Sparrowhawk Ultralight

Can someone who has flown a Sparrowhawk give their impression of the
AC. What does it do well? Can you really compare this sailplane to a 15
meter or any current sailplane? Can it be a serious cross country flier?

wrote:
Can someone who has flown a Sparrowhawk give their impression of the
AC. What does it do well? Can you really compare this sailplane to a
15 meter or any current sailplane? Can it be a serious cross country
flier?

Yes, it is a serious cross country flier. Here's some info from Windward
Performance's web site:

SparrowHawk News:

5/22/05

The second annual spring SparrowHawk Rally was held at Great Western
Soaring in Llano, CA May 8-14. Seven SparrowHawks were flown by 18
different pilots, eleven of which were first time SparrowHawk pilots.
Mike Reagan in his SparrowHawk SN008 flew the longest distance of the
Crystal squadron on May 14, landing in Bishop, CA, a flight of over
220 miles. Great Western now has a SparrowHawk available for
demonstration flights. Please contact them at 661-944-9449 to arrange
your first SparrowHawk flight.

If your are really interested in one, you ought contact Great Western,
then arrange a visit there to fly their SparrowHawk, and see for yourself.

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Eric Greenwell
Washington State
USA

"Yes, it's a serious cross country flier. As evidence, here's a
marketing blurb from the manufacturers web site."

wrote:
"Yes, it's a serious cross country flier. As evidence, here's a
marketing blurb from the manufacturers web site."

No, that's not evidence, nor is it a a "marketing blurb", but
description of what happened at the event, and an offer of a way to
assess the situation yourself (go fly it!). Someone seriously interested
in a $30K+ glider that is relatively new to gliding (that's why the
original poster was asking those questions) ought to take advantage of
an offer to try it himself. Do you see the other dealers making that
opportunity available?

I didn't supply evidence of it's "seriousness" because I thought the
quote offered enough to confirm that, but even better, made it
unnecessary to rely on someone's opinion; that is, try it himself.

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Eric Greenwell
Washington State
USA

Eric

It's more of a marketing blurb than an actual account of what happened
at an event.

some people would consider it a bit misleading to say that on May 14 a
sparrowhawk flew the longest distance of the crystal squadron. While
failing to also say that the sparrowhawk was the only glider of the
crystal squadron to fly xc from crystal that day!

Hang gliders have flown diamond distance, so they should be considered
serious cross
country fliers also.

All aircraft have a performance envelope. Some pilots can "fill" the
performance envelope of their aircraft. Most can't. The real question
aircraft purchasers need to ask is "Will I be happy with the aircraft's
performance at the level to which I can 'fill' its performance envelope?"



wrote in message
oups.com...
Eric

It's more of a marketing blurb than an actual account of what happened
at an event.

some people would consider it a bit misleading to say that on May 14 a
sparrowhawk flew the longest distance of the crystal squadron. While
failing to also say that the sparrowhawk was the only glider of the
crystal squadron to fly xc from crystal that day!

Hang gliders have flown diamond distance, so they should be considered
serious cross
country fliers also.

Perhaps I should have provided a little more information about what I
know, and what I want.
I have read the Sparrowhawk web site. From what I see the sailplane
looks good. Easy to assemble, cores thermals well, good climb
performance. Nice performance all around, about the same as a Ka 6E or
Libelle 201. One thing still has me wondering. Flying in windy
conditions, especially in the landing phase. With a low gross weight
(half the above ships) won't you get blown around like a leaf ? Is
there enough penetration to be an effective cross country plane in the
hands of an average pilot.

Now what I want...... Fun to fly !!! Easy to assemble / disassemble
(hate having to ask two or three folks for help). Easy to repair. Easy
to get parts / upgrades. The annual is not an issue, nor is
registartion or licensing. Low maintenance finish. And last good resale
value ( same as good performance).

wrote:
Perhaps I should have provided a little more information about what I
know, and what I want.
I have read the Sparrowhawk web site. From what I see the sailplane
looks good. Easy to assemble, cores thermals well, good climb
performance. Nice performance all around, about the same as a Ka 6E or
Libelle 201. One thing still has me wondering. Flying in windy
conditions, especially in the landing phase. With a low gross weight
(half the above ships) won't you get blown around like a leaf ? Is
there enough penetration to be an effective cross country plane in the
hands of an average pilot.

Now what I want...... Fun to fly !!! Easy to assemble / disassemble
(hate having to ask two or three folks for help). Easy to repair. Easy
to get parts / upgrades. The annual is not an issue, nor is
registartion or licensing. Low maintenance finish. And last good resale
value ( same as good performance).

Well, while the weight is low, the wing is small, so the wing loading
is probably similar to a 1-26.

As to resale price, that's a tougher one, because I have not seen one
offered on the used market. I find that interesting, because I seem to
remember that nearly as soon as the Russias and PW5s became available
new, they became available used.

Tim Ward

"With a low gross weight (half the above ships) won't you get blown around
like a leaf ?"

Weight alone has nothing to do with getting blown around like a leaf. A
hawk is very light but does not get blown around. Wing loading is a major
factor. Piper Cubs get blown around, because they have light wing loading.

It is good to take a test flight if you are considering one. Perhaps the
key word you are looking for is balance. Few ships do everything well in a
conveneint package.

The information Eric presented shows that the aircraft can do serious cross
country - which is the question asked. Whether it is adequate to meet your
demands is a personal question. Knowing the weight is irrelevant to the
question asked of whether it gets blown around like a leaf. A bolwing ball
weighs only 10 pounds ( or so, just a wild guess), but does not blow around
like a leaf.

Colin

Tim.Ward wrote:

Well, while the weight is low, the wing is small, so the wing loading
is probably similar to a 1-26.

It's actually much higher than a 1-26. The 1-26 is rated at 3.6
pounds/sq ft; the SparrowHawk is typically 5 to 6 pounds/sq ft. This
makes a big difference! This wing loading is about the same as Russia
AC-4, which is similar in performance.

As to resale price, that's a tougher one, because I have not seen one
offered on the used market. I find that interesting, because I seem to
remember that nearly as soon as the Russias and PW5s became available
new, they became available used.

Tim Ward



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Eric Greenwell
Washington State
USA