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On Saturday 12th September I was luck enough to be invited to the UK National Aerobatic Championships at Buckminster Gliding Club, Saltby Airfield, (approx. 8 miles south of Grantham - the entrance is between the villages of Sproxton andSkillington). Present and taking part in the competition were two Foxes, a Swift, Pilatus B4, LO100, a Luniak and two Puchach. My invite was extended by Phil Walsh of the gliding club in response to my request on the newsgroup 'rec.aviation .soaring' for information on the fullsize Fox to help in the construction of my Purbeck Sailplanes 1:3 scale model. Phil had kindly offered to tale some digital photos of the Fox for me, but when I found out how close the event was to my home I decided to attend in person.
Watching the Fox fly was awe inspiring - especially in the capable hands of Guy Westgate. Guy has formed a syndicate that has brought the first extended wing Fox in the world into this country which will be the one that my model will be based on.
Guy put together the following words to describe what the Fox is like to fly -
The Fox is a remarkable glider. There are many small differences which give it a look of 'purpose' and when you see what it can do you soon realise that in this case at least, looks are not deceiving.
As you walk up to the glider you notice its stance is very nose high. This is due to the wing having a very small rigging angle relative to the fuselage. This feature does raise the wings and hence improve wing tip clearance as there is no dihedral, but it does make it more difficult to get into the front cockpit.
Once you have clambered into the front you are presented with a very comfortable cockpit. The stick and airbrake levers are solid wood which is a nice touch The seat rake and rudder pedals are adjustable and I have fitted up to 6'4"of student in the front without problem. The only big difference with most gliders at this point is the large clear window in the instalment panel that is designed to take the Arrest aerobatic programme card.
The main straps are a five point design and uniquely, a second lap strap is included as a completely independent system to give you added confidence when pushing hard negative 'g' .I have heard from the agent that a European pilot has already performed and 'uncommanded' bail out because his straps came unfastened.
The glider is a tail dragger and on aerotow (there is no winch hook on our machine) the tail can be brought up quickly during the initial roll so directional control is good. Many students start a small 'Pilot Induced Oscillation' in roll (PIO) at this stage as the ailerons work so much more positively than they are used to.
Once off tow the fun can begin. The stall is surprisingly docile and the glider can be encouraged to mush stall. Any tendency to drop a wing can be controlled with very careful use of rudder. The wing will drop at the stall however if any yaw is present. To enter a spin for competition purposes we usually apply a little rudder a few knots above the stall to improve its effectiveness.
The elevator is incredibly powerful, in fact the moving surface is bigger than the fixed horizontal surface. The elevator can stall the main wing in almost any attitude and speed up to max. manoeuvring speed; it can even stall it negatively from straight and level flight if you push the stick positively enough. In this way an outside (negative) flick roll can be performed from erect straight level! Totally awesome!
The ailerons are huge and take most of the 14m wing span. The roll rate is not surprisingly very, very fast for a two seater. My estimate is a 360° aileron roll takes between 3 and 4 seconds. A snap roll is much faster, certainly faster than my stop watch! With roll rates as fast as this, figures such as hesitation rolls and vertical roll become a reality. Indeed many figures previously thought of as truly 'unlimited' can be attempted including rolling turns, square loops, outside loops, avalanches, inverted spins and tumbles to name but a few.
The stick feel is very positive, the roll loads at speed are particularly high but the stick is very effective.
The visibility is excellent from the front seat. The back seat gets a god view of hairstyles, particularly when inverted, but still all round visibility is no problem.
In the circuit, nearer the ground, you become aware of its fast flying speed and relatively poor airbrakes. The minimum approach speed is 60 kts (70mph) but usually too much speed is the problem as there is a marked nose pitch down with use of the airbrakes. There is a very powerful hydraulic brake so stopping once on the ground is not a problem.
In summary, I have never flown a glider before where the limitation is one's imagination rather than the airframe. The 14m Fox is an exciting glider and with the 16.15m tips an excellent all-rounder as well as outclassing almost everything else in the aerobatic arena. Come and have a go!
Many Thanks to Buckminster Gliding Club
Contact Information
Address : Buckminster Gliding Club Ltd.
Saltby Airfield
Skillington
Grantham
Lincs NG33 5HL
Telephone : (01476) 860 385 (Clubhouse / Office)
Flying Evenings : (0115) 928 3978 (Roger Keay) or
01529 461069 (Kate & Trevor Henson)
Email : Website :
buckminster.gc@btinternet.com and to Guy and the rest of the syndicate for their help
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