- Sun Apr 22, 2018 5:55 am
#403323
Here"s the thing....when you become an experienced hg pilot, your joy factor is at a peak, low stress/high reward for most flights. If you honed your skills to our latest xc topless models it can be amazing what can be achieved in even "tough" conditions. So why was i becoming less hungry for my three dimensional fix?...I really enjoy the flying,with usual air time of 1.5 or 2hrs.After a bit of soul searching ,i concluded that it was all becoming too much effort.I am soon 62yrs young and 36kg of topless glider manoeuvring around off the verandah,up onto the 4wd ute and a possible part carry up a site was becoming risky because of lingering old non hg injuries. So,besides the weight issue,there was two more factors at play here...I wanted easier roll control {small sites and weaving around pg till i get above em} and an easier to land glider ie slower flairing speeds and smaller field capable.We have a lot of "put ins"around my local area that even the punter"s balk at. I hope i"ve got quite a few yr"s left in me and i still enjoy my hg so the answer is downgrade...Now i have looked at what is needed for me and which is it?...A high performance intermediate or an advanced intermediate,perhaps a recreational hg.Since my current hg weighs 36kg in the bag{no packing or bags 2kg less},an aspect ratio of 7.5:1,10m span, 13.5squ.m sail area,130deg nose angle and a powerfull vg....a good glider for an older pilot must surely have lower figures for all but the sail area,correct? Now i looked at int or adv/int from 5 manufacturers,all kingposts ,2 i figured were too advanced for my figures, being over 7.0 a/r and plus32kg If i had $7000Aud plus, theGecko or Sport3 ..they sure sound great and their specs seem about right,however for a third of that cost i am about to look at and test fly a 2nd hand Sting3 154, 26kg,5.7a/r,9.1m span,14.3squ m,121nose angle and apparently an efficient vg. You have a lot to consider when getting a glider,{even more when buying second hand} so if i can feel good in this noticeably lower spec wing i"ll be a happy,chappy....I will let youse know.....Please don"t tell me how much i am going to miss my glide angle
1975 : Lightning Bolt ( 18x16), Cobra ( cambered keel , roach tips ), Skydart ( 2 piece crossbar , fin ), Ibis ( keel pocket , > a/r , wider nose angle ) , Pelican , Pelican2 , Orion ( 40% d/s , metal battens , tip supports , lufflines?, folding a frame & kingpost , stronger ), Mega3 ( 70% d/s , floating crossbar? ), Meteor ( nose nappy , streamline kingpost , mylar inserts ), Foil ( streamline downtubes , thinner wires ), GT ( glass tips ), XS ( vg , speedbar ), Climax ( topless , 90% d/s , keelpost hangpoint , pip pins ), Climax4 ( >a/r , cam l/e's ), Sting3 ( < a/r , lighter/easier , poorer glide/speed range, fun..), Gecko ( moderate a/r, powerful vg, side wire/luff wire compensation), Fun190 (stress free basic user friendly).
Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness . MT.
We are all in the gutter...but some of us are looking at the stars. MT.
Youtube videos- Col Rushton
Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness . MT.
We are all in the gutter...but some of us are looking at the stars. MT.
Youtube videos- Col Rushton