soliciting comments on the Pipistrel Apis 15m

I am considering a Pipistrel Apis 15m with the Hirth engine. My searches of RAS have not uncovered much discussion of this glider.

I'm interested in the good, the bad, and the ugly (especially the ugly) of this ship so I can make an informed decision about it.

This ship would definitely be a "floater" as the max wingloading is 5.4 lb/ft2.

My background: I co-own a DG-101 (which I love) but cannot fly nearly as often as I would like due to distance to the soaring club. I am transitioning from the "staying up around the gliderport" stage to cross country pilot. Still quite inexperienced and am looking for a forgiving ship with simple engine operation. At the same time, I'd rather not buy something that I will quickly outgrow, and I want to fly more than I want to turn wrenches.

Other ships I am considering:
DG-400
Silent-IN

-Matt

Il giorno domenica 14 marzo 2021 alle 15:20:23 UTC+1 ha scritto:
I am considering a Pipistrel Apis 15m with the Hirth engine. My searches of RAS have not uncovered much discussion of this glider.

I'm interested in the good, the bad, and the ugly (especially the ugly) of this ship so I can make an informed decision about it.

This ship would definitely be a "floater" as the max wingloading is 5.4 lb/ft2.

My background: I co-own a DG-101 (which I love) but cannot fly nearly as often as I would like due to distance to the soaring club. I am transitioning from the "staying up around the gliderport" stage to cross country pilot.. Still quite inexperienced and am looking for a forgiving ship with simple engine operation. At the same time, I'd rather not buy something that I will quickly outgrow, and I want to fly more than I want to turn wrenches.

Other ships I am considering:
DG-400
Silent-IN

-Matt


Matt, I do not know the Apis, but I know something of the Hirth engine, being it almost identical to my Silent IN Zanzottera engine. I would say that you will definitively have to "turn wrenches", with both of them.. They do show some technical problems, and they are not in production any more, though they produce a copy of the Zanzottera in China. So, it's hard to find spare parts and it's hard to find a techician willing to learn how to work on them. Of course, if you want to dedicate time and efforts on the engine, in some way you will have it running, but forget to just call the mechanic when you have a problem. It will always be a challenge. For this reason, after 10 years, I am resolving myself to modify my Silent with an expensive electric powertrain.
Talking abouth the handling: Again, I do not know the Apis, but the Silent IN is lovely. Manouverable and forgiving at the same time, a pleasure to fly. Of course, if you look at performances, its 12 meter wing gives it a glide ratio of 31 at 49 Kts. Apis and DG 400 are better than that, of course.

Alfredo

On Mon, 15 Mar 2021 02:28:52 -0700 (PDT), Alfredo Santoro
wrote:

Just stopped in on this Usenet group, an outsider...so my comments may
be in error

Silent IN Zanzottera engine.

Zanzottera MZ 34 and MZ 35 - "The engine was originally designed and
produced by Zanzottera Technologies of Italy, but the design was sold,
along with the rest of the company's two-stroke ultralight aircraft
engine line to Compact Radial Engines of Surrey, British Columbia,
Canada."



"turn wrenches"...it's hard to find a techician willing to learn

Here is a manual dated 14-12-01 :

https://www.poweredparaglidingcolorado.com/Resources/mz34-mz35-engine-manual.pdf

which gives trouble shooting details.

When I click on the Compact Radial Engines URL, its redirected to this
site:

http://www.fiate.net/en/

2 cycle engines do require periodic maintenance...replacing spark
plugs, removing fuel (carb/tank/line) when not in use for a period of
time, would be the main considerations

If engine is still being manufactured, there may be a shop manual for
later built engines

I learned today that the Hirth F-33 is still in production and spare parts are available for it (confirmed via email).

http://www.recpower.com/F-33%202%20cycle%2028hp.htm

Matt

On 3/15/21 12:24 PM, wrote:
I learned today that the Hirth F-33 is still in production and spare parts are available for it (confirmed via email).

http://www.recpower.com/F-33%202%20cycle%2028hp.htm

Matt


Early generation motorgliders put the engine up on the mast, and are
subject to vibration failures of components as a result.

There's a Silent IN on W&W under the 'glider' section. Very low hours
on the airframe, given the age of the ship. There are some "Silent 2"
gliders that were made with two-stroke engines, maybe a better choice
than the IN.