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I flew extensively with both gliders UT (Bartell) and ZJ (Mockler). The earlier ship (UT) was not particularly impressive in glide or climb. Bill felt that it was better than his Ventus 2a, but I don't think his flying style was ideally suited to the glider. Mockler's ship (ZJ) was decidedly better in cruise than UT and Dave's flying style was perhaps better suited to that ship's strengths. The Ventus 2 is a superior climber, and the better cruiser at very high speeds. The Diana seems to excell in the 90 to 110 knot range, and converts its energy nicely in pull ups. I found, though, that it is not a robust climber. It was on a par with the 27b in most of its performance range, though Dave was able to extract perhaps a little more performance out of it than was built in. In extended climbs (more than several turns) my V2 (at 11 lbs psf) would catch up to it. But the V2 is the best climber out there.
Though all pilots have reported good flying qualities, The cockpit is small and cramped. At 6'2' there is no way I can fit my frame into the cockpit. Dave (a few inches shorter than I am) couldn't wear shoes in the glider. There simply wasn't enough space. The panel is very small, though the canopy is DG like and offers excellent visibility. The sidestick requires very little acclamation, yet when you watched Bill and Dave take off or land, you could detect that they were applying more concentration than pilots of other makes.
Though the wings are light, I wasn't impressed with assembly. The trailer and rigging are a comporimise at best, a result of the fuselage spar and no easy way to hold the wing root. Some rigging aids and a trailer redesign could fix both of these.
My general feeling is that it is a good glider, especially in the west, but not so docile as the 27 or V2. In light conditions it might not perform as well. In Uvalde clound streets though, it was as good as anything out there. Time will tell.
I parked next to ZJ throughout the contest, so I got to watch the daily routine. Watering was straight forward, though I had the sense that it took a couple of days to get the process right.
There's no doubt it's a good glider, though frankly, it looks so small and fragile that it seems incomplete with a stick and a rubberband to launch it.
Chris O'Callaghan OC
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