No it doesn't...
1. Wing loading is 34 kg.
2. No water
3. Polar curve is very steep at high speeds
4. It’s got a low VNE
5. It’s got flaps
6. And an engine!
It’s nothing like an LS4.
This actually looks like a good glider in it own right
but it's in a completely different category to LS4.
At 14:12 10 November 2004, Bob Salvo wrote:
Comes close:
http://www.alisport.com/eu/eng/silent2.htm
'Ben Flewett' wrote in message
...
What? I don't know of any 13 span glider that comes
close to an LS4.
Knocking a couple of meters off the wings doesn't
reduce
your manufacturing costs much. If you're going to
build a glider it's worth the extra $$$ to make it
15M. Otherwise you end up with a PW5.
Ben.
Bob Kuykendall wrote:
At production run rates of several thousand gliders
per manufacturer
per year, I would guess that it would be economically
viable to apply
existing manufacturing technologies that could drastically
reduce the
per-unit price of a typical 15-meter glider. And
by
drastically, I
mean between to between a quarter and a third of
current
prices.
Many people say they would be delighted to have a
glider with the
performance of an LS4. This performance can now be
achieved with a
smaller span glider of 13 M or less. Can you guess
at the cost reduction
that would be possible with a 12 or 13 meter glider
compared to the 15M
LS4? Smaller factory, less materials, less labor
(especially
if hand
finishing is needed), smaller trailer, lower shipping
costs (RO-RO is by
volume, I think).
Eric