Comparision of Glider Performance, Kagel, Sat. Aug 26

A place to stretch the truth a little...
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Christian
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Comparision of Glider Performance, Kagel, Sat. Aug 26

Post by Christian »

Question: how does your glider behave on a day like this?

Saturday , Aug. 26, was a typical summer day at Kagel. Wind for launch at !:30 was 5-20. My vario later showed 1200 fpm lift. Everybody got their hour. Most got to 4,500 or above. It was quite bumpy but I had slack wires only once or twice, and that was over the ridge. All in all a day we hope for and enjoy.

On my Saturn 167, however, it is quite difficult to turn toward the lifted wing on a day like this. It's not impossible, but requires maybe a two-second delay (no vg) and some very determined weight shift. This means early avoidance of other pilots. It also means no downwind turns when working close to the ridge unless you like adrenalin. I hook in at 210 on 167 squares, and in winter or late afternoon conditions this particular glider handles well for me. But in the above conditions I am momentarily overpowered, and I dont think it's technique. (The Saturn is known for resistance to PIOs and therefore is no doubt stiffer than many gliders; you never have to high-side a Saturn).

On such a day, what is your experience on the Sport 2, presumably the state of the compromise art, U-2, topless, even rigids. These are hard questions to answer, probably impressions are all we have.
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stebbins
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Post by stebbins »

I think that we have more than impressions, but I doubt that we have any definitive answers.

My opinion is that there are conditions that we sometimes fly in that will overpower any (and I mean any) pilot. However, technique and preparedness can make a big difference.

Unfortunately, many of the techniques are often different from glider to glider. BUT, there are a few things you can do that apply no matter what you are flying.

The most obvious and most important is SPEED. If the air is bumpy, give up some of your efficiency and fly a bit faster. That will make your glider more responsive when you DO need to fix a sudden problem.

Another important item is bank angle. The steeper you are banked, the less the "moment arm" of an off-center thermal will be likely to tip you over. Also, the more that you are banked, the smaller your circle so the less likely you are to fall out the side of the thermal and go over the falls.

You can also just decide to leave a particularly turbulent area. All parts of the ridge are not created equal.

I'm sure there are other things (like flying later in the day!) that other pilots can help out with.

Any ideas?
Fly High; Fly Far; Fly Safe -- George
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Christian
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Location: Pacific Palisades

Post by Christian »

Any opinions about curved tips under these conditions? Make a difference? They look good, but...?

I wonder if most of it doesn't come down to wing loading: Smaller glider more comfortable in bigger air, other things equal (but of course they never are).
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stebbins
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Post by stebbins »

I think that curved tips make the ride a bit smoother in the smaller bumps, (as in off-loading some gusts). If the hit is large, however, I'm not sure they make more than a tiny bit of difference. Just my opinion though.

As for wing loading, it is true that higher wing loading gives more control, but compared to the increased turbulence one encounters on a strong day, it is pretty minor help. Speed matters more, I think.

A high bank angle is the most overlooked "help" for strong conditions. The geometry and physics of circling flight mean that a higher banked wing is far less likely to be "forced" due to a gust. That doesn't help much with pitch, however.....
Fly High; Fly Far; Fly Safe -- George
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