LightSpeed review
I'm the proud owner of a new production model Moyes Lightspeed with about 20 hours of spring thermaling on it so far. Although I will try not to be intentionally biased I have a long history of flying Moyes gliders dating back to 1982 when I bought my first glider - a Mars. In recent years I have divided my time more or less equally between working as a doctor and a hang glider instructor/air junkie. I have the opportunity to regularly test fly a wide variety of gliders and in the last year have flown more than a dozen different types and sizes from various manufacturers. At one time or another I have flown most, if not all, the different Moyes curved tip gliders. My last three personal gliders were an Xtralite, CSX and now a Lightspeed. I still own and fly the Xtralite so it provides a fairly constant reference point. BTW I also own a FUN floater which is a blast and often my glider of choice.
Presentation
Currently only an all mylar glider is available. This uses the PX10 cloth which can be seen on the leading edges of most recent Moyes HP gliders for both the LE and mainsail. According to Steve Moyes experience has shown that this new mylar cloth has been lasting really well unlike some of the older style mylars - time will tell. At this stage only a large 155 sq ft size is HGMA certified and in production. Gerolf Heinrichs, who helped develop the 155 is currently hard at work on the small 140 size - if development proceeds as expected it should be available towards the middle of your northern spring or early summer.
The glider comes in a medium weight bag about half way between a light XC bag and the old heavy duty Moyes bags. It packs down small to fit into tight harnesses. There is plenty of padding supplied and a new batten bag which is a straight R&D (rip off & duplicate) of the Laminar half bag where there are 4 sections for L&R undersurface and top battens. This makes setting up a bit quicker but of course you pay for it at the other end when packing up - I think I like it.
Neither a batten profile nor a manual was available when I got my glider but it was in the initial production batch. Doubtless this will soon be (or already has been) rectified as Moyes have always provided good documentation with their gliders although it has typically lagged a few months behind the first gliders of a new model. They also have online manuals for their CSX and SX gliders . You can check it out at www.moyes.com.au.
I took possession of my glider un-test flown and trimmed it myself. It flew fairly straight and required minimal tweaking to get it going very nicely. The 4 individually adjustable sprogs make tuning easy (provided you know what you're doing of course). Moyes normally test fly their gliders and correctly trim them before shipment as standard.
Construction Fit and Finish
The glider is typical Moyes and shares much of the hardware used on the SX and CSX. Bailey blocks and a stainless rings and shackle are used for the nose catch and pullback respectively. The A frame retains the 1/4 inch AN4 bolt, castle nut and safety pin instead of using a PIP pin, however because of the orientation on the bolt hole through the airfoil speedbar (vertical) a PIP pin is probably not a safe option as it would be in contact with the ground during setup and could possibly be pushed out.
A new addition is the inclusion of an aluminium airfoil speedbar as standard with new corner knuckles forged to suit. This completes probably the cleanest low drag A frame currently available on a stock glider although it just lags behind the superb Wills Wing Carbon A Frame available as an option on the Fusion. There is little doubt that an airfoil speedbar is essential on a topless glider to maximise performance. Moyes promote the advantages of using an alloy speedbar because of its superior strength and impact resistance over carbon as well as its affordable price - but hey I'm biased. I designed, manufacture and sell these to Moyes.
The glider uses 1x19 5/64 front and rear wires (attached a the A-frame corners) and 1x19 3/32 side wires. All these wires are uncoated to minimise drag and because they are 1x19 they are prone to kinking and must therefore be carefully packed. For those of you who don't know 1x19 means the wire is made of 19 strands of stainless steel in 1 single bundle. 7x7 (7 bundles of 7 strands) is more commonly used as it is more flexible but it is also considerably weaker. 7x19 is still more flexible and weaker that 7x7.
The centre section is a slightly modified version of the CNC milled alloy unit used in the later CSXs. The cross tubes are made from pre-preg carbon/epoxy to a very high standard. Pre preg is superior to wet lay up as it ensures optimal resin to fibre ratio, consistent quality control and high temperature resistance. They have a new lay up schedule and taper which Moyes claims makes them lighter AND stronger. The new taper is designed to prevent the cross tubes interfering with the movement of the sail.
