Glasflügel
304CZ Owners Comments and Photos
PAGE 3
Continued from previous page
304CZ "RS"
Ser#15 at the 2000 SSA Convention in Albuquerque NM
Rolf Siebert Ser# 15 Lubbock, Texas
304CZ Ser# 14 AZ2
Owned by Ted Grussing SEDONA, AZ
owner Ted Grussing
First landing.....uneventful as it "should" be!
Owners reaction "WOW" as those who have flown the 304CZ
"KNEW" it would be!
Bill Liscomb N304BL #17
Bill Liscomb at 10,000 Feet on his first flight
Gentlemen; Again, many thanks for the fabulous glider. I have three flights
in it now and a total of 8.5 hours. What a fantastic flying glider! This last
Sunday, Tom Wescott showed me where the wave was and I reached12,900', and
left two of my friends in a Stemme two thousand feet below me - we started at the same
altitude. The lowest altitude gain for all three flights has been 10,000'. On
the third flight, I finally did everything right for the landing, and although the wind
was blowing 20-25 mph straight down the runway, it was very easy to land, even if the
technique is totally the opposite from landing the Russia. The airbrakes are
awesome! It goes together nicely, and after the right wing slides on, I don't need
the assembly lever. The spar pin simply slips into place. I am totally pleased with
this ship, and look forward to many pleasant hours flying her. Thank you both
again.
I picked up the trailer at Oxnard on the 16th of March and
believe that even though I was alone, I set a record for clearing customs, paying the
shipping, hooking up the trailer and driving away - 50 minutes. Tom Wescott
saved hours of potential confusion by pre-wiring a flat 4 adapter for the trailer. I
loaded 2-5 gallon water containers into the equipment bin in the front of the trailer to
give it a little tongue weight. I towed it with a full-size, extended cab, longbed
pickup truck and the rig was very stable. When the fuselage was taken out of the
trailer, I realized that what I have is truly a work of art. Not only the design,
but the attention to detail in the manufacture of the ship is very, very nice. A
non-flying friend assisted and was amazed at the overall quality and careful thought in
every minute detail. Over the next two weeks, the
instruments, electrical and oxygen systems were installed. There is now plenty of
extra wiring running from the instrument pod to the battery box provided by the factory
and we didn't have to run any extra wiring (thanks Jaroslav!). I've built my own
experimental plane (a Moni), worked on lots of Cessna's, Pipers and Beechcrafts over the
last 30 years, and HPH puts them all to shame. All the metal parts are grounded and
alodined. All workmanship is very clean. I'm very impressed.
It really belongs in an art museum, it is that nice. I decided to go with the
Standard Airworthiness Certificate, and have a friend that is an A&P, IA and
CFIG. He did perhaps the most complete annual I've ever taken part in, and my
confidence in #17 is now bulletproof. Two days later, five minutes after arriving,
the DAR was writing my Certificate of Airworthiness. Just before the DAR showed up,
I realized that it was April Fools' Day, and silently prayed for no pranks from
anybody! My friend also signed me off in my log book for insurance purposes. I
was ready, the glider was ready, the only problem was the Santa Ana that had been blowing
hard for three days....
Sunday, April 2, 2000. 12:15 pm #17 takes to
the calm, lift filled skies over Warner Springs. Took a 3,000' tow, released, set
flaps to 0, pulled up the gear. The rudder is more powerful than the Russia I'm used
to flying, and a short while later, I'm re-calibrated, so I experiment with +1 and
+2. Thermalled with a couple of old hang glider pals in a Stemme, ran with them for
a while, got up to 12,000'. I didn't have the 02 charged so I tried -2 and 80-90kts
for 10-15 miles just for grins...Grins it was...After the Russia, it was like flying
around in Starship Enterprise!
I found some clear sky and did some airwork, slow flight and stalls
with different flap setting. At +2 she still is "flying" with full aft
stick and trim. Then I played with the airbrakes. Right then 4W called and
asked how
I liked them. My response was, "It's like flying into a vat of molasses!"
