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By woodysr2
#104506
Hi there I am looking for some feedback.
I have just bought an Aeros Discus 14m 8) to replace my finsterwalder funfex :( as I am looking for a bit more performance. So was just looking for some unbiased feedback all the manufacturers stuff praises it to the max obviously.I bought the glider unflown because the weather here in Scotland has been terrible hope to get it out over the holidays ( the glider), so any info in the meantime would be appreciated Saturday is looking good but have someone coming over to see the funfex with a view to buying it.Depending on the time I might still get out but it is dark here around 3.45 so time will be short. It will be a shame to see it go it is a great glider light agile short packs to just over 6 feet so great for the Lanzarote trips. Look forward to Discus owners feedback
yours
William
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By woodysr2
#104515
Thanks for that Axo
It is nice to see these kind of reports I am also looking for discus owners to get first hand views from people who have owned them for a while and new owners just for the feedback on handling etc. just to get the broader spectrum all the reviews seem to be saying the same thing It is a brilliant glider.
The finish and workmanship are excellent the only wierd thing I could see with it was the Base bar on the control frame It is a wierd shape seems to be bent in several planes (axis) but have been told that is the shape it is meant to be
thanks again
william
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By Nibs
#104519
Hi William. If my memory serves me correctly, Wilburleft is the only active org member that owns a Discus. I could be wrong though.

I've not heard anything bad about them myself. They are in the U2/Litesport category in terms of performance.
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By xerxes
#104537
A quick writeup of you're Finsterwalder would make a great addition to the wiki (hint, hint)

:)
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By mgforbes
#104539
I'm flying a Discus 14, B-model that breaks down into the surfboard bag. I
like it. My previous wing was a Wills Wing Spectrum 165, which is an easy
double-surface, no VG. This is one of the gliders from the Pura Vida movie,
which I bought when I was at Quest a few years ago.

The glide is definitely better than a Spectrum. 8) Of course, that's not too hard
to accomplish...the Spectrum handles nicely, but it's hardly a race machine. I
like being able to pull on the VG and go fast without dropping like a rock.

Launch and landing characteristics are benign. In flight, the big difference I
note is that it's much slower in roll than my Spectrum, but since that's known
as a "twitchy" wing, this is also not a surprise. It almost bit me at the beach
though, when I got turned downwind off the dune and had to really crank on
it to get turned back away from the oncoming cliff.

The short pack configuration isn't particularly fast, but it's not hard to do
either and doesn't require many tools. I keep the tools in the surfboard bag
along with the instructions, and normally the glider remains in the standard
pack configuration. It's heavier than my Spectrum too, though not a lot.

The tip wands took some training before I was able to get them in and out
easily, but I've got the hang of it now courtesy of some of the guys at the
comp year-before-last. I had the carbon-fiber wands when the glider arrived,
but one of them broke and I replaced them with the fiberglass versions. Those
are a bit heavier, but much more durable.

It seems to aeroow just great, foot launches nicely, and I've also towed it
behind a payout winch with not problem. I haven't tried platform launching
yet. Compared to the Spectrum, it tracks like it's on rails. Thermalling is
easy, and the glider doesn't seem to have any bad habits in that regard.


MGF
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By Windlord
#104543
Welcome "woodysr2" :welcome:
Since you are on the other side of the pond, have you considered going up
to a SpeedFex or one of the Bautek wings-Sunrise?
The Discus I know nothing about, but if the price is good, what the heck. :thumbsup:
I'm interested in the LightFex in the future, for traveling. Would like to get your
input on the Fex Wings when you get a chance.
User avatar
By woodysr2
#104582
Thanks for the feedback
I have come down from a scandal XK( topless) to the funfex because of the type of flying I most commonly do. Not very often and nearly always stay at the hill so no need for a topless but I miss the performance so neede something in between. the discus according to all the write ups fits the bill.
As for the Funfex
I would recommend it to reasonably proficient experienced pilots (weekend warrior class)
I found it to be a very nice glider to fly very precise, extremely light in roll due to the anhedral setup, pitch pressure is fine.which is surprising as it is a 16m and I only weigh in at 72kg dry.One drawback if it could be called that is its glide angle is not as good as the litesports but is supposed to be on a par with the Rio class of gliders but then it is an intermediate glider.
Take off and landings are a no brainer as long as you actually remember you are flying a lower performance wing, I switched off on a landing at one of our local sites and made my approach as I normally would on my last glider and ended coming up a good100 meters short of where I was aiming to land. I basically came out of prone and stopped travelling forward and parachuted down coming up 40 feet short of the field I wanted to land in.The landng was a no stepper and yes it was quite windy I landed short and crosswind because the fence was looming with absolutely no drama whatsoever.
the breakdown and setup from standard length is the same as any other intermediate except that there is no tension strop /drawstring fitted to he crosstube so you need to lift the nose connect nose wires and then manually push the crosstube backwards then clip on the retainer not that hard once you are used to it.One drawback you cannot lay the glider flat whilst tensioned.My Funfex has the keel extension so that it can be parked on the keel as per most other gliders you do need to remember to slide it away before take off or it could be fun if a vigorous flare was required to land (snapped keel probably)
It is easy enough to short pack no tools required I found the sail a bit of a nuisance to fold as per the drawings but I have only shortpacked it a couple of times to take on holiday I would expect to get better if done regularly. This function in my opinion makes transporting a glider a dream no more fighting through tourist at airports who see you coming and then stop right in front of you watch you sweating and ask what is that you have in there etc,etc,
I have tried to aerotow it without succes but I think that was down to the cart holding the glider in totally the wrong angle of attack ie: major nose down due to the small A frame you can see the size of the a frame in our you tube video Scottish hg pilots do it again and I have more video from onboard the glider in Lanzarote if anyone wants to see it I will try to post it I would have put this reply on the Wiki? if I could have found it lol.Any more info req. just ask I have included a couple of pics of my Discus and will look for a couple of the funfex.
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User avatar
By NMERider
#104587
woodysr2 wrote:Thanks for the feedback..............