The VG system has been modified with even more pulleys to provide extra mechanical advantage. Ratios aside it takes 4-5 good handfuls to pull the VG on with much lighter pressures than say an Xtralite. When the VG is pulled on the movement of the cross bars and a cable brace system causes the inboard sprog to drop down by 4 inches. This increases efficiency by decreasing twist and from the pitch testing results does not place the pitch outside the "safe" envelope. It does result in the glider having some unusual pitch characteristics (see later section).
The sail is very nicely finished with the trailing edge folded under to secure the spring tip battens. Internally there are numerous shear webs and internal ribs. The batten pockets are stitched on both sides of the batten - this is said to better define the airfoil. The fit of the nose cone is not as good as it could be with small gaps evident laterally - this relates to the cut of the cone and while fairly trivial should be fixed as airflow over the centre section of the wing is critical. Apparently it takes about 25 hours to make one sail!
The spring tip battens have had much heavier springs put in them. They do get easier to put in but you get a sore thumb the first few times. The battens themselves are 7075 instead of the traditional Moyes 6061. The advantages of 7075 are lighter weight and the fact that once bent they stay bent. Regular batten re-profiling should be a thing of the past with these gliders.
Moyes gliders have a (well deserved) reputation for being robust but they are traditionally quite heavy. In my experience all manufacturers claimed weights tends to be about 2kg (4.4lbs) less than what I have found in reality. The claimed weight of the Lightspeed is 35kg (77 lbs). This falls in between the claimed weight for an Xtralite 147 at 33kg (73 lbs) and a CSX at 37kg (82 lbs). Because bathroom scales are notoriously inaccurate I will just comment that the Lightspeed feels slightly heavier than an Xtralite and slightly lighter than a CSX. It is still not a light glider, but then none of the topless gliders are. I did actually weigh my CSX in the Moyes factory, on their scales, and found it weighed 40kg (88 lbs) although to be fair this was in the bag with all pack up gear - but hey I just stick that pack up gear in my harness anyway ; )
All in all the fit and finish is of the high quality expected from a major manufacturer.
Set Up
Not much to report here. Open the bag. Attach the speedbar using the bolt/castle nut/safety pin. Flip it over. Clip on the nose wires. Open the wings. Stuff in the first 6-7 upper surface battens on each side. Pull the tension on and clip the shackle into the Bailey block - the pullback is stiff with a lot of friction on the centre slider as opposed to being really tight and needing a stick or extra pulley to do it aka some other gliders.
A word of warning. The pull back is so stiff (high friction) on these topless gliders that they will sit there, wings open WITHOUT the shackle clipped in. I have seen one pilot try to take off without the pullback engaged (stopped by other pilots) and have a friend who tried a dolly launch without the pullback locked in (the wings folded back at about 40mph, he came off the dolly and dislocated an elbow). Moral. Preflight.
Once the tension is on, the tip wands go in and are tensioned with cams. For anyone who does not know the technique you put the tip wand into its cup on the leading edge. Next stand in front of the glider facing the leading edge. Make sure the cam is facing out (in its loose position with the string the most outboard part) and the little plastic cup which accepts the end of the tip wand is facing in. For the R tip you place your R (inboard) hand on the LE/tip wand junction. You then slide the cam outboard along the tip wand using your L (outboard) hand. The tip will pop into the cup on the cam with minimal effort and all that remains is to tension the cam and do up the zip. I struggled with the tips on these gliders for years before someone showed me this technique.
Once the tip wands are in you can stuff in the remainder of the upper surface battens.
At some stage you will need to set the sprogs. Probably my least favourite part of owning a topless is setting them up tail to wind in a fresh breeze. Without reflex bridles the trailing edge is pushed onto the ground at around the #6/7 battens. It is hard to get the inner sprog in until at least the #6 and preferably the #7 batten are in. The problem is that the plastic spring tips battens do not like being ground into the dirt by the wind. I know quite a few pilots who have had these plastic parts break. They are easy to fix but it is a bit of a pain. Get a spare or two with the glider. All topless gliders suffer from this problem and there is no easy solution. In wind I get the inner sprog in after the #6 batten which lifts the trailing edge clear of the ground.
