Best Looking Sailplane

On Nov 15, 9:28*am, wrote:
On 1 Nov., 19:02, glider wrote:

This is a test to see if it works.

*Abnd it's end of season, so we need to know if the Minimoa or the
ASW-20 is best looking sailplane. Maybe the DG-800?

Seems to me we've been here before; and, of course, the answer remains
unchanged: the 1937 DFS Reiher. It's the Penelope Cruz of sailplanes.

http://vintagesailplanes.de/REIHER.HTM

The that settled it once and for all!

Bo Brunsgaard

My vote is for the 1937 DFS Reiher, hands down, but post WW2 Libelle!

FreeFlight

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The most beautiful sailplane
might be one you've only seen pictures of, one you own or have lusted
after, or one that triggers certain memories. Then there's
"striking" (almost any Open Class glider) vs. "beautiful". There's
pure superficial beauty vs. the whole package. There's timeless beauty
vs. the latest look. And so on.

I agree the ASW 20 is one of the most beautiful sailplanes ever
created. Subsequent single-seat models--ASW 24 (what I've flown for
the past 18 years), ASW 27 & ASG 29--are very pretty. But to me, the
most beautiful sailplane is the one I grew up seeing in person at our
local Midwestern USA contests and in photos: Len Neimi's Sisu 1A. Alex
Aldott's pic of world free distance holder Al Parker's Sisu stood up
on one wingtip under a Texas sky still gives me chills whenever I see
it. I've always regretted that V-tails went out of style. Of course, I
never had to launch or land with one.

Chip Bearden
ASW 24 "JB"
USA

Chip,

Taking off and landing a sailplane with a V tail is pretty much like
taking off and landing a sailplane with a T tail. Maybe not quite the
rudder authority at the end of a landing in a high cross wind, but
nothing dangerous that I have noticed.

It is an interesting story as to why V tails went out of favor, at
least one of the reasons.

Ross Nolan shared the following link on the HP glider Yahoo group.

http://glidebarambah.thehorseyard.ne...sholighaus.pdf

Mike





I agree the ASW 20 is one of the most beautiful sailplanes ever
created. Subsequent single-seat models--ASW 24 (what I've flown for
the past 18 years), ASW 27 & ASG 29--are very pretty. But to me, the
most beautiful sailplane is the one I grew up seeing in person at our
local Midwestern USA contests and in photos: Len Neimi's Sisu 1A. Alex
Aldott's pic of world free distance holder Al Parker's Sisu stood up
on one wingtip under a Texas sky still gives me chills whenever I see
it. I've always regretted that V-tails went out of style. Of course, I
never had to launch or land with one.

Chip Bearden
ASW 24 "JB"
USA

-snip-
Len Neimi's Sisu 1A. Alex
Aldott's pic of world free distance holder Al Parker's Sisu stood up
on one wingtip under a Texas sky still gives me chills whenever I see
it. I've always regretted that V-tails went out of style. Of course, I
never had to launch or land with one.

Chip Bearden
ASW 24 "JB"
USA

Not all V tails are created equal... The Sisu had plenty of
simultaneous elevator and rudder authority and if you were put in it
blindfolded and flew it you would never suspect it wasn't a T- at any
phase of flight. The same can't be said for most others though...

Chip, I entirely agree that the pic of Al doing a hammerhead in his
ship is THE quintessential encapsulation of beauty in the form of a
sailplane. I didn't throw that out there in this thread as I am
obviously jaded.

-Paul Hanson
Sisu 1a, s/n 101, N6390X

Originally Posted by glider[_2_]

ASW-20 is best looking sailplane. Maybe the DG-800?

I do agree that the ASW-20 is very nice looking. My vote however would have to go to the far more uncommon DG808. I think it looks great from the outside, somehow quite sporty. I also like the DG cockpit design, it's very tidy, and you can get the panel in carbon fibre which is pretty cool. The long canopy is impressive too, inside and out.

There aren't many good quality pics of it, here are some favs:
http://www.dg-flugzeugbau.de/Data/Po...ersperger2.jpg
http://www.dg-flugzeugbau.de/Data/Po...ankreich-1.jpg
http://www.dg-flugzeugbau.de/Data/Po...08b-dresse.jpg

internals:
http://www.dg-flugzeugbau.de/uploads...117b06.jpg.jpg
http://www.dg-flugzeugbau.de/uploads...94af8f.jpg.jpg
ooh luxurious...

On Nov 19, 3:44*am, ipearx wrote:
'glider[_2_ Wrote:

;710635']ASW-20 is best looking sailplane. Maybe the DG-800?

I do agree that the ASW-20 is very nice looking. My vote however would
have to go to the far more uncommon DG808. I think it looks great from
the outside, somehow quite sporty. I also like the DG cockpit design,
it's very tidy, and you can get the panel in carbon fibre which is
pretty cool. The long canopy is impressive too, inside and out.

There aren't many good quality pics of it, here are some favs:http://www.dg-flugzeugbau.de/Data/Po...08b-dresse.jpg

internals:http://www.dg-flugzeugbau.de/uploads...94af8f.jpg.jpg
ooh luxurious...

--
ipearx

Wings are too short....

Still the ASW22 has it in my book.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sTXM...eature=related

Al

On Nov 20, 12:05*pm, "
wrote:



Still the ASW22 has it in my book.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sTXM...eature=related


Nice, but the tail's too big :-).

The best looking glider is the one you dreamed about owning for about
20 years and took a second job in order to buy.

In my case, this one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAPyzSjNGAs

-T8

T8 pisze:
Still the ASW22 has it in my book.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sTXM...eature=related


Nice, but the tail's too big :-).

I was about to say the same :]
What glider is in video, Ventus?

regards
--
--=JJay=--
www.aeroklub.deblin.pl, my photos at airliners.net - http://tiny.pl/rcwl
and some more photos http://tiny.pl/hxw5s

On Nov 22, 5:48*pm, --=JJay=-- wrote:

What glider is in video, Ventus?

Same bird, at rest http://tinyurl.com/yjxnuel

-T8

On Nov 1, 10:02*am, glider wrote:
This is a test to see if it works.

*Abnd it's end of season, so we need to know if the Minimoa or the
ASW-20 is best looking sailplane. Maybe the DG-800?

There can be no doubt that with form following function, beauty in
the eye of the beholder, that the GAPA PW-2 is the most beautiful
sailplane ever designed. The lineage of the PW-5 is apparant in the
design of it's tail, and the influence of the Italians who designed
the
VESPA is obvious in it's elegant windscreen.

http://www.soaravenal.com/40-Wheel7-25-9.jpg