Pretty amazing. I had planned on a 2 hour flight because Sky Sailing was
babysitting my 9 year-old son for me, I didn't have 02, H20 or a snack. In
the remaining 45 minutes, I did wingovers, high-speed thermal entries, and generally
danced around the valley, not even thinking about flying the ship. It's so
nice. All the controls fall to hand and operate very naturally. Most
surprisingly, at 80-90kts with both the canopy vent and panel vent closed, I could hear
myself whisper! I started to worry about how to judge my airspeed in the pattern,its
that quiet. Being an old hang glider pilot, my ears are an airspeed indicator.
However, with the gear down, and the canopy vent opened, there is plenty of indication of
speed.
I was getting hungry and thirsty so it was time to land.
Like Tim advised, "Just do what it says in the flight manual". I think I
had my eyes open, but I might have been holding my breath! A little crosswind and
some
wind gradient mixed in with wind shadow made the last 50' of altitude loss interesting,
but not a problem. I rolled to a stop at my trailer. The divebrakes felt very
natural. Not bad for my first flight in a 15 meter ship.
Rigging has been a mixed bag. The first time she went together very quickly and
smoothly. The spar pin went in so nicely there was a gasp from the crowd. The
next time I tried it solo and needed a little help. On first flight day, I was very
glad that Tom showed up when he did. We got the right wing on, and in my excitement,
pulled the helper lever the wrong way and the wing slid out! Us fools are pretty
ingenious, hence the lack of foolproof
anythings. The irregular terrain and anxiety were probably a factor. Tom did
point out several things to keep an eye on during the assembly that stephened my learning
curve quite a bit. At this point, I'm not concerned with how long it takes me, but
doing it right and not hurting the glider. This entire experience
has been remarkable, from the personal e-mails and .jpgs of my glider from the factory,
all the help from Tim, to the experiences of all the other owners in the 304 newsgroup, it
has been a very nice experience. But now on to what it is all about - lots of hours
in the sky!
Thanks Bill N304BL #17
304/17CZ Wins
Region One Contest
at Sugarbush Vermont!
In only his second ever attempt at competative soaring, Arnd
Wussing, co-owner or 304CZ Ser#3 (the original "1M") recently(6/19/2000 -
6/24/2000)won outright the Region One sports class contest at Sugarbush Vermont. Arnd and
the Glasflügel 304CZ bested some of the very latest gliders from the major manufacturers
despite the heavy .88 handicap imposed with the 17.43 meter wing tip extensions.
Congratulations Arnd!
Contest grid at Sugarbush
#22 Armand Medeiros
Jaroslav,
I received the glider/trailer on July 12th at the port. It was a short
time to hook up the lights and get back on the road. During the pre-drive inspection, no
problems were discovered anywhere. When I got home, we pulled it out and had a better
look! Jaroslav, the glider is FABULOUS! It's BEAUTIFUL! It's GORGEOUS! It's
SUPERB! This is the BEST new glider I have ever seen! The fittings for the winglets
and wing extensions are very well done. The quality of all the options and rigging gear
are excellent!!!!! You and your people have built me a dream come true and that is the
truth! This sailplane is by far the most perfectly built and crafted machine I have ever
seen!
I can't say enough good things about HpH!!!! Your talent and attention to detail
makes Mercedes Benz look like a dead 1959 VW bug. NOTHING about the ship, fittings,
finish, quality is less than perfect!! The brake is perfect!
It feels & works great!
Tim has sent all my instruments and they should arrive soon with the seatbelts and such.
The trailer license plate is N304AM!!!!! Same as my tail numbers!
Thank you Jaroslav...and great thanks to the whole HpH crew! You make the BEST product in
the whole world!
You ALL have made me extremely happy! I will send pictures and such and a report of first
flights when I get all
the parts in and get the CofA taken care of. Until then, Thank You again!
Sincerely, Armand
Submitted by Ron Walker Ser#9
1st Canadian 304CZ!
I received serial #9 in late August and had a terrific fall
soaring season at the Gatineau Gliding Club, located at Pendleton, near Ottawa, Ontario.
My 304CZ, "CZ", is everything and more than I hoped for. The season up
here
in the frozen North was over once the freezing, wet, November gales started blowing (in
October). I managed about 40 flights and am now quite comfortable with the ship.
