remove the exhaust restrictions to get a few more horses and better climb. Apparently the Schleicher gliders do not have an exhaust restriction, one would have to port and polish to get more from the engine, has anyone on this group done the port and polish with a Schleicher?

I own and fly a SH Ventus 2cxT. It has been an excellent glider and the turbo has never let me down. However, I haven't had a lot of reasons to use it for self retrieve. I have almost 1100 hours on the ship and less than 6 on the engine. I mostly operate out of Boulder, elevation 5288', but have flown all over the SW at airports up to 7500'.

Like Jonathon mentioned I removed the restrictions in the exhaust and put in high altitude jets. This supposedly bumped the HP by about 15%.

The highest I have had to power up to was about 9000' but higher when considering density altitude. At 7000' (higher considering density altitude) the turbo delivers about 2 kts or 200 fpm climb in still air.

The biggest benefit I have found is when I have launched too early while trying to go big and I have to hang out until I can connect. Then, even fully ballasted, I can climb at over 100 fpm at 8000'.

The self retrieves I have done have been painless. BUT you always must remember the rules of flying a powered glider and never expect the engine to save your ass. Further, popping out the engine in bad sinking air is never a good idea.

Be safe

Bob

With 2-stroke engines, all bets are off if the mixture isn't right. Mixed fuel left too long probably won't give you full power.
Could be a nice climb or just a lot of noise.
Is there a way to measure fuel/oil ratio in mixed fuel, or must you drain the glider and use it in the weed whacker or chain saw?
Jim