In nil wind setting the sprogs is a breeze. Using the kick stand on the keel to lift the trailing edge up to a convenient height shove all the upper surface battens into their pockets, swing the sprogs into place, slip their retaining straps around them and then do up the zips (the zips have to be undone all the way for pack up as the sprogs can not go inside the sail due to the extensive internal ribs.)
The US battens go into their pockets through a small hole in the US and a go all the way in leaving a small string projecting for retrieval (R&D from the Airborne Shark).
Handling and Performance
Finally the juicy bit. Short summary: This is a great glider. I like it.
Take offs
I have always found topless glider take offs very solid. The massive inertia of the spars seems to help keep the wings level provided they started that way. In light winds you notice the weight for the first few steps. The glider floats up at a surprisingly low airspeed and has excellent pitch feedback (more on this later). Statically it is slightly tail heavy which has become the favoured glider balance. Rating: Excellent
Pitch
You have to divide the pitch into two parts because of the sprog droppers which are activated by pulling on the VG.
With VG off the pitch is incredibly solid. It is just like a training glider. Really! The trim position is very solid. Pushing out results in steadily increasing bar pressure until the stall. Likewise pulling in results in a steady and very progressive increase in bar pressure. If anything I find the bar pressure too much when I pull in. In turbulence the CSX feels like it is wallowing in pitch, like a car without shockers on a rough road. This wallow is completely absent in the Lightspeed. Rating: Excellent
With VG on the pitch is very light. There is a very large change in trim speed when the VG is pulled on. The glider speeds up and trims at about 40mph will full VG on. This is around best glide so is convenient for comp pilots who fly around this speed a lot. It does feel weird initially. Each handful off VG you pull on causes the bar to come in towards you and the glider to speed up. While it feels a little spooky at first you quickly get used to it. With VG full on the pitch is still solid but very light. It is possible to sustain in excess of 70mph continuously according to my BGC 99. Rating: Good solid pitch, trim change initially spooky.
The weirdest feeling comes when you let the VG off. Because the trim position and bar pressures are so different VG on and off I found that when letting the VG off the strong pull out of the bar was quite disconcerting. It initially felt to me that the glider wanted to pitch up into a loop as I let the VG off. This feeling is part imagination, part reality. Letting the VG off changes the trim speed so the glider wants to slow down from ~40mph to closer to ~24mph so you can not just dump the VG because the glider will pitch up and climb strongly. The other part of this feeling is that the pitch pressures increase as the VG is let off so if you hold the bar in and let the VG off what you feel is increasing pitch pressure. Rating: Can live with it.
Stall/Spin
VG off this glider looks like a GTR i.e. mucho twist. In fact the sail is so loose in the centre section I will almost guarantee at least one well intentioned fellow pilot will come over and ask if you have got the tension on! In this configuration the stall is gentle and the glider difficult to spin. There is plenty of feedback approaching the stall. When I transitioned from the Xtralite to the CSX the lower stall speed of the CSX was enough to be quite obvious. Somewhat amazingly Moyes have once again lowered the stall speed with the Lightspeed. You really notice this low stall speed on landing - the glider just seems to want to float on forever. Going back to my Xtralite I have to remind myself it doesn't float forever (or it reminds me - Whack). With my instruments, weight etc the IAS at stall are around 22mph (Lightspeed 155), 24mph (CSX 153), 26mph (Xtralite 147). To be fair my Xtralite is slightly smaller. Rating: Excellent
VG on the glider is Very flat. The stall is brisk. The glider will spin easily. Rating: Typical HP glider.
NB Spin entry is via the usual shallow bank, push out, high side +/- yaw input method.
Roll
VG off Roll pressures are light-moderate. They are a bit heavier than a CSX (which was very light) and a bit lighter than an Xtralite (which was moderate). Co-ordination is excellent with a little push out required. Lag is typical of a glider with this span i.e. enough to notice it. Minimal requirement for high siding. Rating: Good (Excellent for a HP glider)
VG on it becomes a different beast. It flies straight pretty well at trim speed (40mph) and above, indeed it is much less demanding to fly straight than a CSX or Xtralite. When you pull the VG it just seems to accelerate with no increase in sink rate. At high speeds it rolls OK if rather sluggishly. At low speed with VG on it is a pig. It is very heavy to roll, sluggish, and coordinates poorly. Rating: Good for straight flight, Poor for circling flight.