With the newest, prettiest, classiest, BEST finished ship in the club, I had to face
challenges from an also new Genesis and a couple of old timer ASW20s. We held our
own, (me and CZ), in impromptu glide angle drag races,
first-to-the-top of the thermal, short landing contests and clubhouse bragging. The
competitive spirit is alive and well. With the season over, and me not ready to put CZ
into hibernation, I tookthe opportunity to do a post season check-up, and install gear and
spoiler warning switches. I used magnetic proximity switches. The most
difficult
part was finding a good location to install the switches and fabricating mounts. CZ
and I are extremely lucky to have been adopted by a retired AME who just retired from
flying his Libelle. He did all the work while appearing to let me make important
decisions. "Yes, Bela, I agree, we should use a terminal block instead of
twisting the wires together, etc. etc." During the season I also had a snag with the
rudder/brake peddle locking mechanism. It wasn't critical, so I waited until season
was over and shipped the mechanism back to HpH, and thanks to Jaroslav, it was returned,
fixed, within days. (Jaroslav... it has been re-installed and works fine. Thanks for
the quick turnaround and excellent service support!) I am very interested in a trip to
Sedona or Alberta or anywhere flyers soar., and, life obligations permitting, will do my
best to be there. I amplanning to be at Seminole Glider Port during the week of
February 13 - 19th for a week of soaring. So if anyone else is interested in
making it into a mini-gathering I'd be delighted to meet you there.
Regards Ron Walker
Submitted by Dean Stauffert Ser#10
I am the recent owner of a new Glasflügel 304 CZ
sailplane. The quality is outstanding and when I opened the trailer it was just one
positive experience after another. Tim Mara of "Wings and Wheels" and Jaroslav
Potmesil of "HpH Ltd." are excellent to work with and I wish to thank them for
bringing such a gorgeous sailplane to North America. Should soon have the CofR and CofA
from Transport Canada and can go flying. Can't wait!
Dean Stauffert
Submitted by John Weber Ser#12
When we opened the box, I was blown away! The quality of the finish is better than I
expected, and remember, I spent the effort to visit the factory. After a long drive from
Baltimore to Bluffton (to install the instruments, do the paper etc) my mechanic there
(Mike Shade of Grob fame) wanted to take a peek before we left. We pulled out the
fuselage, and he was IMPRESSED! Not just the fit and finish, but also the quality
and care in the mechanical fittings. The covers were not on the plane, so I
got out the canopy cover, and lo and behold, it is canvass on the outside and felt on the
inside ... again better than expected. I cannot wait for the instruments and paper to GO
FLYING!
John
Finally got a decent flight (missed Saturday's good weather ... work interfering with the
important stuff again), but on Sunday, managed two flights for about 3 hours ... never got
above 2500 AGL, but had a ball, and did some mighty fine scratching. Love the ship,
thermals very nicely and runs like hell. Being low, never got a chance to really run
it up, but sure had fun. Very stable, very comfortable (once I got a couple of
things figured out). Came in quite high with the "second flight nerves"
and a power pilot deciding to do a touch and go on the cross runway ...loved the spoilers
... saved me from a red face!
I can see many hours of great fun ahead. Lots of admiring glances from fellow
jealous pilots. One of our guys had a brand new SZD 55 he was pulling out of the
box, but it couldn't compete with the 304 for sheer cool.
John Weber
Ted Grussing "AZ2" Ser# 14
Well, I picked up AZ2 at the docks in Port Hueneme yesterday morning, cleared customs and
Wallenius in 30 minutes flat. A quick? fix of the wiring at UHaul and on my way to Warner
Springs where Tom Wescott (#5) was
going to help me assemble it for the first time. Some well meaning individual had
discarded a saber saw blade along the way and the right rear tire of my van picked it up -
two hours later I continued on my trip to Warner Springs, but arrived to late to assemble
mine - Tom already hadhis out so he instructed me on his. Thanks Tom, it was a real help.
