Re: Pegase (Pegasus) 101A....opinions?

[Gary Evans]

Good glider, performance and value. Wing flex provides
a smooth ride. Centrair is still in business and parts
are available. The only down side to me was with the
CG tow hook which needs a fast start to gain rudder
control.


At 00:42 07 October 2003, David Mesh wrote:
>Half a share in a Pegase 101A has come available in
>my club. Can anyone offer an unbiased opinion on them?
>I'm looking for something that is fairly easy to fly,
>decent performance, and would provide a reasonable
>platform for starting comps in a couple of years time.
>
>Considering that their quoted ranking in the BGA speed
>indicies is just behind the LS4 it seems good value
>for money (around 33% less than an LS4) - is there
>a catch? Are they a nightmare to rig or something?
>
>How do the 'rubbery' wings affect the handling (including
>on a bumpy field)? How about when you fill them up
>with water? Any issues with support as Centrair seems
>to offer no online support (if they are indeed still
>in business)?
>
>
>

[Chuck Kotila]

I've flown my Pegasus (my first glider) for 400+ hours. I agree with Gary
Evans. You will not be disappointed.
C. Kotila
David Mesh > wrote in message
...
> Half a share in a Pegase 101A has come available in
> my club. Can anyone offer an unbiased opinion on them?
> I'm looking for something that is fairly easy to fly,
> decent performance, and would provide a reasonable
> platform for starting comps in a couple of years time.
>
> Considering that their quoted ranking in the BGA speed
> indicies is just behind the LS4 it seems good value
> for money (around 33% less than an LS4) - is there
> a catch? Are they a nightmare to rig or something?
>
> How do the 'rubbery' wings affect the handling (including
> on a bumpy field)? How about when you fill them up
> with water? Any issues with support as Centrair seems
> to offer no online support (if they are indeed still
> in business)?
>
>

[Martin Gregorie]

On 7 Oct 2003 00:35:57 GMT, David Mesh
> wrote:

>Half a share in a Pegase 101A has come available in
>my club. Can anyone offer an unbiased opinion on them?
>I'm looking for something that is fairly easy to fly,
>decent performance, and would provide a reasonable
>platform for starting comps in a couple of years time.
>
>Considering that their quoted ranking in the BGA speed
>indicies is just behind the LS4 it seems good value
>for money (around 33% less than an LS4) - is there
>a catch? Are they a nightmare to rig or something?
>
>How do the 'rubbery' wings affect the handling (including
>on a bumpy field)? How about when you fill them up
>with water? Any issues with support as Centrair seems
>to offer no online support (if they are indeed still
>in business)?
>
I've been flying my club's Pegase 90 for the last two years and much
prefer it to either of our Discii. The flexible wings are not an issue
for me: in fact I get more feel from the air in the Pegase than I can
get from a Discus, and IMO the Pegase is a better scratching machine.
The only place it seems to lose out in the comparison is that its
polar isn't as good above 80 kts. Its a very quiet and comfortable
glider with a roomy cockpit that will suit a taller pilot well. I can
fly it for 5 hours plus and get out still feeling fresh. Down sides:

- the wings are heavier than Discus or LS-7, which you'll notice
during rigging
- there's almost no taper on the wing pins, so you have to get the
wing position exactly right before the pins will go in.
- I find I run out of elevator authority at the top of a cable launch:
if you don't get a good grip on the speed by half-way up you'll
overspeed at the top no matter what you do. The hook is in the wheel
box and may be a little too far forward even so.
- like the ASW-19 or 20 there's not a lot of clearance under the
belly, so be very careful with field selection.

I've only carried 50 kg of water so far and, apart from the heavier
feeling and need to add 5 kts to thermalling speed the handling seemed
unaffected. I was still able to keep up with an Edgehill Ka-6 in
light lift under overcast during the last day of the Gransden
Regionals.

The only difference I'm aware of between the 90 and a 101A is that the
90 has self-connecting controls.

I'm currently looking for a glider and have to say that a Pegase 90 is
about at the top of my list: I'm prepared to pay a premium for
self-connecting controls but ymmv.


--
martin@ : Martin Gregorie
gregorie : Harlow, UK
demon :
co : Zappa fan & glider pilot
uk :

[Chris Reed]

My club has a 101A, though I only have a few flights in it, but the general
opinion is that it's a really nice glider. Points to watch from my (limited
experience):

1. Elevator is very sensitive - PIO on first aerotow seems normal.

2. Soft wings give good feel. Handling is excellent and thermalling is very
easy.

3. If you have long legs, your toes point inwards to fit the fuselage -
check this out, as this can make long flights uncomfortable. I'm just on the
comfort limit at 6 ft 1 in.


