Glider competition classes

Competition classes were introduced in gliding to promote the development of sport. They also serve the sports policy or in response to market trends and the development of new technologies.

The class policy should promote justice in the competition, lower costs for both beginners and provide a stable environment for investment decisions of manufacturers and competitors.

The Gliding has an institutional framework at the international level, which ensures that essentially the same classes and class definitions are flown in all states. While gliding is inherently flight or defined benefit plans, created classes far less to promote technological development, but were rather excited by market dynamics or by interaction between research and industry.

FAI competition classes

The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI ) is the institution which controls the air sports at an international level. Seven glider classes are currently recognized by the FAI and are therefore for European and world championships allowed:

• Open class, there are no restrictions except a weight limit of 850 kgs max. Start weight, eg eta, Nimbus -4, ASH 25
• Standard class, maximum span of 15 m, maximum takeoff weight 525 kg, but no flaps or other high lift devices, such as ASW 28, LS8, Discus -2, ASW 24
• 15 -meter class, such as standard class, but high lift devices are allowed, for example, ASW 27, Ventus.
• 18 -meter class, as the 15 -meter class, but take-off weight 600 kg, and span up to 18 meters, for example, ASH 26, LS10, DG- 808, LAK19.
• Seater class, limited to a maximum span of 20 meters, for example Duo Discus, Arcus, DG -1000.
• Club class, allows many older gliders within a certain power range, the performance differences are compensated for by factors Handicap. Facilities for water ballast may be present but not be used. Examples are glass dragonfly wings, Standard Cirrus, LS1, Pilatus PC -11, Cobra 15
• 13.5 -meter - class, entry-level, limited to a maximum span of 13.5 m, for example, PZL PW -5 ( formerly world-class, the only type PZL PW -5 allowed now for more 13.5 - m- models open).

World records in gliders are classified by the FAI in subclasses that are not one-to-one with the competition classes above match:

• DO - Open Class, approved, benefits can be achieved with any glider. Performance of planes of the Open, the 18-meter and the two-seater class are performed in this subclass.
• D15 - 15 -meter class, are approved services that can be achieved with gliders, whose span is less than or equal to 15 meters.
• DW - world class services are permitted in gliders of world class.
• DU - Ultralight class approved, benefits are gliders which have a maximum mass of 220 kg.

A class for lighter aircraft, with a wing loading of 18 kg / m is under discussion.

Non -FAI classes

Competition classes that are not recognized by the FAI, there were about in regional or national competitions. The most important are:

• Sport class, a class with a handicap factor that is similar in concept to the Club Class, but more gliders allowed, usually with flaps and spans that are not limited to 15 meters. This category is often used in competitions with too few users for whom standard classes.
• 1-26 class, a device class with Type Swiss SGS 1-26, which will be flown in the United States.

History

Open class

The Open Class is the oldest category of competition that emerged with the introduction of the two-seater class in the early 1950s. This category is a full field of technological innovation. Many research prototypes fall under this class definition, for example, the Akaflieg Darmstadt D -30 from 1938, had the swing wing that or SB -10 from 1972 with then enormous wingspan of 26 m 29 m or Akaflieg Stuttgart FS 29, 1975 with variable span.

The Open Class achieves the highest performance in the competitions, daily tasks of about 1,000 kilometers are possible today with very good weather. However, a successful glider Open Class must also be practicable despite high glide. Extreme designs are prone to failures, such as in the Fieseler Austria from 1931 or the operation of Sigma 1971. The only glider with extreme performance, the ever won world championships, the Nimbus was I.

Competitions are open class - despite the name - rather exclusive, since the number of participants is lower than in the other classes in this category. Until the 1960s, a fair number of gliders was competitive, often beating those with smaller span the larger types. The Revolution by fiber composites brought the class messed however. By 1981 carbon fiber technology spans the Nimbus -3 and the ASW 22 were 24 m and more are possible, whereby the open class, first the domain of two manufacturers was.

After two decades with the gradual performance gains brought in 2000, the occurrence of eta a leap in performance and in a further price escalation. This very costly aircraft had already been successful in competitions, and it will inevitably impact on the cost to remain competitive in this class.

Standard Class

The default class was introduced in the late 1950s as an alternative to the increasingly heavy, difficult and expensive to flying aircraft in the open class this time. Focused on affordability and simplicity, limited the original default class policies a the span of 15 meters and under said retractable landing gear, high lift devices such as flaps and droppable ballast water. The embodiment of these guidelines is the Ka 6

However, the technical development accelerated in the following years. The transition to fiberglass construction presented the existing policies are increasingly seen as inadequate represents the more solid structures allowed higher wing loadings, so the competitors resorted to fixed ballast back to offset this advantage. This led to high landing speeds, with the risk of damage during field landings. The solid suspensions were responsible for the main part of the air resistance of the flat glass fiber planes. Designers reacted by the wheels in the recessed body, which increased the risk of damage to the floor. The manufacturers argued now that a retractable landing gear is the cheapest way to increase performance.