I guess I should make some comments about my new toy. I'm having trouble thinking of
something to write. All comments from new owners before me told tales of perfection in
finish and detail; they told of how other owners drooled over their new ship (I had a
towel with me when I showed it off this morning just in case), all comments have loaded
with nothing but superlatives. So what can I add? Nothing - absolutely nothing. The ship
is perfection in every respect; I had it at Turf this morning and many seasoned
pilots and private owners did drool - damn good
thing I had a towel handy! I seriously thought about borrowing some rope to use for a
seatbelt and the hell with instruments ( I do fly back seat in 2-33's so who needs them
anyway?)and an airworthiness certificate, but they prevailed on me not to do it So I spent
an hour in the air in the PW5 I used to own. I did sit in AZ2, and waited until the canopy
was closed and no one was around to make airplane noises. Thanks Jaroslav, Thanks Tim.
This ship is everything I had hoped for and I do not have any idea on how it could
be a more finely detailed ship. Now the project is to get instruments in it and the
certificate - stay tuned.
Ted
Ted Grussing
First Flight Comments
Today was a great and wonderful day as I flew 304AZ for the
first and second time. In some respects I was actually disappointed - after all it is a
high performance ship, flaps and all and I was expecting...well I am not sure what I was
expecting. I certainly did not expect to fly a ship that is lighter on the controls than
the PW5 I was flying, but it
is, or easier to fly than anything I have ever been in. It also sets up in a thermal very
well (I was doing good to get 1/2kt thermals today) and when trimmed out just sits there
with no control inputs, The negative flap to positive transition on takeoff is no big
deal, and also used negative flaps on landing after my speed was down and didn't drop a
wing on either landing. The roll rate is phenomenal and there is no tendency to drop the
nose when cranking into steep turns (60+ degrees). The stall is docile and I
couldn't really get a decent spin out of it. The limited aerobatics maneuvers available
are fun and a great way toburn off altitude.
This actually is the easiest sailplane to fly, that I have ever flown. It is
like a fine tuned race car and the transitions between flap settings are very natural. The
first landing I came in very high (600' on final) and deployed the air brakes fully - I
landed well short of where I had aimed - it is like riding an elevator. Second landing I
knew
what to expect and pretty well nailed it.
I had a lot of great advice and help from Walt Konechny (hope I have it spelled right) who
was down at Turf today. Walt and I exchanged a number of lively postings to r.a.s. a
couple of years ago on the subject of the PW5 and World Class concept. I was really glad
to finally meet him and discover what a truly neat guy he is. I can't thank him enough for
all the help and advice he gave me today. I also think he is interested in a 304CZ, so
will be adding him to the group soon. Thanks too for the compliments he gave me on my
flying skills.
The 304CZ is simply an amazing sailplane - today was like every Christmas I have ever had
all rolled up into one package - I still have a grin from ear to ear and do not believe it
will ever go away. I am planning my next flights to be out of Sedona. The 304CZ is so easy
to fly and control that I feel much better with it out of here than I ever
did the PW5.
I'll have many more comments later, but I am very tired and just got home (10:20PM MST)
The photo's attached are of me in 304AZ while waiting for takeoff, my landing and after I
came to a stop. Still saying wow!!! First flight was 1 hour 10 minutes - second flight 27
minutes (aerobatics and high speed running burn off altitude). Thanks to Walt for
taking the photographs too.
Ted
From : Arnd Wussing
(1/2 owner of the former "1M" Ser#3)
Although Rick and I share ownership in N304CZ or "1M" I had not had a chance to
fly it until last weekend. My work keeps me moving about quite and although I have an
LS-4a in my other home (Phoenix, AZ) whenever I show up there I get stopped when rigging
the ship by well-meaning standers-by - "Hey, you - who are you and why are you
setting up Kirk's S4?" (Kirk is my\ partner in S4, but I haven't forced him to cough
up his half yet because I
didn't want to relinquish control of a find LS-4). I think that the situation will most
likely happen with the 304CZ in Boston, too. Perhaps I should get Rick to send me a signed
piece of paper that I can flash to those who wish to stop me from absconding with Rick's
ship <g>.
Anyway, I flew into Boston last Friday on a week's business trip from Germany, my current
abode. Normally Boston is under a couple of feet of snow in sub-zero temperatures this
time of year but the weather patterns have
changed somewhat and last Saturday was a beautiful day with temperatures in the low 40's
and a stiff breeze coming down the Sterling, MA runway. Rick had spent almost the whole
week sending out e-mails to our potential
tow-pilots and badgering them to provide "poor Arnd" with a tow. The good New
England weather brought out a number of die-hards and both clubs (MITSA and GBSC) had a
number of misguided souls waiting to fly the club ships.
