Op donderdag 19 april 2018 16:28:17 UTC+2 schreef Surge:
I decided to update the thread in case anyone else considers purchasing a Nimbus 2 as a first glider.

I've finally managed to fly my Nimbus 2 a couple of times (just over four hours) with the odds stacked up in my favour (good weather, no human performance limitations, etc.) and I love it!
The jump from flying unflapped, nose hook equipped, fixed tail plane sailplanes to a flapped, CG hook equipped, all flying stab sailplane is really not as bad as some people make it out to be. Just fly the plane, keep the airspeed up and don't do anything stupid.
The all flying stabilizer is pitch sensitive but nothing too concerning and it shouldn't cause any PIOs unless one is flying behind the curve. There is a noticeable pitch up moment if one gets some slack in the tow rope but it just takes a couple of jerks to start anticipating and countering with a touch of down elevator as the slack is taken up. Roll rate is a bit slower than most singles but still more than adequate if you're not flying near minimum sink or stall speed. I find her way more nimble than a Twin Astir but then most gliders will feel more nimble than a Twin!
There is plenty of buffeting when stalling in a straight line and she will promptly drop a wing at 70 to 75 kph if one tries to pick up a wing with full aileron. That is what I expected.
Air brakes are adequate for landing in medium to large fields and landing flaps add a very noticeable amount drag. I haven't fitted the tail chute as there are plenty of large fields to land in and I don't need any surprises just yet. She lands fully stalled with full air brake and so far no issues and no bounces.
I found flaps were a cinch to get used to. I'm not sure why everyone raises their eye brows when going from unflapped to flapped but I guess not everyone adapts at the same pace.
Take off with full negative flaps works well with no tendency to drop a wing although I haven't tried with any light tail wind or moderate cross winds yet and I don't plan to try until I've got numerous flights and hours on the type.
It took a few minutes to get used to the way the glider behaves when hitting thermals. The single Astirs and Twin Astirs I trained on get a large bump in airspeed (Yates Effect) when hitting an updraft which normally requires a fair bit of elevator input to maintain a constant airspeed. I found the Nimbus 2 basically retrims itself with very little or no elevator input when hitting updrafts which I found a bit odd during my first flight. Maybe it's because the CG is close to the middle of the limits or more likely the bump upwards is actually moving my hand on the stick slightly backwards without me noticing.

I'd not necessarily recommend a Nimbus 2 for first timers like myself with only about 50 hours of dual and solo flight, but if you're comfortable with flying, can adapt quickly and ensure you stack the odds in your favour for at least the first 50 hours, I don't see anything concerning to write home about.

I was really thinking about buying a Nimbus 2 as my first glider. I ended up buying a DG-101 however, as it is easy to rig, even alone, great view and nice handling. Still got some work to do before my first flight (8.33 radio soldering and logger) but will probably enjoy this beauty.