"David Mesh" > wrote in message
...
> Half a share in a Pegase 101A has come available in
> my club. Can anyone offer an unbiased opinion on them?
> I'm looking for something that is fairly easy to fly,
> decent performance, and would provide a reasonable
> platform for starting comps in a couple of years time.
>
> Considering that their quoted ranking in the BGA speed
> indicies is just behind the LS4 it seems good value
> for money (around 33% less than an LS4) - is there
> a catch? Are they a nightmare to rig or something?
>
> How do the 'rubbery' wings affect the handling (including
> on a bumpy field)? How about when you fill them up
> with water? Any issues with support as Centrair seems
> to offer no online support (if they are indeed still
> in business)?
>
>

[W.J. \(Bill\) Dean \(U.K.\).]

It is possible to fit a forward tow hook for aerotowing, it is not right in
the nose but about under the pilot's knees.

This modification is highly desirable for club operated gliders and for
inexperienced owners; it has been done on all the Pegasus gliders which
Booker Gliding Club have owned and operated for a great many years.

W.J. (Bill) Dean (U.K.).
Remove "ic" to reply.

>
> "Gary Evans" > wrote in message
> ...
>
> Good glider, performance and value. Wing flex provides
> a smooth ride. Centrair is still in business and parts
> are available. The only down side to me was with the
> CG tow hook which needs a fast start to gain rudder
> control.
>

[Tony Verhulst]

David Mesh wrote:
> Half a share in a Pegase 101A has come available in
> my club. Can anyone offer an unbiased opinion on them?

I owned a 1/3 share in one for 3 years. Good value for the money and
very nice handling characteristics.

The only negative point was that I found it difficult to launch in a
cross wind - it always wanted to head for the weeds. I know of 2
misshaps in my club (witnessed 1) where different 101As suffered wing
damage after striking an object on the ground during the above
situation. YMMV. You need to be quick on the release.

On the whole, I liked the glider a lot.

Tony V. LS6-b

[Tony Verhulst]

Agreed! My (intended) point was that the 101A on a belly hook seems to
me more prone toward this tendency. In comparison, my LS6-b (belly hook)
in the same conditions is a pussy cat.

Tony V.


Basil Fairston wrote:
> But as with most gliders this is cured by a nose hook or a tail wheel.

Tony Verhulst wrote:
>>The only negative point was that I found it difficult to launch in a
>>cross wind - it always wanted to head for the weeds.

[Michel Talon]

Basil Fairston > wrote:
> But as with most gliders this is cured by a nose hook or a tail wheel.
>
> Basil
> UK
> "Tony Verhulst" > wrote in message
> ...
>> David Mesh wrote:
>> > Half a share in a Pegase 101A has come available in
>> > my club. Can anyone offer an unbiased opinion on them?
>>
>> I owned a 1/3 share in one for 3 years. Good value for the money and
>> very nice handling characteristics.
>>
>> The only negative point was that I found it difficult to launch in a
>> cross wind - it always wanted to head for the weeds. I know of 2
>> misshaps in my club (witnessed 1) where different 101As suffered wing
>> damage after striking an object on the ground during the above
>> situation. YMMV. You need to be quick on the release.


By the way, all the Pegases i have seen (in France) had a nose hook.
I have never seen a Pegase with a belly hook. Perhaps in the clubs i
have been member, people had always taken care of that :-)
I concur with other posters, the Pegase climbs very very well, in
particular in weak thermals. In my opinion, it climbs better than
the LS4 or the ASW19. Moreover it is extremely secure, and has no
spinning tendency at all. At cruise speeds it behaves exactly the same
as gliders of the same category, like the LS4. You need to look at the
Discus to get a more performing 15m ship. On the other hand it doesn't
have the most roomy cockpit i have seen. It is fine for me, but i
may imagine that others would prefer a Cirrus cockpit. Note that the Cirrus
also has a good L/D at cruise speed.







--

Michel TALON

[Robert Ehrlich]

David Mesh wrote:
>
> Half a share in a Pegase 101A has come available in
> my club. Can anyone offer an unbiased opinion on them?
> I'm looking for something that is fairly easy to fly,
> decent performance, and would provide a reasonable
> platform for starting comps in a couple of years time.
>
> Considering that their quoted ranking in the BGA speed
> indicies is just behind the LS4 it seems good value
> for money (around 33% less than an LS4) - is there
> a catch? Are they a nightmare to rig or something?
>
> How do the 'rubbery' wings affect the handling (including
> on a bumpy field)? How about when you fill them up
> with water? Any issues with support as Centrair seems
> to offer no online support (if they are indeed still
> in business)?