By the time I showed up Rick had already raised the clamshell trailer and I beheld 1M in
all it's shiny glory - a wonderful sight! Belatedly Rick informed that the ship already
had a gelcoat problem and even though he pointed it out to me I had trouble finding the
small fisheye on the top of the fuselage; I can certainly live with this type of problem!
The wings, albeit heavy, went in relatively easily and the little gidget/gadget that pulls
the halves together certainly makes rigging a lot easier. Automatic hookups are such a
wonderful thing!
While rigging and preflighting the ship I took a good look at what I could see of the
hidden workings and must agree with all the other owners that the workmanship is excellent
and is superior to all other ships I've flown or looked at (and while shopping for a new
ship I looked at a number of the "brand" names). Being a German and somewhat
finicky (I believe that the Americans call this "AR") this is high praise for me
indeed. Again, as others have mentioned before, the cockpit is comfortable and roomy and
the ergonomics of the parallelogram stick and flaps/spoilers are very nice. The release
knob and the seat adjuster might not be optimally placed, but the
canopy hinges and emergency release position more than make up for it.
My first takeoff was done with a couple of knots of headwind so I decided to use the
"KISS" principle and use a +1 flap setting - this decision was made easier as
Rick had promised to run my wing and had a vested interested in ensuring a good run. The
takeoff thrilled me - the ailerons controlled roll even at low speeds and the elevator,
albeit very sensitive, had enough control force to let me fly behind the towplane without
having toconsciously move the controls.
I soon noticed that my attitude to the towplane was pretty low and it took me a while to
figure out that I had inadvertently knocked the flap setting to -1 during the tow, once I
reset to +1 my relative position once again
settled to what I was expecting. I think that Rick has already posted something about the
flap settings. What I found nice was that the flap forces were minimal and I could set
them to an "unlocked" position and they
would remain there.
At 1000' AGL I tried to raise the gear; this is part of my personal procedure - I cycle
the gear at pattern altitude. This was a mistake, as the gear is on the right-hand side of
the cockpit and trying to keep position on tow while flying with the "weaker"
hand and simultaneously trying to overcome the rather strong gear forces was a bit more
than I could handle. BTW, I think that the cutouts for the gear lever should be
reinforced, as even on 1M the forward and aft stops for the gear are already showing signs
of wear.
Rick and the others had mentioned wave flying during the winter and I had not really
heeded their talk, as Mount Wachusetts, the ostensible wave provider, was only a single
knobby hill rising something like 1500 feet above the gliderport elevation at a distance
of about 6 miles. I figured that even if the wind were to be coming from the WNW it would
prefer to slip around the hill instead of forming a nice downwind wave pattern. But on tow
I hit some relatively violent bumps (Ted, it is sort of like being on tow at Turf on a
thermally active day) and thought that I might be in luck after all. I was.
My first flight on 1M was about 1:40 minutes long and I managed to play quite a bit. I
didn't find wave, but I did find elongated thermals that might have been triggered off by
pneumatic action. No matter what they were, they allowed me to practice stalls at all flap
settings, I tried to get a good spin at different flap setting to no avail, I merely
picked up speed and G-forces. [Don't tell Rick about this part] After a one particularly
high-speed spiral I realized that I had enough speed and went through and looped her; then
did left and right wingovers/chandelles to finish off the routine. I didn't do much more
but the roll rate and general responsiveness at all speeds really impressed me. The 304
handled beautifully and the skiers on Mt. Wachusetts certainly got a kick out of it, too.
I came into the pattern at 1500' AGL so that I would have lots of time to play with the
flaps and trailing-edge spoilers. The slip didn't seem to do much, but I really didn't
expect it to. With a +2 setting and full spoilers
I felt as if I could point the nose straight down at the ground and not pick up speed
(sort of like pulling spoilers on a 1-26); but I couldn't do this for very long as my sink
rate got pretty high. As Sterling is a big field I set my spoilers to about 3/4 and let
gravity and drag do it's work. The landing wasn't too hot, as I ballooned a couple feet
and appreciated the cushioning of the big main wheel (don't tell Rick about the landing,
either...).
