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By over50
#341407
Not to go for to double surface or even rigid means to me:
Getting older ("over 50") is:
less concentration is sometimes late or wrong decisions
weight means effort
high speed may be very cold

When I look at dhv xc tabel, we see lots of paragliders, even in winter, but very few hanggliders.

So if I am still looking for my future, I want a glider, easy to carry and rig but with high performance and glide, must not stay at the same hill, but my journey must not be hundreds of kilometers... .

Living over the ocean, "on paper" this could mean the northwing freedom race line, but here in in central europe for me it is at the moment the one I already mentioned.
Hope for developments in this direction!

Johannes
By over50
#353749
Hello single surface glider riders!

Last Sunday I could do my tenth flight this year on my RX 2; we were 11 hgs on top of the montain, and mine was the only ss profile... we had strong wind from the left and long to wait to come out.

All in all I made now 37 flights (27 last year) with it but still feel like a beginner. Since this year I use a vario with GPS and also can read the true air speed; yes, there only seem to be two speeds: "slow" or "down", and "slow" means here 30 to 33 kms/h. But I already had rise/lift up to 3 1/2 m/s, and was very proud, but never reached more hight than the starting point... . circles can be made even slower sometimes when lifting, and even short stall is not that dangerous... .
Have been for 18 1/2 minutes in the air one time.

When I made mistakes - and still I do - nothing strange happened. So I still go on with it, and don't look for another hg. The size "M" (16 qm) fits good to my 72 KGs, with fast action in turning and big enough to lift in the air, and carry on the van is affordable.

(now 55 year old) Johannes
By blindrodie
#353760
Great news Johannes. We are the same age. Thanks for letting us know how your adventure is progressing.

Best of luck to you.

8)
By over50
#373539
This early summer I couldn't resist any longer and bought a 13yearold laminar easy 14, according to my weight. I hoped, it would keep me longer in the air. But this assumption was wrong: 3 1/2 minutes later I was in the landing zone again: It was too strong for me, not so "easy" as I hoped. Stressy was to accomplish the harder wingtips, to hold it on the launch area, circling was late and fast, landing a bit faster as used, harder to carry, although only 6 kgs more. I gave it back after this first flight with it.

Meanwhile I did three more flights with my RX2, and the last of them (my 65. flight in total) was, what I have hoped for: I for the fist time circling found lift and got 370 meters higher than launch, and I stayed more than half of an hour in the air. This seems to be MY WAY to fly, now "56 yearold still beginner".

It was a necessary experience for me, and now I know again better, what I want/need ... .

Johannes
User avatar
By Dontsink
#373542
over50 wrote:This early summer I couldn't resist any longer and bought a 13yearold laminar easy 14, according to my weight. I hoped, it would keep me longer in the air. But this assumption was wrong: 3 1/2 minutes later I was in the landing zone again: It was too strong for me, not so "easy" as I hoped. Stressy was to accomplish the harder wingtips, to hold it on the launch area, circling was late and fast, landing a bit faster as used, harder to carry, although only 6 kgs more. I gave it back after this first flight with it.

Meanwhile I did three more flights with my RX2, and the last of them (my 65. flight in total) was, what I have hoped for: I for the fist time circling found lift and got 370 meters higher than launch, and I stayed more than half of an hour in the air. This seems to be MY WAY to fly, now "56 yearold still beginner".

It was a necessary experience for me, and now I know again better, what I want/need ... .

Johannes
Congratulations!.
It is all about what you feel before,during and after...like sex :)
By over50
#388180
Hello again,

I got seriously injured last August 2015, because I started with wrong wind at launch (side/back), but recovered well.

This year, I decided, to start again with a journey-group and teacher: We were in Lijak, Slovenia, and the fear before the first launch by the time disappeared. I learned launching better by the help of our teacher and the flying collegues.

Now I have already 13 flights in 2016, and we are one: my RX 2 16 and me. Last weekend at Greifenburg, Austria, it climbed at 2559 meters, it was great!!!

To the initial question: It still seems to be a a very good deal to fly single surface, when not so young at all; and - for me - the RX 2 seems to have the highest performance of all of them, climbing fast and (the 16 qm) penetrating very well.

