alexf Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 Beautiful to watch: http://player.vimeo.com/video/39325401 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skypilot Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 Reminds me of Fred Flintstone and his car? I guess if Fred had a plane it would be this one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek McAllan Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 They're a neat idea, but so, so overpriced for what they are... You can buy a brand new real sailplane for about the same price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skypilot Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 So that is not a real sailplane? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockliffe Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 They're a neat idea, but so, so overpriced for what they are... You can buy a brand new real sailplane for about the same price. Yeah, I know Derek... I almost dropped dead when I saw the price... £50,000!!! I used to dream about something like this in my days of Hang Gliding back in the late 70's, at that price it will have to remain a dream! I find it hard to understand where the aircraft is placed in the market. It's not a hang glider and not a sailplane, so it resides somewhere in between, and there lies the paradox, it's basically a hybrid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heiko Glatthorn Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 Absolutely fantastic ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek McAllan Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 So that is not a real sailplane? Well, like Howard said above, it seems to lie somewhere more between hang gliders and sailplanes, and is certainly not unique. The distinctions are starting to get blurry these days. It is technically a rigid wing hang glider as the pilot is suspended from the structure near the CG below the wing. It is controlled by conventional surfaces rather than weight shift, but so are several other rigid wing hang gliders like the Atos AIR. The glide ratio is certainly better than other RWHG's at a maximum of 28:1 for a wingspan of 13.5m, but an equivalent ultralight Sailplane like the Sparrowhawk at 11m wingspan has a considerably better glide ratio of around 36:1. Even the reasonably crappy PW-6 two-seater trainer I fly has a 33:1 ratio. My main contention is the price, other RWHG's are available at 1/4 to 1/3 what the Archaeopteryx costs, and some of the eastern European sailplane manufacturers will furnish you with a flapped 15m or 18m aircraft with performance in the 40:1 to 42:1 range and speeds of up to 160kts. But for it's niche market, it certainly does look very nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexf Posted October 26, 2013 Author Share Posted October 26, 2013 Very good explanation Derek. I learned something new today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.