The second flight of the day was much shorter and I am pleased to announce that the
landing went much better. I flew back from Mt. Wachusetts with Bob Salvo and his Genesis
II (the one that will show up in Dick Johnson's newest flight report). For the 7 mile
final glide I set the flaps to 0 and we flew at exactly 50Knots the whole way. Bob started
off slightly below me and that is exactly the same position in which we reached the
gliderport; but since
Bob had installed a number of blowholes at the critical part of his wing I suspect that
the 304 might have bested an unmodified Genesis II at this speed.
Day 2, Sunday, was a fantastic experience for me. I convinced Rick to let us mount the 17M
extensions (mainly because I knew that I wouldn't get another chance for a couple of
months). This time I used the flaps as recommended on takeoff, but I think that with any
headwind component or an energetic wingrunner even that might not be necessary, and was
amazed at the handling characteristics - essentially identical to the 15M version with
wingtips! After releasing from a high tow I played around with stalls at different flap
settings again and was absolutely amazed at the handling, the only difference was that it
was a bit tougher to keep that yaw string pointed
back; but since I tend not to be able to do that even in normal conditions that didn't
bother me at all!
And, to make things even better, after losing altitude over the mountain while playing
with the 17M version I decided to fly back for a landing and I flew downwind from the
mountain. Much to my surprise I found a thermal and
had barely circled twice in the smooth lift when a Lennie formed right beneath me!!! I
cruised the leading edge of this beautiful cloud while gaining altitude and realized that
I was, for the first time in my soaring experience, in real WAVE! I explored the wave
pattern for a while, trying to get from the secondary to the primary (didn't work, but I
made it back and the 2-33 didn't. I guess those 17m wing extensions are worth something
after all...). After a lengthy flight my toes began to freeze despite hefty wiggling, so I
radioed back to Rick and generously offered to return to the gliderport and let him have a
go at it. He agreed and also got his first flight the 17m configuration.
All told I am more than satisfied with the 304CZ and think that it is one of the few
gliders on the marketplace that actually deliver what it promises -price/performance,
workmanship, handling, ease-of-use, ergonomics. And with
the workmanship that I've seen I am certain that it will age more gracefully than many
other GRP ships.
Even though it is a 15m flapped ship I haven't found any bad habits that would prevent me
from thinking it safe for a relatively inexperienced pilot to fly; it's stalls and
incipient spins are more noticeable than many other
gliders I've flown, including some trainers.
-Arnd (A very happy owner)
John Weber 1st. Flight
Finally got enough of a break from work/travel, and the sun shone, so I punted from work,
and got my first flight in the 304. Unfortunately no lift, but a very sunny
and windy day. Got a chance to refresh my flying skills in something a little more
responsive than the Stemme. Great flight, great airplane, great great great.
Got a high tow and managed forty minutes of fast/slow/stalls etc. Dive brakes are
great. I used to have a Pik with the 90 degree flap and this may be better. A
couple of moreflights, and I might even use less than half the state to land. Heel
brakes no problem except a slight tendency to pull back on the stick when pushing with the
heels.
Again a couple of flights will cure (almost) all.I could not be more pleased.
Another proud and vocal 304 cult member.
John
ROLF SIEBERT Ser# 15 First flight
I was finally able to fly the bird on Saturday after all the required check-outs and
paperwork was completed. Had to get back to Dallas by early afternoon so I could
only fly when the lift was starting to develop. Three flights of 25min., 20 min, and
50 min. respectively. Fantastic!!!
Since this was my first experience with a single place high performance ship, I have
nothing to compare it with but, I thought that the plane almost flew itself and I did not
have any problems at all handling it.
304CZ "4W" Ser #5
Owned By Tom Wescott of San Diego, California
Back to Owners Page 2
Back to Owners Page 1
READ DICK JOHNSON'S TEST OF THE 304CZ
PLUS ADDITIONAL COMMENTS FROM
DEAN CARSWELL ON FLYING THE 304CZ
AND DAVE WELLES ON CONTEST FLYING IN THE 304CZ
Photos from HpH Ltd.
Manufacturers of the Glasflugel 304CZ
Glasflugel 304C
Back to Glasflugel 304CZ Pages
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