Andreas Maurer wrote:

On 26 Nov 2003 10:25:05 -0700, (Mark James Boyd)
wrote:

I wonder if the IGC would consider something like the Centrair Pegasus
101D for the new WC. Maybe a slightly shrunk wingspan version? It sure
would be nice to have a retractable main wheel...

I fail completely to understand why a smaller span (and crippled
performance) should lower production costs significantly. Why no
outgrown glider with up-to-date performance?

Changing wing span to, say, 14 meters will cost about 5 points of L/D,
and I doubt that it will safe more than $500 (slightly less material
needed, and three man-hours saved for finish).

I like the Pegase, but there are gliders out there that are easier to
fly with better performance, e. g. the LS-4.


Such a decision should have been taken earlier in order to have some
success. Centrair stopped the production of Pegases one year ago as
they had only one order for the year, Schneider stopped the production of
the LS-4 when DG took them over. Anyway if one of these gliders could be
built in a country of low cost, licensed from the original manufacturer,
it would probably have a better chance of success of success than the PW5
for a similar cost, as all initial investments (design, molds, tools,
certification) are already done. Reducing the wingspan will just re-introduce
such investments and related costs, and nobody is going to take such a risk
with a number of produced units difficult to foresee.

On the question of which of Pegase and LS-4 has the better performance,
opinions vary. In my club, almost everybody including myself consider
them as equivallent in performance, although the LS-4 is considered as
a little easier to handle, and some people think than in strong days with
max water, the Pegase is slightly better. The Germans, like Andreas, prefer
their own production and this is reflected in the handicap tables made by
them. This is probably the reason why in the National French Club Class
Championship almost only Pegases are persent, although LS-4 are also well
spread in France, because the German handicap is used and so Pegases have
a little advantage.