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#101
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Short Wings Gliders
At 02:18 31 January 2009, Andreas Maurer wrote:
And, of course, the Ka-6 started with 14.40 meters. Well, actually it started at 14.1 meters, then grew to 14.4 and on to 15.0 when the Standard Class was formed. And the wing later grew to 18 meters for the ASK-18. But in any form, the Ka-6 is a thing of beauty. Steve Leonard Ka-6CrPE N958Z |
#102
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Short Wings Gliders
Doug Hoffman wrote:
Jim Beckman wrote: At 18:33 30 January 2009, toad wrote:. So how does the math work out at your club ? Include consideration of what it costs for you to use the field, and any assistance you get from the government. Remember that in the US soaring is purely a private endeavor, as are most art forms, with no subsidy from anybody. We have a totally new government in the US now and they seem more than willing to take over and control what once were private decisions/endeavors. Banking - yes, gliders - no. -- Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA * Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly * Updated! "Transponders in Sailplanes" http://tinyurl.com/y739x4 * New Jan '08 - sections on Mode S, TPAS, ADS-B, Flarm, more * "A Guide to Self-launching Sailplane Operation" at www.motorglider.org |
#103
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Short Wings Gliders
"John Smith" wrote in I don't know a single glider pilot who doesn't think that power flying is just plain dull. Certainly useful, but nevertheless dull. I don't think so! In fact, reflecting on this some, not sure I know of *any* kind of flying that is "dull". I was a power pilot 1st, then got my glider add-on in '97 (USA). Besides my glider (ASH26E), I have a Husky A1-B that is an absolute blast to fly. I can think of dozens of adjectives, none of which truly capture the joy and exhilaration . . . and none of which comes anywhere near "dull". If you knew me, make that 2. bumper Quiet Vent kit and MKIII "high tech" yaw string |
#104
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Short Wings Gliders
Any sort of flying is fun, but soaring a glider cross-country is the most
fun you can have with your clothes on (IMHO). What is not fun (i.e. dull) is sitting in a farmers field for hours while you wait for someone to come and collect you after a land out. The problem with short winged gliders is that they increase the possibility of not being able to glide to the next source of lift, particularly in the UK which has very patchy and inconsistent weather and often quite low cloudbases. It is actually aspect ratio (span/mean chord) rather than span that defines a glider's performance. To achieve a high aspect ratio and a sensible wing loading with a short span wing, you would have to make the glider very light by using exotic and expensive materials. So the cost savings may not be as great as you think....! The glide angle of a K21 is actually about 34:1, which is about the best you could expect from a 13.5m single seater. Derek Copeland At 00:30 31 January 2009, Dan Silent wrote: At 23:45 30 January 2009, Andy wrote: Dull is sitting in glider and staying within gliding range of the launch point while your friends race. Andy THIS DULL IS FINE FOR ME, Mr Beenthere Donethat! Particularly on a SWG (Short Wing Glider) Or flying a magnificent 30:1 ASK21, sometime unable to get to the next thermal, but having FUN! |
#105
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Short Wings Gliders
At 21:45 30 January 2009, Derek Copeland wrote:
Many European clubs have a ballot for the club gliders with a limit on the time you can local soar, although cross-countries are unlimited. If you don't *win* a glider in the ballot, and you don't mind waiting around for a few hours you can usually get to fly later on in the day. But if you want to fly XC, then flying later in the day doesn't do you any good, really. If you "lose" the ballot on one day, does that give you some sort of priority for the next opportunity? Jim Beckman |
#106
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Short Wings Gliders
At 22:52 30 January 2009, Andreas Maurer wrote:
On Fri, 30 Jan 2009 11:32:48 -0800 (PST), toad wrote: So how many pilots can show up and expect on a good day to get a 3-5 hour XC flight in ? 7 gliders doesn't seem like enough for 80 pilots. Usually 2 gliders are reserved for XC, each pilot has got about 5 to 6 weekend days per season where the glider belongs to him. Let's see if I can manage these numbers at all. 80 pilots, five days, that's 400 days. Divide by 2 XC gliders, that's 200 days. Divide again by 2 days per weekend, that comes to around 100 weekends per season. Where did you say all this happens? And I don't suppose it ever rains? Jim Beckman |
#107
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Short Wings Gliders
At 22:59 30 January 2009, Andreas Maurer wrote:
On 30 Jan 2009 21:15:03 GMT, Jim Beckman wrote: So that sounds like around 12 active pilots per glider, with unlimited hours. How do you manage contention for the gliders on the weekends? Restriction of flying time, depending on the number of pilots per glider. Which pretty much means no XC flying for those guys, right? Jim Beckman |
#108
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Short Wings Gliders
At 23:01 30 January 2009, Andreas Maurer wrote:
No help from government here either. $11 per gallon of avgas doesn't help, too. What does it cost you to use the field, or do you own it (in which case, how much do you pay in taxes for the field)? Oh, and while we're at it, just where is the field? I'd really like to understand how the Europeans keep the costs so low - it would be nice if we could do the same here in the Colonies. Jim Beckman |
#109
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Short Wings Gliders
On Jan 30, 5:30*pm, Dan Silent wrote:
THIS DULL IS FINE FOR ME, Mr Beenthere Donethat! I'll rephrase what I wrote so my intention is more clear. "Dull *for me* is sitting in a glider and staying within gliding range of the launch point while *my* friends race." I have no interest in judging whether other people's activities are exciting or dull to them. Andy |
#110
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Short Wings Gliders
On Jan 30, 5:52*pm, Andreas Maurer wrote:
On Fri, 30 Jan 2009 11:32:48 -0800 (PST), toad wrote: So how many pilots can show up and expect on a good day to get a 3-5 hour XC flight in ? *7 gliders doesn't seem like enough for 80 pilots. Usually 2 gliders are reserved for XC, each pilot has got about 5 to 6 weekend days per season where the glider belongs to him. There are also about 7 private gliders which are used by the serious XC pilots. Of course, if necessary, we could trade the ASW-27 into two ASW-20's if we felt the need to increase our capacity - but on most days the current capacity is more than sufficient. This brings me back to your original perception about US pilots all wanting to own their own glider. That perception might be skewed by only hearing from the US pilots who post here, who are mostly "serious XC pilots", or want to be. There are lots of US glider pilots flying club equipment and having fun, but the time limits on flights during weekends prevent them from doing much XC until they buy a glider themselves or withing a partnership. Those club pilots spend less time on RAS :-) Todd Smith 3S |
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