On Jun 28, 7:53=A0pm, Clark <c...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> Certificated PP taking my first glider ride tomorrow. Not ready to go
over=
to
> the unpowered side but glider curious enough to take a lesson.
>
> Supposed to take 3 or so rides in a 2-33.
> What should I know about the 2-33?
A SOARING POET WROTE:
I got a private licence and flown approximatly 150 hours (Cessna and
Piper
Warrior - no Katana in those days) before going to gliding. I began
training on a SGU-2-22. From the first flight I started hating it.
I remember that first flight. Since I had motorplane experience, I was
allowed to try the a*****ow. Poorly seated on a very unconfortable
plywood
panel (with a cu****on of course), I remember that I have to push hard
on
the stick to prevent that flying crayfish to nose up. And since the
stick
was far away from my body, I rapidly had to push with my two hands
before
becoming completly tired. From that moment, I understood why there was
no
girls in the club. That glider was designed for G.I. Joe, not for
ordinary
people.
The release was welcome - even if it sounded like a loud rifle shot.
At
least I didn't have anymore to push that stick - and to me, a
significant
pitch up moment could hardly be seen like a safety condition.
Next to release, the thing started going down, not really slowlier
than a
Cessna 150 with idle engine. And flying just near 40 knots, the
controls
were sluggish, worst than a Cessna 150 or a Piper Warrior. I then
imagined
that there could have been conspiracy between Schweizer and Cessna.
The
designer of the 2-22 might have been paid by Cessna to make glider so
horrifying that people won't go to soaring but to motorplanes. Or
maybe
was it an old belief saying that you cannot learn if you have fun. Or
maybe another belief saying that heaven is next to purgatory.
After a short flight, it was time to land. To avoid landing short, you
have to keep sufficient height in landing circuit. But not too much
to,
since you cannot rely on spoilers. Spoilers were just a little bit
bigger
than a teaspoon and probably just contribute to less than 5 % of total
drag. So, sideslip was the way to go. Ouf ! The first time, some
people
might get scary when the fuselage start to shake like an heavy piece
of
cloth spinning in an unbalanced wa****ng machine drum.
You definitly need to love flying to accept to be trained in a
Schweizer.
To modern standard (like BLA-22), it would be impossible today to get
certification for such gliders.
Not everything is bad about 2-22 or 2-33. On those days when sudden
rain
showers make you halt ground operation, a Schweizer can be used as an
umbrella for club members. Capacity exceed 30 people.
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