Given these arguments, safety, and cost the rules of standard class have been updated to allow water ballast and retractable undercarriages. The requirement for large dive brakes was dropped, and spoiler at the trailing edge were allowed. This caused difficulties, as a separation between the brake flaps on the wing tip and lift and flaps is vague. The hesitancy of the IGC (see Fédération Aéronautique Internationale) to allow the latter, led to the unsuccessful attempt to fix what is a landing flap. After the LS2 and the Pik- 20 took advantage of this loophole to win the World Championships in 1974 and 1976 in standard class, the IGC banned all the camber -changing devices in this class, and defined the 15 -meter class to accommodate these aircraft. This decision was, although it was the second policy change in a few years, and some types of gliders orphan who did not fit into the new category definitions (especially Pik- 20 and dragonfly, which had been produced in large numbers ), justified in retrospect by the large success of the new standard and the 15 -meter class.

Significant standard class aircraft were Ka 6, Mucha ( 1958), LS1 (1967 ), Standard Cirrus (1969 ), LS4 (1980 ), Discus (1984 ) and LS8 (1994).

15 -meter class

This class is specifically defined to end the controversy over the air brakes on the Flügelendleiste in the standard class. The class was very successful, and was all over the world and European championships since the foundation part. The technological development has the erstwhile performance gap between standard and 15 -meter class, however, greatly reduced so that it is perceptible only in particularly good soaring weather today. Some observers argue, therefore, that the difference large enough to be no longer that the 18 -meter class was the natural successor to the 15 -meter class, and that this should therefore be removed from the world championships, to make the new classes place. Despite this, the category still lovers and also official support in the near future.

Important representatives of the 15-meter - class ASW 20 (1977 ) or its successor ASW27, Ventus (1980 ), LS6 (1983) and Ventus -2 ( 1994) and, more recently, Diana 2 from Polish production.

Senior representatives (the "first generation " ) are the LS3, Mosquito, DG200, PIK 20, ASW20, Mini Nimbus, Speed ​​Astir and the " race " Dragonfly.

18 -meter class

The introduction of carbon fiber allowed 15 meters above rising spans at affordable prices. The manufacturers began to exploit this potential by offering wing extensions for their sailplanes with flaps. The wingspan increased gradually from 16.6 meters in the first versions (ASW 20L and Ventus b 16.6) over 17 meters ( DG-200/17, LS3/17, DG- 600, glass leaf 403), 17.5 meters ( LS6c ), eventually uniformly to 18 meters. The tendency to the turbos and self-starting gliders promoted the 18-meter wingspan, which is large enough to carry the extra weight of the engine, without losing the ability to to climb in weak thermals. After a decade of competitions at the regional level ( for example Hahnweide ), which made ​​possible the solution of problems such as the mixture of pure gliders and motorized versions, this class came in the 2001 World Championships for the first time to bear.

Two-seater

The two-seater class first appeared on the World Championship 1952. The reason for a separate class was that the resistance of the larger hull of the double seater represented a significant disadvantage compared to single-seaters. This class was discontinued after the World Championships in 1956, however, although records were recorded until 1996. The large spans made ​​possible by modern materials, have now abolished the achievement gap in the open class. Today, two-seater are in the open class increasingly common and often win. The IGC (see Fédération Aéronautique Internationale) therefore certain in 2005 to introduce a two-seater class with a wingspan restriction to 20 meters again. This class is not comparable to the old category of doubles, since it aims at training aircraft with high performance, which have steadily gained in popularity. Their smaller size separates them from the doubles, the open class, which are very costly and require experienced crews. The 20-meter two-seaters is similar to single-seater, but cost a little more than half as much as an orchid in the open class.

The opponents in this class are mainly Duo Discus, DG-1000, Arcus, and the older Janus and DG -500.

Club Class

The Club Class allowed earlier gliders with a maximum of 15 meters wingspan, a fixed wing loading on the flight and a steady airfoil. Meanwhile, the membership is defined for Club Class solely on the performance of the glider. All aircraft with a performance index to 106 (after DAeC Directive) or to 107 (Directive IGC ) are considered to Club Class aircraft. With this definition, even the gliders of the first generation of the 15 -m FAI class, such as Mosquito, H301 or PIK 20D are integrated as Club Class aircraft.

This glider class turbulators are installed to optimize the aerodynamic quality and to suppress the separation bubble on the hull surface transition.

13.5 -meter class (former world-class )

The International Gliding Commission (IGC / CIVV, part of the FAI), and the dazugehörigere Organisation Scientifique and àvoile Technique du Vol ( OSTIV ) called in 1989 to assemble a design competition launched for an inexpensive glider with medium power, easy and secure and operate, so to fly by pilots with little experience. 1993 was announced as the winner of the PZL PW -5. The first World Class World Championship took place in 1997 in Inonu, Turkey. There were three more world championships in this class held, but attendance and interest declined.

On the March FAI General Assembly 2010, World Class was converted into the 13.5 -meter class and lifted the restriction on the PZL PW -5 as a single pattern. In addition to the PW- 5 now can start with a wingspan of up to 13.5 meters in this class all gliders. In addition, especially some ultralight gliders, but also art aircraft such as the PZL SZD- 59 in the 13.2 - m- aerobatic span.