Ventus 2b vs ASW27b ..Which is the better / nicer aircraft?

Minor correction - in the 2019 South African Nationals 15m class the rest of the field were ASW20's and one LS6

On Tuesday, December 24, 2019 at 5:46:16 PM UTC, wrote:

Full of water, 27B performance is arguably still state of the art in 15m. Last year, at the South African Nationals where new JS-3 15m entries were the bulk of the racing class- 1st place, 2nd place, 3rd place were all ASW-27's if memory serves right. Mostly strong conditions throughout the contest. I can't seem to find this year's results. I'm not anti-JS, I fly the JS1C-21M now and it is spectacular. But the 27B is an absolute bargain if you find a decent one at market pricing. It would scream over the San Juan's.


Gary Osoba

With respect Gary, I think your memory may have conflated the SA 2018 15m and 18m National results. There were no JS3s in the 15m class.

John Galloway

On Monday, December 23, 2019 at 8:04:24 PM UTC-5, Jonathan St. Cloud wrote:
On Monday, December 23, 2019 at 4:46:49 PM UTC-8, Gary Wayland wrote:
On Sunday, December 22, 2019 at 8:33:12 PM UTC-5, Nick Kennedy wrote:
Hypothetical situation:
Same condition
Same trailer
Same instruments and accessories
Which is the better ship for strong western thermal racing conditions?
Why?
Thanks in advance for those in the know!
T

ASW27b is the best. Why? I own one!

I flew Captain McQuiggs 27 in 1999. I ordered one the following week. Nineteen years and one refinish and will never sell until I retire from gliders...

Light wings. Easy to rig on the ground. Plenty of room. A ton of room for all the stuff you don't need at the instrument panel...

We don't need no stinking 18 Meter wing! lol

ASW27b 27-148

"SQ"

That extra 3 meters of wing in a 29 equals about 50 pounds more wieght per wing as compared to 27.

That will make a difference in putting your ship in the box after a long flight.

I hate to say, but im not in my thirties! Now I think about those things.

If I ever sell and stay in the hobby, I'll look for another Libelle! The homesick angel!

Soaring is more than L/D! The 27 has got to be the most comfortable glider I ever flew. No problem in flying 4 hours plus wearing a National 412 with the GRF under the butt. 6' at 200.

Thank you for correcting me, John. It's clear "my memory doesn't serve..."

-Gary

On Tuesday, December 24, 2019 at 5:43:09 PM UTC-8, Brett wrote:
Minor correction - in the 2019 South African Nationals 15m class the
rest of the field were ASW20's and one LS6




--
Brett

So the ASW-27 beat every JS-3 that didn't enter the South African Nationals? That is pretty good for a 30 year old design considering all the hype regarding the JS-3.

I was part owner of a V2AX and currently own an ASW-27.

The V2AX was really too small in the cockpit for me, but once airborne the handling was so nice I didn't care. The V2 had the best slow speed handling and thermalling capability of anything I have flown. The flaperons gave excellent roll rate down to stall speed. Against that, landing flap is unimpressive compared to the -27. The 4 inch wheel and tost brake do not provide the ground clearance and stopping ability of the -27.

I can't compare the two with full water, although handling is excellent for both. Dry, on the ridge, the 27 is superior. I have flown one against the other dry.

The -27 provides superior cockpit room and comfort to the 2AX. Some people really prefer the front opening canopy of the 27 to the side opening Ventus. I find it not a deal breaker either way.

I found the conventional flaps on the 27 to be superior for stuffing the glider into short fields and over obstacles. The 5 inch wheel with disc brake provides excellent ground clearance and stopping ability.

The slow speed handling of the 27 is good, but the roll rate and ease of coordination suffer in comparison to the Ventus - not bad, just not as good.

The flap handle on the V2 is by your left thigh, making it difficult to see what position the flaps are in. Against that, once initially trimmed, stick pressure equals wrong flap setting. Very intuitive.

The flap handle on the 27 is easy to see, but provides less pitch feedback than the V2.

Overall, I rate the V2 superior in weak conditions and the 27 better in avg to strong conditions. They are both sweet flying machines!

On Sunday, December 22, 2019 at 8:33:12 PM UTC-5, Nick Kennedy wrote:
Hypothetical situation:
Same condition
Same trailer
Same instruments and accessories
Which is the better ship for strong western thermal racing conditions?
Why?
Thanks in advance for those in the know!
T

Pick the one you like best.

Long live the 15m class!

T8

Never flown a 27 or a V2. But Gerhard Waibel's "designed for crashworthiness" cockpit was a factor when I bought my ASW 24 and would be if I were shopping for a glider now.

I think Gerhard's strategy (and OSTIV award) inspired the other factories to pay more attention to this but Schleicher got there first--and continued using the same technology with the 27/29.

Chip Bearden
JB

On Sunday, December 22, 2019 at 6:33:12 PM UTC-7, Nick Kennedy wrote:
Hypothetical situation:
Same condition
Same trailer
Same instruments and accessories
Which is the better ship for strong western thermal racing conditions?
Why?
Thanks in advance for those in the know!
T

Not sure about the v2b, but I flew a ventus c for many years and now own a 27b.

*Ventus has a much faster roll rate than the 27b.
*27b has a much higher, sprung main wheel.
* Ventus has stiffer wings, and therefor a much stiffer ride.
*Ventus requires much more attention to pitch attitude to maintain constant speed.
*I have broken canopy hinges twice on the Ventus due to side hinge.
*I almost melted a Colibri II due to front hinged 27b focusing sunlight on the panel.

Matt

On Wednesday, December 25, 2019 at 4:30:16 PM UTC-5, wrote:
Never flown a 27 or a V2. But Gerhard Waibel's "designed for crashworthiness" cockpit was a factor when I bought my ASW 24 and would be if I were shopping for a glider now.

I think Gerhard's strategy (and OSTIV award) inspired the other factories to pay more attention to this but Schleicher got there first--and continued using the same technology with the 27/29.

Chip Bearden
JB

Chip, I too, or shall I say my wife has a 24, very nice ship, way underrated and is a joy to fly. I have a 27 B, nice ship also and I really like the Schleicher ships. Bob