"HL Falbaum" wrote in message
...
OK I'll take the bait.
Just how does one deal with a crosswind in a 25m ship? I have some guesses
but no experience. 15m does not seem to be much of a problem--lots of
experience there.

--
Hartley Falbaum


No experience with a 25 meter ship, but in a 23 meter Stemme S10-VT,
crosswinds aren't a problem. Ground handling and taxiing is possible in 35
knots, as evidenced by the four Stemmes that had to make multiple taxi turns
to launch out of Cedar City, Utah while on a safari 4 years ago. Though I've
not done so, I'm told the factory has taken off and landed in up to 25 knots
crosswind.

The Stemme's relatively low dihedral (.75 degrees), high conventional gear,
and shoulder mounted wing, make for good wing-tip ground clearance. Plus,
most all glass gliders have a slippery side profile compared to power
aircraft, so it doesn't take a lot of a slip bank angle to get a fair amount
of sideways movement to counter crosswind drift.

On the other hand, my ham-fisted handling and poor decision making (I
shouldn't have even tried it) attempt at launching an 18 meter ASH26E in 15
knots of crosswind at Minden, resulted only in a cloud of dust and a ground
loop. I'll add that Schleicher's main gear is hell for stout!

all the best,

bumper