View Single Post
  #86  
Old October 29th 07, 09:16 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Philip Plane
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 15
Default Duo Dive-brakes ( Polar with spoilers extended?)

In article , J a c k wrote:
Bill Daniels wrote:

I think the Duo's airbrakes are better than many people think. The Duo is a
big heavy glider with lots of inertia. It doesn't like to change direction
quickly. That includes its behavior on sudden airbrake deployment. You
don't get a lot of sink right away.

My first reaction was that the airbrakes were weak but a little more
experience showed me that with a little patience, the brakes took effect and
produced a respectable decent rate. The Duo just makes you plan ahead a
little more than with a light single seater.



In other words, the Duo "airbrakes" are not very effective. Lots of big,
heavy, fast aircraft do have effective spoilers/speedbrakes/"airbrakes",
or whatever you want to call them, that make the desired changes in
speed/rate of descent promptly.


The Duo's airbrakes are effective. I fly a DG1000 and Duo's a lot. The DG1000
airbrakes _feel_ much more effective than the Duo's, but they both work about
the same. I've descended from the wave wingtip to wingtip with the DG1000
and a Duo, both with full brake, and they go down at the same rate.

I'll be most interested in how the Duo X compares.

--
Philip Plane _____
|
---------------( )---------------
Glider pilots have no visible means of support