SG-1 sailplane prototype

Hi,

We are developing a new lighter than normal 13.9m sailplane in New Zealand called SG-1. You can see something on the designwork and prototype at http://www.foamworks.co.nz/sg/

Our resouce scale is small but the project is ambitious. As well as being lighter, the interthermal speed is high.

The website is mostly to network for some technical input and help with the prototype, but I thought pilots might be curious also.

Regards

Well... it reminds me both Genesis (general look) and a Cobra 15/17 - the famous Cobra's tail

Good luck guys,

Janusz Kesik Aeroclub Czestochowa

I hate to be slightly cynical, but according to your calculatoins, you are going to get an l/d of around 46 for a 14m glider.

Or have I just misread this?

At 04:42 22 April 2002, Janusz Kesik wrote:

I noticed that too. They said they've still got to allow for drag at the wing roots and so forth. Still, looks as if it could be quite a nice little glider.

I don't know why no one has ever designed and built a glider in New Zealand. There is obviously design talent here, given the success we've had on the water in the Americas Cup. And there is plenty of experience in building boats from the same sorts of materials used in gliders.

Some statistics from our club newsletter this month: 11% of the aircraft registered in NZ are gliders (presumably this means things with a ZK-xxx number, and so includes airliners but excludes military), and 10% of the pilots are glider pilots.