Johannes
Last edited by over50 on Wed Jun 01, 2016 1:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.
By blindrodie
#388181
Way to hang in there Pilot! Good to see folks follow through even with adversity!!

8)
User avatar
By dayhead
#388204
Single surface gliders are best for easy flying, so it's good you are staying with that RX2.

That said, the Laminar, at 13 years old, is likely to have significant sail shrinkage.

This can degrade handling qualities a lot. The glider should be de-tuned by a competent flyer. Of special interest is the adjustment of the reflex bridles.

Look for the ragged looking guy driving an old beater car, that is always out flying. He's likely to have experience flying old gliders and getting them in the right state of tune, which should be on the 'soft' side of the spectrum.

Oh, did I say "Spectrum"? Wills Wing's best kept secret? A double surface glider with near single surface handling. They are all old and probably in need of tuning, but they're a great poor mans glider.
User avatar
By miraclepieco
#388209
Johannes,

Thanks for the update! Sorry about your injury; learning is often the most dangerous time, but it sounds like you are progressing well and having a great time. It just gets better and better!
By maybeme
#390264
over50 wrote:Hello again,

To the initial question: It still seems to be a a very good deal to fly single surface, when not so young at all....

Johannes
Can't fault you there at all - my dad learned hang gliding in the later 80s (he must have been 45 or so) and bought a Synairgie (French manufacturer) Club single-surface. Although he later progressed to a WW Sport as well, he always preferred the Club for its simplicity and forgiving nature. Especially when the landing zone is rather small and difficult to get into, not having to worry about ground effect can be a real blessing... ;-)

Hope you"re still flying!

Cheers,

Bernie
By over50
#390302
Hello Bernie,

thank you for your question: Yes, I'm still flying. Some days ago I went to Bayrischzell with two other "endfifties", the others with Aeros topless. Although they both were much longer in the air than me with my Relax, I could land more exact at the landing point and was in the air three days later again - they weren't. Simplicity and less weight are still important.

Johannes
User avatar
By dave hopkins
#390378
An other option is the Moye's Gecko . it has very mellow launch and landing traits, great handling, very good high speed glide at tighter VG settings,. It's very stable at those VG settings. The bar comes back and it goes fast by it self with light bar pressures.
Although It does not come down like a single surface when pulled in. You do need to know how to make an approach . It has a wide flare window. And it is very light weight for a double surface intermediate. lighter then some SS.

Dave
#405795
This year I did another 25 flights with my RX2 16. Some time I tried to change it for the new PIUMA, but the worth difference was too big for me.
So I decided to keep my 5 1/2 year old one until the end of my active years (next year no more "over 50", but "6...").

Affordable however is another option: One day in autumn this year I flew with an Airbus-Pilot: His RX 2 had many worthy options: technora, carbon speed bar, wingtips ... . I was aware on his much slower, very smooth approach in landing and the perfect look of his wings.

Now in near 2019 I let fix the ICARO wingtips to my older RX 2 - this is easy to manage, I was told - and hope for better performance "in the mid-low" speed window.

Johannes
#405805
over50 wrote: Wed Dec 05, 2018 1:55 pm ... . I was aware on his much slower, very smooth approach in landing and the perfect look of his wings.

Johannes
Why would you want a much slower approach airspeed on a glider with essentially the same L/D-curve?!?! Don't be that guy who accidentally finds a gust that's blowing in the wrong direction and then finds himself stalling 6m above the deck because he was lazy on his approach speed. If that airbus pilot is truly executing his approaches at bare minimum airspeeds, he'll eventually be 'that guy' who get's injured at best.

We've had a small rash of local pilot injuries while flying topless wings primarily because they became complacent with too-slow approach airspeeds while approaching small-ish LZ's. All our established LZ's in our general flying locale range in size from small to smaller, due to the terrain. The flying weather conditions have not been great this year for much flying, so many pilots are not as current as they should be with their higher-performance topless machines. And they error on their approach speeds, being too conservative rather than being aggressive as they should be. It's very sad seeing your friends with broken wings and bandaged bodies, not able to fly for the next year or so.
#405808
DMarley wrote: Wed Dec 05, 2018 9:30 pm ... airspeed on a glider with essentially the same L/D-curve?!?!
It's very sad seeing your friends with broken wings and bandaged bodies, not able to fly for the next year or so.
Hello DMarley,

sure you're right: it's extremely dangerous to be too slow at the last hundrets of meters - I know, broke my right arm 2012 this way ... not on the RX2 - this was the main reason to buy one... .

