GerryP wrote: ↑Wed Feb 21, 2018 12:26 am...1) It looks like you flew a dacron leading edge/top, and mylar ODL06 bottom. That's a strange sail material combo, what's the logic?
There is no Technora on the Sport 3. The lower surface is UVP2LXB - polyester fibers but with thinner Mylar for more bias stretch. The result is better handling than a 4oz Dacron lower surface and a lighter weight sail.
2) The sport2C has ODL04(bottom)/ODL06(top/LE) and some carbon goodies - will there be a similar Sport3C option?
I am not aware of any carbon on the Sport 2C unless it's ordered with a carbon speedbar. UVODL04/06 are Technora fiber laminates and are not typically used on the Sport 2C which uses UVPXB05 top/UVP2LXB bottom. You could upgrade to Technora fabric if you want to but I can't say whether or not you'd prefer the handling.
3) The T2C winglets are OK (I think the lightest on the market), but flimsy. Will the winglets for the Sport 2 be the same? More importantly, does WW or anyone have actual data that shows the tips reduce stall speed or have some advantage. It seems overkill for an entry-level glider.
I make my own raked tips (not winglets) for my T2C's and my Sport 2. I build these from 2mm Coroplast and ER5356 aluminum welding wire. They are durable and work really well. I have measured reduced minimum handling speeds and minimum effective turn radius on my gliders with these. I am aware of complaints about the factory T2C raked tips which need to be installed carefully just as the Icaro raked tips and every other after-market raked tips I have seen needs to be. The new Icaro raked tips fold along the vertex and can be stored inside the bagged glider. The factory prototype raked tips on the Sport 3 were unique. They looked and flew very promising. I'll say more in the article.
4) Light weight on the glider is good, but light weight at the wing tips is best. Does the glider have aluminum all the way on the leading edge, any carbon-outer / etc tip weight reduction?
Have you read the Sport 2 manual and seen what the outboard leading edges are made of? Carbon probably will not reduce the already feather-light tips. Tip inertia could be reduced by decertifying the glider and making your own carbon sprogs and replacing SS hardware and SS cable with Vectran. Before doing this, you could always fly the glider in benign conditions with the sprogs completely removed and add some 100# 0.016" spectra fishing line to the transverse batten (in case you're worried about tuck) then go fly it and see. No, I'm not kidding. You could also build a feather-light minimal mass, temporary sprog just to test the glider on a smooth day and see whether removing that weight really does enough to justify the expense of doing a more permanent low-mass sprog.
5) I think WW once did double-tows to fly gliders side by side at different speeds, swapping pilots to check performance advantages. It would be cool to hear WW did this to see if the Sport3 sail cut does indeed make a polar curve improvement over the Sport2, or if it is just a new model (like the dial that goes to 11). I'm sure pilots will be interested in who does the sail design, and how they know it is better.
I am not aware of any side-by-side glide testing of the S3. In the Cloudbase Mayhem podcast episode with Dustin Martin he talks about the side-by-side testing that you mention but with the T2C. The best testing I know is to fly head-to-head in real-world soaring conditions then regroup in the air after separating and do it again. See who turns better, climbs better and glides better most often then swap gliders and do it again. Calm air counts for final glide to goal at the end of the day but that's a small part of overall picture.
Luckily (or sadly) I fly similar lines and conditions over and over again (ad nauseum) and have 289 hours on various Sport 2 155 incarnations including a Sport 2C 155 prototype with a very stiff sail. That S2C prototype performed the best of the S2's but not as well as the S3 and it had really stiff handling which made no-so fun to fly and resulted in missed turns. Where I fly, if you miss a turn you may get the pinch and the other guy(s) specs out while you grovel and pray for a reprieve.
6) What is in the forward leading edge (ex. mylar backing, carbon insert option, etc).
AFAIK it's 14mil Mylar but you could order 10mil Mylar to save some weight at the possible expense of glide. I'll talk about the glides I was getting in the article (assuming I remember everything I want to mention).
7) Does it have a keel kick-stand? It looked like the 155 tips touch the ground. Some pilots build their own stand.
The prototype had the same keel stinger as the S2. On my 2010 S2 which has raked tips that extend really far aft, I made a new stinger that's 9" longer than the old style and installed a captive bungee. I replaced the split ring on the 3/16" clevis pin with the spiral split ring that's used on the Falcon corner bracket thumb wheels. I also waxed the outside and inside of the stinger and keel receptacle in order to prevent corrosion and galling of the metal to metal contact. It works like a champ. This is an issue that I suggest pilots pester WW about. This was a very easy modification and I wish it were a stock feature. Quick Stands are very handy but why rely on an external accessory when it can be an integral part of the glider. Bling is lovely but let's be practical.
Thanks ... looking forward to your write-up. Magazine articles seem watered down and late, so feel free to address the questions here
I'll give it my best shot!