wrote on 7/12/2016 8:26 AM:
I don't disagree with this post but I would say that, overall, DJ's
testing was good at pointing out the gliders that performed
particularly well compared with its competitors - and this was often
confirmed by the choices of top competition pilots. Example: ASW20
versus Mini Nimbus and LS3a.

One of the flaws in DJ's method (and the Akafliegs) is it doesn't test
the performance dynamically; ie, while dolphin soaring or flying in
turbulent air and thermals.

I once noticed the superior dolphin ability of my ASW 20 vs a Venus
while we were under clouds, quickly gaining on him. As soon as we
started a 10 mile glide in the blue, he slowly rose above me, over 800'
or so by the time we got to the next cloud.

The early ASW24, and others with that generation of airfoils (like my
ASH 26E), showed the problems induced by a "flat spot" in the L/D curve
when the air isn't smooth.

For competition purposes, I suggest competitions are the best test for a
glider. For recreational purposes, ultimate performance is unimportant
compared the other features of the glider.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to
email me)
- "A Guide to Self-Launching Sailplane Operation"

https://sites.google.com/site/motorg...ad-the-guide-1
- "Transponders in Sailplanes - Dec 2014a" also ADS-B, PCAS, Flarm

http://soaringsafety.org/prevention/...anes-2014A.pdf