Yaw Stability
The Lightspeed is a typical curved tip glider - it skates (yaws) around a bit. It is hard for me to tell because I am so used to it now but I think it skates a bit less than the CSX. It is definitely more user friendly at high speed with the VG on than either a CSX or Xtralite.
If you roll a CSX and pull the bar in it falls out of the sky sideways i.e. it will side slip for quite a while before the nose yaws around and it begins to coordinate a turn (spiral dive). The Lightspeed is fairly similar although probably a bit more yaw stable i.e. it coordinates a bit quicker. This characteristic can be a dangerous vice for the unwary or a useful attribute to get the glider into a short field surrounded by trees. Rating: OK. Potentially useful. Potentially dangerous for the uninitiated.
Thermaling
VG off it is almost auto coring. Easy to flick into the core. Will accept brief periods of extreme bar push out without stall/spin - makes it possible to step up over other gliders by shoving the bar out in the core. Minimal high side requirement. Excellent feedback especially in pitch. Rating: Excellent
VG on. Won't turn at low speed, doesn't coordinate turns well, wants to fly at 40mph, tries to spin, gets spat out. Rating: Forget it. Maybe with more practice...
Towing
Curved tip gliders are relatively hard to tow. The Lightspeed is marginally easier than a CSX and a bit harder than an Xtralite. All these gliders are much harder than any of Falcon, FUN, Mars, Sting, XT, Sonic, Blade, Shark.......
Unlike the Xtralite and CSX pulling a little VG on (1/4-1/3) makes the Lightspeed harder to tow rather than easier. I strongly recommend you tow with no VG to start. By all means experiment at altitude. Rating: Definitely not for the faint hearted, non current or the inexperienced.
Landing
Topless gliders have a lot of inertia out at the tips and don't like doing low turns. Give this glider a straight final and it lands very easily with a wide flare window and an easy nose pitch up. These topless gliders have a lot of inertia and take some stopping. A confident full flare is mandatory in light winds and will result in a no step landing if properly executed. If you habitually run your landings out you may find landing a challenge. The low stall speed is definitely a bonus.
As well a possessing a lot of inertia topless gliders are also very flat and will spin if prompted. Try a beach style landing i.e. crosswind with very low turn into wind, high side to level wings and flare and you may well be surprised with a rapid 180 as the glider spins in. Seen it done on a CSX by our national number 2 pilot who has over 1000 hours (smashed the carbon base tube I made him too).
Rating: Good
Performance
Shit hot. Sink rate/thermal climb rate is similar to the CSX i.e. very good. Its just a pity you can't easily thermal with the VG on or else it would be awesome.
Glide is much better than a CSX. Noticeably better. Gliding with a friend in a CSX who has exactly the same harness (Moyes extreme) I took about 2-300 feet out of him every inter thermal glide which was good because he always out climbs me by slightly less than that amount! Gave him the shits leaving above me and arriving below. Time after time. Tee Hee. He's ordered a Lightspeed.
Summary
This glider puts Moyes back to the forefront of the competitive glider scene. Competition gliders are not for everyone and while the Lightspeed does have some vices and handling quirks the overall package is pretty good. It has significantly better glide performance than the CSX although I must confess to really liking the CSXs extremely light handling. The comparative performance of the Lightspeed in the recent Brazilian Nationals (their first major outing) seemed to show Moyes have once again eclipsed Icaro's Laminar as the best performing comp glider. In this comp Joel Rebecchi (1st) and Nene "Rotor" (2nd) flying Lightspeeds convincingly beat Andre Wolf (3rd) and Beto Schmitz (4th) flying their worlds tuned Laminar STs. The Lightspeeds won every day. Luck perhaps, but then again Andre Wolf (2nd to Manfred in this years worlds) has just taken possession of his new glider........... a Lightspeed.
Safe Flying
Doc