Maybe it's the specific of the L/D-curve, that is on the RX 2 16 qm typical: just for me it is too fast in turning in termals: mostly I'm turning and losing height on average 40 km/h. I tried to reduce it by putting the hanging point a bit back - almost the same... ! Too soon I'm on the ground again.

The RX 2 is the best for me (the main question on he headline of this track) - I am sure, and I still like it best- but I want to get longer flights with it, staying in termals; maybe it's only me being reasonable for the fast flying, but ...

The wingtips I surely want:
The glider looks better, more complete with them, like a birds wing - it is a big Invention from ICARO (?)
It also reduces turbulence at the wingtips, maybe that can help for getting less drag - I will try next year.

Good recovery for your injured friends!

Johannes
#405813
If that airbus pilot is truly executing his approaches at bare minimum airspeeds, he'll eventually be 'that guy' who get's injured at best.
Dude flies an AIRBUS! I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt on knowing the conditions and how to land in them! :twisted:

8)
#409261
Great News (for me):

Yesterday I bougt a almost new PIUMA; therefore I had to sell my Rx2. Because of Covid-19 the new owner of my Rx2 cannot come to Germany. So (for some weeks) I have them both in my carport (cannot fly any of them because all locations for flying are closed - right for reducing the risks!

There are more differences between the old and new one, as I thougt of before: I knew, the PIUMA is about 1 kg lighter, has a new design, a new Name, new (slightly higher) price, new improved raked wingtips, with fitting design (slightly bigger they are too).

But the most important improvement for me is the advanced leading edge, the PIUMA now has. Instead of the mylar sheets, the Rx2 had, they now use foam inserts: this makes a really "full" and stabil entrance, I think even in flight. No more the leading edge could be wrapped around the Alu tubes, as they sometimes did at the Rx2. The effectiv profile now better "stands" - and it looks better too!

I am sure: My new (one year "old") PIUMA will be the glider for "all purposes", for me, no revolution, but a big step of evolution, one can see and feel in the air ( I am sure, it will be remarcable).

The colors are like Brazil (green/yellow/blue/(white)) - no fotos, but you have fanatsy enough!? - and the wingtips are yellow upper side and mylar on bottom side. Some materials are slightly lighter, and - to be honest - not the the same high quality, they had in former years: the stitches, colour prints on bag and so.

All in all: I am all around happy to have made this unplanned step!


Johannes
#409263
Great news! Keep us updated and insert a few pics if you can. I want to see those leading edges and raked tips!!

8)
By cheesehead
#409270
dayhead wrote: Thu Jun 02, 2016 1:26 am Single surface gliders are best for easy flying, so it's good you are staying with that RX2.

That said, the Laminar, at 13 years old, is likely to have significant sail shrinkage.

This can degrade handling qualities a lot. The glider should be de-tuned by a competent flyer. Of special interest is the adjustment of the reflex bridles.

Look for the ragged looking guy driving an old beater car, that is always out flying. He's likely to have experience flying old gliders and getting them in the right state of tune, which should be on the 'soft' side of the spectrum.

Oh, did I say "Spectrum"? Wills Wing's best kept secret? A double surface glider with near single surface handling. They are all old and probably in need of tuning, but they're a great poor mans glider.
Spectrum is STILL an awesome novice wing. Almost never read about them being for sale, but if you can find one that is only old, not worn-out, grab it. Probably will be VERY cheap. Spectrum's replacement--the Eagle--was not a better glider in any way I could detect, and I flew both models plenty.
#409274
I always thought the WW Sport (American) was a great sleeper wing as well. I flew it early on in my flying daze and despite what others said about it's squirrely landing issues, I found it to be as easy double surface wing to transition to from an F1 195. I tuned and flew a spectrum for a client once. Had no issues, but only got to AT it twice to get it in shape. Don't recall any issues!

8)
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