wrote, On 11/11/2013 1:21 PM:
It all needs to be balanced. We learned a couple of decades ago that
doing a lot of hard maneuvering generates more induced and separation
drag that it gains in energy extracted from the atmosphere which is
why no one does big, sharp zoomies into lift anymore - or if they do
they pay a heavy price in glide performance. I suspect it is also why
you need a pretty sharp gradient for dynamic soaring to work so you
don't lose more energy than you gain pulling all those Gs.

Even back then (late 80s), some gliders were noticeably less affected
than others; eg, the ASW 20 B/C versus the Ventus. Modern airfoils are
even more tolerant than those of the ASW 20.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to
email me)