At 03:16 19 February 2014, Robert M wrote:
On Tuesday, February 18, 2014 7:40:12 PM UTC-7, Dave Springford wrote:
I have to agree with the comment about handling. Motor gliders like the
G=
-109, Katana Extreme, Sinus or Phoenix are really tail wheel aircraft
and
=
handle nothing like a glider during take-off and landing.=20

I have found that he Sinus, with the motor off and the prop feathered
flies=
very much like a modern glider in the landing phase and also in free
fligh=
t. It would make an excellent trainer.=20
I have flown both the Gorb 109 and the Diamond HK-35 Katana Extreme.
These
=
fly nothing like a glider in any phase of flight. The controls,
especially
=
in roll, have sluggish response and high stick forces. I can not speak
for
=
the Phoenix as I have not flown one. During take off of course they fly
not=
hing like a pure glider but the student does learn to just fly,
manipulate
=
the controls and get proper response. That counts for a lot and builds
conf=
idence.=20


Another consideration is that side-by-side seating creates a completely
d=
ifferent sight picture when turning when compared to centerline
seating=20

I really do not see this as a large or even medium stumbling block. Just
te=
ach the student how to put the glider down where he wants it to be. The
pri=
ncipals are the same for any seating configuration.=20

Care must be taken about Primacy of Learning, the student must sit on the
s=
ide of the cockpit that has their left hand controlling the airbrake
lever
=
because that is what it is going to be used for in a pure glider.=20

Many clubs in Germany and elsewhere have touring type motorgliders, they
ar=
e used for student training, glider towing, and qualified members can
take
=
them on motor cross countries for holiday. That is a lot of bang for the
bu=
ck, three great uses in one aircraft. Too bad the US FAA has created the
re=
strictive operating categories that exist today rather than ones that
allow=
the full use of these wonderful aircraft.=20

Having a cool looking, modern touring motorglider in your club's fleet
coul=
d induce more power pilots to try the sport. It could, if properly used ,
o=
ffer an somewhat familiar gateway to pure soaring flight.=20

The great British glider pilot and author Derik Piggott wrote about using
m=
otorgliders for training many years ago. One wonders what he would think
of=
the modern crop today.=20

Robert Mudd


I have several years of experience flying a Sinus, and now I am flying a
Silent2 Targa – both ultralights of course. I think that the Sinus is a
very nice aeroplane, well made, strong, reliable, and inexpensive to
maintain. It is very forgiving of pilot errors, you can even take-off with
full airbrake! As a glider it does not really feel exactly the same, but it
is light on the controls and you need a yaw string, so very similar to a
K13. The sink rate is a bit higher than a glider, so you need stronger
thermals, and of course the glide performance is not great (30:1 if you are
lucky). However, it is a very good introduction to all phases of glider
flying. The circuit technique is the same, you use the air-brakes with the
engine idle or off, you use the same heights, speeds and 'picture'. The
hold-off is similar too, the nose-wheel version is obviously more forgiving
and surprisingly, gives a similar impression to a glider, just a bit
higher. With the increasing interest in ultralight self-launchers, and
self-launchers in general, the Sinus must be hard to beat for training. The
glider training I experienced years ago was slow, variable, and
frustrating, it is not surprising that so many people simply give up the
unequal struggle – and it was not really particularly cheap, especially
for aerotowing only. Now, with a Sinus, pilots can cover all the aspects of
a basic PPL syllabus (which arguably is really essential for gliding too)
then, or simultaneously, pilots can slowly acquire the additional skills
that make gliding such an absorbing pastime.