I recently discovered two things: a glider club nearby that gives lessons, and the Carbon Dragon. I'm meeting with a member of the club later this week to ask questions about getting my glider rating add-on; assuming this pans out (and I'm trying not to jump the gun here), it leads me to item two.
I've been dithering about for a few months trying to figure out what to design and build after my RV is done. I keep coming up with mission sets either duplicating the RV on a slightly different scale, or that I will have no use for by the time the airplane is done (i.e., four-seaters). Then, I discovered we have a glider club nearby (actually at the airport I was considering flying from) that gives lessons. I'm meeting with a member later this week to ask questions, but I figured it might be a good way to build more time, better my skills, and just do something different while the RV build plugs along.
Then I discovered the Carbon Dragon and some lightweight motors, and my little brain started popping out ideas. Now, I don't want to jump the gun--I know I should wait until after I take a lesson or three to figure out if I really like it or not--but the idea of a little glider (maybe even a self-launch one) with a low sink rate and maybe even the ability to catch that "microlift" stuff is starting to sound appealing, since I'd be looking just for local flying rather than cross-country capability.
The thing is, I don't know how practical such an aircraft might be where I live. I'm sure we get plenty of thermal activity in the summer at least, and we used to be able to get into small ones with the birds when I flew RC a long time ago, but I don't know what else will be available around here--it's very, very flat and our only hills are the highway overpasses. I also have a little concern about being able to get back upwind if I go too far downwind in a really light, slow aircraft, and launching (if not self-launch capable) could be a challenge--the club's converted cropduster might be a little fast for what I'm looking for. Oh, and I'm not a small guy (6'/1.82m, 200lb/90kg).
Anyone with experience in this kind of aircraft? Any advice, opinions, etc?
TLDR: is a (possibly self-launching) ultralight glider practical for a big guy in a flat, coastal area?
I've been dithering about for a few months trying to figure out what to design and build after my RV is done. I keep coming up with mission sets either duplicating the RV on a slightly different scale, or that I will have no use for by the time the airplane is done (i.e., four-seaters). Then, I discovered we have a glider club nearby (actually at the airport I was considering flying from) that gives lessons. I'm meeting with a member later this week to ask questions, but I figured it might be a good way to build more time, better my skills, and just do something different while the RV build plugs along.
Then I discovered the Carbon Dragon and some lightweight motors, and my little brain started popping out ideas. Now, I don't want to jump the gun--I know I should wait until after I take a lesson or three to figure out if I really like it or not--but the idea of a little glider (maybe even a self-launch one) with a low sink rate and maybe even the ability to catch that "microlift" stuff is starting to sound appealing, since I'd be looking just for local flying rather than cross-country capability.
The thing is, I don't know how practical such an aircraft might be where I live. I'm sure we get plenty of thermal activity in the summer at least, and we used to be able to get into small ones with the birds when I flew RC a long time ago, but I don't know what else will be available around here--it's very, very flat and our only hills are the highway overpasses. I also have a little concern about being able to get back upwind if I go too far downwind in a really light, slow aircraft, and launching (if not self-launch capable) could be a challenge--the club's converted cropduster might be a little fast for what I'm looking for. Oh, and I'm not a small guy (6'/1.82m, 200lb/90kg).
Anyone with experience in this kind of aircraft? Any advice, opinions, etc?
TLDR: is a (possibly self-launching) ultralight glider practical for a big guy in a flat, coastal area?
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