My club owns 4 LS4 and 2 Pegase (+ 1 waiting for repair).
There is a general consensus that both types have equivalent
performance. Some people even think that the Pegase is
a little better in the high speed range. This with its
better handicap probably explains why most gliders in the
french national championship for club class are Pegases
and the winner is usually a Pegase. Having flown both
I like and dislike some things in both. I prefer the
cockpit of the Pegase, with nothing under your knees,
while this part of the LS4 is only convenient for properly
sized pilots. I prefer the handling of the LS4, with more
dihedral it stays on its path like on rails, while the
Pegase always wants to slip. Both don't have automatic
hookups in the early versions, but they were added in
the last ones (LS4-b, Pegase 90). The low dihedral of the
Pegase is more prone to catch high grass and induce ground
loops, whe had a broken tail this way. Also the levers
for airbrakes and landing gear in the Pegase are very similar
and near from each other, accidents have be reported as consequence
of confusion between them, although this was never a problem
for me.

[Martin Gregorie]

On Tue, 7 Oct 2003 13:19:54 +0100, "W.J. \(Bill\) Dean \(U.K.\)."
> wrote:

>It is possible to fit a forward tow hook for aerotowing, it is not right in
>the nose but about under the pilot's knees.
>
>This modification is highly desirable for club operated gliders and for
>inexperienced owners; it has been done on all the Pegasus gliders which
>Booker Gliding Club have owned and operated for a great many years.
>
My first launch in a Pegasus was in a 101A at Williams Soaring: aero
tow on the belly hook. I was apprehensive due to having relatively
little aero tow experience but I had no problems at all...

However FVV, my usual mount, has a nose hook by the pilots feet and
that's obviously a better way to go.

--
martin@ : Martin Gregorie
gregorie : Harlow, UK
demon :
co : Zappa fan & glider pilot
uk :

[Robert Ehrlich]

Michel Talon wrote:
>
> Basil Fairston > wrote:
> > But as with most gliders this is cured by a nose hook or a tail wheel.
> >
> > Basil
> > UK
> > "Tony Verhulst" > wrote in message
> > ...
> >> David Mesh wrote:
> >> > Half a share in a Pegase 101A has come available in
> >> > my club. Can anyone offer an unbiased opinion on them?
> >>
> >> I owned a 1/3 share in one for 3 years. Good value for the money and
> >> very nice handling characteristics.
> >>
> >> The only negative point was that I found it difficult to launch in a
> >> cross wind - it always wanted to head for the weeds. I know of 2
> >> misshaps in my club (witnessed 1) where different 101As suffered wing
> >> damage after striking an object on the ground during the above
> >> situation. YMMV. You need to be quick on the release.
>
> By the way, all the Pegases i have seen (in France) had a nose hook.

However the belly hook only is a fairly commeon configuration, even
in France. Among the 4 my club was owning, 2 of them had this configuraton,
one of them was sold and the other damaged, so the 2 remaining ones have
a nose hook. A strange feature of this glider is that the nose hook, which
is not really in the nose but under it, has a back release mechanism like
CG hooks. This can be surprising while being towed in rough air if the
tow cable becomes slack up to the point that the release opens. In St
Auban, where such rough tows are frequent, we were briefed on this possibility,
and some gliders have the back release disabled by securing the pivoting
ring in a fixed position.

[Jasper Grannetia]

We fly a Pegase 101a at our club. It does not have the nose-hook, but
then I have only flown it from the winch.

Nice airplane, handles well, no nasty habits. I flew competitions in it
and won one, lost two others dramatically... But that was due to my poor
performance...

Robert Ehrlich wrote:
> Michel Talon wrote:
>
>>Basil Fairston > wrote:
>>
>>>But as with most gliders this is cured by a nose hook or a tail wheel.
>>>
>>>Basil
>>>UK
>>>"Tony Verhulst" > wrote in message
...
>>>
>>>>David Mesh wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>Half a share in a Pegase 101A has come available in
>>>>>my club. Can anyone offer an unbiased opinion on them?
>>>>
>>>>I owned a 1/3 share in one for 3 years. Good value for the money and
>>>>very nice handling characteristics.
>>>>
>>>>The only negative point was that I found it difficult to launch in a
>>>>cross wind - it always wanted to head for the weeds. I know of 2
>>>>misshaps in my club (witnessed 1) where different 101As suffered wing
>>>>damage after striking an object on the ground during the above
>>>>situation. YMMV. You need to be quick on the release.
>>
>>By the way, all the Pegases i have seen (in France) had a nose hook.
>
>
> However the belly hook only is a fairly commeon configuration, even
> in France. Among the 4 my club was owning, 2 of them had this configuraton,
> one of them was sold and the other damaged, so the 2 remaining ones have
> a nose hook. A strange feature of this glider is that the nose hook, which
> is not really in the nose but under it, has a back release mechanism like
> CG hooks. This can be surprising while being towed in rough air if the
> tow cable becomes slack up to the point that the release opens. In St
> Auban, where such rough tows are frequent, we were briefed on this possibility,
> and some gliders have the back release disabled by securing the pivoting
> ring in a fixed position.