Hello William,
Thanks for following up on our correspondence on YouTube. Hopefully, that was a happy error. Your wing looks gorgeous! Why not resize the pix a bit smaller and post to the "Show Your Wang" thread?
Cheers, Jonathan
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By jimrooney
#104590
I used to own a Discus 148.
I'll just say ditto to all Mark Forbes posted.
Lovely glider, had a bunch of fun flying it.

Hahaha, yeah, the basetube does look a bit contorted eh? It's fine... that's how they all are. Well, except the ones that have WW liitestream bars ;)

Jim
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By baris3d
#167354
Thats mine. bI bought too 6 months ago. Lovely glider.
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By SlopeSkimmer
#167356
I rented a 14 at Wallaby Ranch and had a blast. It seemed to retain energy really well and glide like a topless. Nothing like a U-2, more like the T-2 I had at home. Along with the Moyes LiteSport it's got to be one of the top two king-posted gliders I would buy. Here are some pics of the one I flew.

Oh, it seemed to land really easy...
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By SpiNNeR
#168985
Thats mine. bI bought too 6 months ago. Lovely glider.
I just purchased the same glider - same colours even - I'm in love it's such a nice wing to fly :P
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By woodysr2
#168995
I have found this to be a very nice glider to fly it lands beautifully I have not found any tendancy to need the high siding that has been talked about whilst thermalling. All i all a lovely glider all we need now is some flyable weather
By spec
#175081
Deleted. Duplicate sent in error.
Last edited by spec on Tue Mar 16, 2010 6:00 am, edited 2 times in total.
By spec
#175082
I too have a Discus 15 and find it very pleasant to fly. The only criticisms I have are small ones:

I don't like the nose catch and cross tube tensioning mechanisms. They are rather crude. My old Scandal had a much better system.

If rigged flat, it is possible for the front ends of the undersurface battens to sit on top of the leading edge. This is a design fault.

The general finish of the glider is good but not exceptional.

The bag is quite thin. Fine for packing in your harness, but doesn't offer much protection during transportation.

Other than that, I'm very happy with it. Nice handling, good performance and easy take offs and landings.
Last edited by spec on Tue Mar 16, 2010 5:56 am, edited 1 time in total.
By highvolt
#175714
I also have a funfex. I'm only a beginner (but with a little bit of experience by now), and the wing was recommended by my instructor. It's considered an intermediate glider, but very easy to handle. For example, the side wires are always tight on this glider. Making it easy to launch with.

Since most americans are unfamiliar with this glider (since it's hardly mentioned on this forum), here is a picture of my second hand funfex (paid like a 1000euro for it)
You can see the negative dihedral, because the wingtips are almost always touching the ground (even with extended keel).
This can be tricky on the training hill if there is some sidewind. Sometimes a wingtip will get stuck in the ground.
Image
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By baris3d
#178276
Hi. I found my Discus's 2 nuts on the bottom of the nose plate (that connect and controls leading edges) were laxed or slacked when i check montly maintenance. One of my pilot friend also he is hg instructor tightened these 2 nuts. We dont know not exactly position of this nuts on the plate. They might slide little. Is there any precious position setting about these nuts?
Does a little bit slide on the nuts cause wing asymetry and affect flight dynamics ?

Anyone has a picture about nose plate which shows nut positions.
Thanks :surrender:
By pajazo
#178336
I've had a Discus 14 for almost a year now and i still like it. It handles fine and the glide is pretty good. I moved to it from the training glider which was a Target. The king bolt of the Discus needs to bee checked after hard landings because it can bend quite easily.
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By Tigouille
#179532
HI
i flew one for a few years ( after a topless) and sold it to a friend in my club who likes it.
good wing
I now have a Styl+ which is a bit lighter and easier to rig, + not as stiff with full VG.
Both tow well.
Pics sooner or later..(and check with a U2); Similar mostly
pascal