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None of these big gliders are very good at diving. I don't believe there
is anything sinister about the N4DM. They're just not built for diving. Any time the nose is well below the horizon, they will pick up speed rapidly. Don't do that. Large span gliders will fly slowly and that means that there is a large airspeed difference across their span when circling - my "little" Nimbus 2C can develop a 15 knot difference. This, plus a thermal gust, can make them roll into a spiral dive. Recognizing this and taking prompt action when it happens is actually easy once you experience it a few times. Just allow the speed to increase a bit to increase control authority, then stop the turn and then recover normal airspeed. If the glider is allowed to progress into a full spiral dive, the options narrow considerably. Only very gentle and precise control inputs will save the day. Try not to apply large aileron and elevator inputs simultaneously - bending and twisting the wing at the same time can break it. Reading the Spanish report made it seem that the pilot did not have complete control of his glider. That's a shame when it's a two seater and there are a lot of experienced pilots who would have been willing to ride with him and help him master it. Bill Daniels "HL Falbaum" wrote in message ... Yes, indeed. If anything, the spiral dive recovery is more critical from a structural standpoint. A modern glider is more likely to progress to spiral dive anyway. The pilot, by his own admission, did the wrong recovery for either case. However, since the Spanish report refers heavily to the Minden report, with many similarities, I wonder if there is something peculiar about the Nimbus 4 DT. Both apparently departed into a stall and incipient spin in a strong thermal. This pilot had sufficient recent flight experience, and total time, to have developed good "survival" reflexes, including the "stick forward" manuver. He had little time in the Nimbus 4, but quite enough in the Nimbus 3 to know how to fly it. If it was purely the fault of very strong thermals, then the other gliders in common use at places like Minden would also have similar accidents. This does not seem to be the case. Obviously, I have never flown a Nimbus of any kind. I have a few hours in the Duo-Discus, but nothing larger. The Duo is certainly not malignant in any way. So my question is to those with Nimbus D experience. Is there some handling characteristic that will bite a fairly experinced and competent, but unsuspecting pilot? I am thinking that the (biennial USA) Flight Review should include spiral dive recovery routinely, in addition to the usual other "emergency" maneuvers. -- Hartley Falbaum CFIG USA "Stefan" wrote in message ... W.J. (Bill) Dean (U.K.). wrote: The Spanish report in English translation may be found at http://www.gliding.co.uk/accidents/r...s4dtreport.pdf (3MB). Thanks for the link. Very educational, indeed. I think this answers the question whether spins and spiral dives should be demonstrated and recovery should be regularly trained. Stefan |
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