I think bang for bucks you probably won't be able to find cheaper. And with
a bit of water it should go you the same ave speeds as an Asw 20. And with
a few extra litres the 27 pilots won't be leaving you that quick.

I would still recommend an Asw 20 if you are starting out and you can
afford it, but then I think that you may only be paying half the price for
the nimbus. Every buck counted when I started so I flew the cheaper
underestimated and unloved aircraft and still had as much fun as anyone
else.

You won't have many friends if you rig and de-rig too often so try to keep
it in a hanger.

Also I know of at least one nimbus 2 that was written off by the tail chute
popping inadvertently in the air. The pilot was not able to reach the
airport. But if you are flying somewhere like South Africa where the fields
are big you don't need the chute anyway.

The one thing that I have noted with these older aircraft is that the mylar
was either not put on correctly in the first place or is in the process of
failing off. If it's not perfect then rip it off. Put the Tessa tap in its
place and you 99% as good as a well sealed machine anyway.





i Mate,
I have owned my N2 for 18 months now, I guess I have put about 100hrs o
it and flown two comps. The sailplane I owned before this one was
Phoebus C. I did a huge amount of research before I bought mine and th
most important advice I got from one of our gliding gods was.

It's a gentleman's conveyance , don't fly stupid speeds and you wil
catch the gaggle at half climb and leave before them.

My recommendation is to go out and buy it ASAP.

Cheap 18m performance for 20k
Schempp hirth quality
It will fly with a ASW20 LS8 all day as long as you don't go too fast
It will go like a scalded cat if you fill the water tanks. It's a littl
bit intimidating if you fly it way over gross weight ""I have heard"
The cockpit is huge and comfortable
It's easy to rig by yourself if you have a good single man rigger
You can fit and carry the tips easily by yourself
It's LD will get you home most days
it has a all flying tail plane for less maintenance
You have to think about the launch if you haven't flown flaps before
1 make sure it's lined up properly
2 start off in full negative flap
3 as soon as you have roll control move to positive flap
4 the tail will fly when ready, the book says start with full forward o
back but I tend to trim it so that its neutral.
People will run off if they see you starting to rig but I can do it o
my own in about an hour if left alone.
The all flying tail plane is a non event, I can fly mine hands off fo
enough time to get a uridome on, it does get twitchy at 120kts but ho
often do you really fly at those speeds. I have flown the asw15/Phoebu
and the nimbus is easier to fly.
Thermaling is a breeze, I have head all these stories about its hard t
turn, yes sometimes you have full rudder and notice it but these ar
sailplanes not Pitts specials.
The hoteliers are a little painful if it doesn't have the access hatch
if it doesn't the secret is to put your head in the hole and put th
safety's in by putting your arm through the steel structure area.

I haven't outlandend mine yet but whilst the airbrakes aren't supe
powerful you can always hit your touch down point with ease.

My advice is to buy it and only take advice from those who have flow
one and have opinions other than ones borne from the web.

I am an instructor and would happily send a pilot out in it as Lang a
the had the correct mindset and a good cross country ability. As a roug
guess 50-70 hrs with good single seat time. I think sometimes peopl
forget that the legends of our sport flee these things 40 years ago an
whilst they will never be as nice as a JS1 or ASG29 you aren't payin
$200 k either.

My email is justinjsinclair the usual symbol hotmail.com if you wan
pics or furrier info

Justin

Surge;898749 Wrote:
A Nimbus 2 is on the market which I'm interested in as my first glide
and I'd like some feedback from those who've owned or flown one.

I do realize that a flapped, long winged glider is not the best choic
for a low time pilot which is why I will keep the glider in a hanga
while I first build up some experience on Grob G102's. My motivation fo
purchase is because I think the glider matches my checklist for the typ
of flying I've always wished to do and also because of the opportunit
presented which may not come around again. Due to the fact that glider
take ages to sell where I live (slow market), I'd rather purchas
something I want to fly for the next 20 years than purchase a
intermediate "first glider" that I battle to sell later. There is enoug
G102 stock available to hire in the transition phase.

My aim in soaring has always been to do medium distance (300-500km)
relaxed, cross country flying (armchair ride) so with regards t
performance and bang-for-buck it ticks the boxes. I am not interested i
competition flying.. I'd much rather cruise around at 160km/h with a
L/D of ~40:1 than blast around at 200+ km/h trying to shave preciou
seconds off a task.
I'd like to know more about the glider's vices or problem areas I nee
to be aware of.

1. Stall/spin characteristics. How much warning does it give befor
stalling and does it have any tendency to suddenly drop a wing and spi
or can it be considered as one of the docile gliders in the stall/spi
category? If it constantly wants to kill me (a pilot issue) I'd rathe
stay with an Astir and just limit my cross country range.

2. Pitch sensitivity. The glider has an all flying tail (not a 2B or 2
model). How pitch sensitive is it once trimmed in cruise? Is i
twitchy/unstable and need constant attention or is it fairly stable an
one doesn't have to constantly fight to keep attitude constant?

3. Approach control. How effective are the airbrakes? Are outlandings
challenge with the tail chute? Where I fly there are usually plenty o
plowed fields at least 300m long and fairly wide (apparently guarded b
farmers with shotguns).

Areas I'm aware of:
- Pitch is sensitive which evidently makes tugging a bit trickier.
- Long wings and cross winds don't play nicely together on takeoff.
- Don't go full positive flap on takeoff as the wing may fly before th
tail! :-O
- Roll rate is not snappy and the glider is a bit under ruddered whic
makes entering thermals a bit more challenging than most 15m ships.
- Long wings and mediocre airbrakes (compared to Astirs) make ou
landings more challenging/dangerous.
- Heavy wings are not an issue as the glider will be hangared and flow
conservatively cross country. The odd retrieve shouldn't be a reason t
not fly such an awesome old lady.
- The glider comes with a decent trailer and accessories before someon
brings that up.
- All AD's including tail AD applied




--
Skypilot