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Standard Class
Competition classes in gliding, as in other sports, mainly exist to ensure fairness in competition. However the classes have not been targeted at fostering technological development as in other sports. Instead classes have arisen because of: * the popularity of certain types of glider * attempts to contain the cost of access to the sport * the need to establish a stable environment for investment decisions by both manufacturers and competitors. The FAI Gliding Commission (IGC) is the sporting body overseeing air sports at the international level so that essentially the same classes and class definitions are followed in all countries. FAI Competition Classes Seven glider classes are currently recognised by the FAI and are eligible for European and World Championships: * Open Class, places no restrictions except a limit of 850 kg to the maximum all-up mass, may be one- or two-seater e.g. JS-1C, Lange Antares 23E, Quintus, ASW 22, ASH 30, LAK-20. * Standard Class, restr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gliding
Gliding is a recreational activity and competitive air sport in which pilots fly unpowered aircraft known as gliders or sailplanes using naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmosphere to remain airborne. The word ''soaring'' is also used for the sport. Gliding as a sport began in the 1920s. Initially the objective was to increase the duration of flights but soon pilots attempted cross-country flights away from the place of launch. Improvements in aerodynamics and in the understanding of weather phenomena have allowed greater distances at higher average speeds. Long distances are now flown using any of the main sources of rising air: ridge lift, thermals and lee waves. When conditions are favourable, experienced pilots can now fly hundreds of kilometres before returning to their home airfields; occasionally flights of more than are achieved. Some competitive pilots fly in races around pre-defined courses. These gliding competitions test pilots' abilities to mak ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Schempp-Hirth Ventus-3
The Schempp-Hirth Ventus-3 is a sailplane produced by Schempp-Hirth. It replaces the highly successful Schempp-Hirth Ventus-2. Design and development It was announced at the AERO Friedrichshafen in April 2015 where a mock-up was suspended from the ceiling of the exhibition hall. The prototype flew on 29 January 2016 at Flugplatz Hahnweide at Kirchheim unter Teck in Germany. Production of the first seven turbo Ventus 3T started on 28 April 2016. These competed in the 2017 World Gliding Championships and the 2017 European Gliding Championships. In the latter competition, pilots with Ventus 3T took the first three places in the 18m Class. A Ventus 3T also took first place at the World Championships at Hos%C3%ADn in 2018. Two sizes of fuselage are now available, Sport and Performance; the latter is larger. The Sport fuselage is available as a pure glider, or with a turbo sustaining engine, or a front-end electric sustaining (FES) engine. Currently the larger fuselage is only availa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Handicapping
Handicapping, in sport and games, is the practice of assigning advantage through scoring compensation or other advantage given to different contestants to equalize the chances of winning. The word also applies to the various methods by which the advantage is calculated. In principle, a more experienced participant is disadvantaged, or a less experienced or capable participant is advantaged, in order to make it possible for the less experienced participant to win whilst maintaining fairness. Handicapping is used in scoring many games and competitive sports, including go, shogi, chess, croquet, golf, bowling, polo, basketball, and track and field events. Handicap races are common in clubs which encourage all levels of participants, such as swimming or in cycling clubs and sailing clubs, or which allow participants with a variety of standards of equipment. Often races, contests or tournaments where this practice is competitively employed are known as ''Handicaps''. Handicappi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rolladen-Schneider LS1
The Rolladen-Schneider LS1 is a Standard Class single-seat glider manufactured in Germany by Rolladen-Schneider from 1968 to 1977. Development The LS-1 Standard Class design was the first aircraft type arising from the partnership between Wolf Lemke and Walter Schneider, who had already worked together as students on the ground breaking Akaflieg Darmstadt D-36. Here, and in subsequent Lemke-Schneider (LS) designs, Wolf Lemke concentrated on the aerodynamics while Walter Schneider contributed mostly to the structural and production issues. The LS1 made its debut at the 1968 German National Championships, taking first and second place with the designers themselves at the controls. The success of this design increased in the subsequent years until, in 1975, it was the most flown glider in the German Nationals. The LS1-c took first place in the 1970 World Championships at Marfa, Texas. The manufacture of the LS1 was discontinued after the IGC introduced the new unrestricted 15 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Schempp-Hirth Standard Cirrus
The Standard Cirrus is a German Standard-class glider built by Schempp-Hirth. The Standard Cirrus was produced between 1969 and 1985, when it was replaced by the Discus. Over 800 examples were built, making it one of the most successful early fibreglass glider designs. Development The Standard Cirrus was designed by Dipl. Ing. Klaus Holighaus and flew for the first time in February 1969. It is a Standard Class glider with a 15-metre span, and laminar-flow airfoil section designed by Professor Franz Wortmann. The all-moving tailplane, a feature of many designs of that period due to its theoretically higher efficiency, caused less than desirable high-speed stability characteristics, and so modifications were made to the early design. Even so, the glider is still very sensitive in pitch. The aircraft built before 1972 have a washout of -0.75 degrees. The washout was then increased to -1.5 degrees which improved low-speed performance and response at slow speed. Improvements w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
