First glider Nimbus 2 ?

On Friday, March 13, 2015 at 6:31:41 PM UTC+13, Surge wrote:
On Friday, 13 March 2015 05:23:49 UTC+2, Bill D wrote:
I have owned a N2C and I would not recommend it to a pilot without several hundred hours experience in another high performance flapped glider.

Wow! That bad.
I found a similar thread with similar advice https://groups.google.com/forum/#!to...ng/zwO51PdZW00
It's just a pity that access to other flapped gliders is rather limited or expensive in my case.

I've never flown a Nimbus, but I've got a fair bit of experience in the first generation Janus, also with flaps and all-flying tailplane.

To be honest, I'm not sure that hours matter that much with these aircraft. You either "get" them or you don't.

I had 75 hours total, 54 hours PIC, when I started flying the Janus. It was new to our club and expensive and they were very protective of it, so I had to do nine dual takeoffs and landings in a variety of weather conditions before they gave me my (pax) rating in it.

I've seen other people, experienced instructors in Grobs with hundreds of hours, who took one or two flights in the Janus and declared they'd never set foot in it again.

I definitely would recommend you to find an early model Janus and do a few dual flights in it before flying the Nimbus (preferably before deciding to buy it), even if you have to travel to do so.

Apart from being a poor choice as a first glider in terms of rigging,
handling and approach control, you would be unlikely to want to stick
with an early Nimbus 2 for many years which would negate the logic
of wanting to buy it in the first place.

As a general point the early generation of GRP flapped gliders really
don't gain much from the flaps relative to slightly later unflapped
gliders - especially those, like the Nimbus, with Wortmann FX- 67
series profiles which are very badly affected by rain and bugs. The
standard class gliders from the LS4, Discus onwards are all seriously
useful, well sorted out gliders.

John Galloway



At 06:10 13 March 2015, Bruce Hoult wrote:
On Friday, March 13, 2015 at 6:31:41 PM UTC+13, Surge wrote:
On Friday, 13 March 2015 05:23:49 UTC+2, Bill D wrote:
I have owned a N2C and I would not recommend it to a pilot
without
seve=
ral hundred hours experience in another high performance flapped
glider.
=20
Wow! That bad.
I found a similar thread with similar advice
https://groups.google.com/fo=
rum/#!topic/rec.aviation.soaring/zwO51PdZW00
It's just a pity that access to other flapped gliders is rather limited
o=
r expensive in my case.

I've never flown a Nimbus, but I've got a fair bit of experience in the
fir=
st generation Janus, also with flaps and all-flying tailplane.

To be honest, I'm not sure that hours matter that much with these
aircraft.=
You either "get" them or you don't.

I had 75 hours total, 54 hours PIC, when I started flying the Janus. It
was=
new to our club and expensive and they were very protective of it,
so I
ha=
d to do nine dual takeoffs and landings in a variety of weather
conditions
=
before they gave me my (pax) rating in it.

I've seen other people, experienced instructors in Grobs with
hundreds of
h=
ours, who took one or two flights in the Janus and declared they'd
never
se=
t foot in it again.

I definitely would recommend you to find an early model Janus and
do a few
=
dual flights in it before flying the Nimbus (preferably before
deciding to
=
buy it), even if you have to travel to do so.

On Friday, March 13, 2015 at 9:00:04 PM UTC+13, John Galloway wrote:
Apart from being a poor choice as a first glider in terms of rigging,
handling and approach control, you would be unlikely to want to stick
with an early Nimbus 2 for many years which would negate the logic
of wanting to buy it in the first place.

Ray Lynskey did.

On Friday, 13 March 2015 08:10:53 UTC+2, Bruce Hoult wrote:
I definitely would recommend you to find an early model Janus and do a few dual flights in it before flying the Nimbus (preferably before deciding to buy it), even if you have to travel to do so.

Thanks, that's an excellent suggestion and a privately owned Janus (first one built) is located at the club I fly at.

On Friday, March 13, 2015 at 9:20:27 PM UTC+13, Surge wrote:
On Friday, 13 March 2015 08:10:53 UTC+2, Bruce Hoult wrote:
I definitely would recommend you to find an early model Janus and do a few dual flights in it before flying the Nimbus (preferably before deciding to buy it), even if you have to travel to do so.

Thanks, that's an excellent suggestion and a privately owned Janus (first one built) is located at the club I fly at.

By the way, we tried the tail chute on our Janus a few times and then disabled it.

The airbrakes are not all that strong (neither are those in the Duo Discus!), but landing flap plus airbrake together are as effective as the brakes in most other gliders. Plus add in side slip and you've got a massively steep descent. You don't want to do that all the way to the ground, but it will get you down to a normal approach angle and then I'd say recover from the slip by 100 or 150 ft.

I don't think the parachute offers anything more than do the other tools at your disposal -- tools which you can apply and take off repeatedly if necessary.

I don't know how similar the Nimbus is in that regard. I'd suspect pretty similar, but I don't know for sure.

Definately not a first glider.More like a third.
I've had mine(N2 A) for 16 years and love it to bits.You need to lead with
the rudder in turns,which goes against all I was taught regarding
co-ordinating the controls.If you do not it does a very good demonstration
of aileron drag.
I had a set of retro-fitted "Discus" winglets fitted,which improved matters
tremendously.
I went from a Pik 20 B to the Nimbus and was glad of the flapped experience
gained on the Pik.
Definately suggest flapped experience in a Janus.
Also buy a good set of covers;people tend to disappear when it's rigging
time.

A series of flights in an earlyGenerallAt 08:30 13 March 2015, Bruce Hoult
wrote:
On Friday, March 13, 2015 at 9:20:27 PM UTC+13, Surge wrote:
On Friday, 13 March 2015 08:10:53 UTC+2, Bruce Hoult wrote:
I definitely would recommend you to find an early model Janus and do
a
=
few dual flights in it before flying the Nimbus (preferably before
deciding=
to buy it), even if you have to travel to do so.
=20
Thanks, that's an excellent suggestion and a privately owned Janus
(first=
one built) is located at the club I fly at.

By the way, we tried the tail chute on our Janus a few times and then
disab=
led it.

The airbrakes are not all that strong (neither are those in the Duo
Discus!=
), but landing flap plus airbrake together are as effective as the brakes
i=
n most other gliders. Plus add in side slip and you've got a massively
stee=
p descent. You don't want to do that all the way to the ground, but it
will=
get you down to a normal approach angle and then I'd say recover from
the
=
slip by 100 or 150 ft.

I don't think the parachute offers anything more than do the other tools
at=
your disposal -- tools which you can apply and take off repeatedly if
nece=
ssary.=20

I don't know how similar the Nimbus is in that regard. I'd suspect pretty
s=
imilar, but I don't know for sure.