Alisport Silent Club

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**Silent Club**
A Silent Club towed by an Ultralight.
Type designation	Silent Club pure
Competition class	FAI DU Class
Number built	ca. 80
Crew	1
Length	6.35 m (20.8 ft)
Height	1.25 m (4.1 ft)
Cockpit width	0.63 m (2.1 ft)
Cockpit height	0.91 m (3 ft)
Wingspan	12 m (39.4 ft)
Wing area	10.3 m² (111 sq ft)
Aspect ratio	14.0
Wing profile	IMD 002 (18%)
Empty mass	125 kg
Maximum mass	290 kg (640 lb)
Wing loading	34 kg/m² (6.96 lb/sq ft)
Maximum speed	200 km/h (124 knots)
Speed in rough air	135 km/h (73 knots)
Stall speed	62 km/h (34 knots)
Minimum sink rate	0.70 m/s at 70 km/h (138 ft/min at 46 knots)
Best glide ratio	31 at 85 km/h (46 knots)
Roll rate	4 s at 80 km/h (43 knots) -45° to +45° bank

The Silent Club is a single seater sailplane of Italian manufacture. It is of the FAI type DU Class glider. It is sold by Alisport ready-to-fly or kit-built as pure glider or self-launching glider. The self-launching version is fitted with a single-blade propeller belt-driven by a two-stroke engine.

1 Design and construction
2 Safety and operational qualities
3 Versions
4 Sources

[edit] Design and construction

The fuselage is carbon and glass fiber composite with epoxy resin.
The wings spans 12 meters without winglets.
The flaperons stretch for 10.0 meters of the full wingspan.
Schempp-Hirth-type spoilers extend on the upper wing surface only.
Fixed or retractable main wheel behind the pilot, with shock absorber and drum brake activated via spoiler control lever aft travel.

[edit] Safety and operational qualities

The Silent Club has light ailerons, light elevator, generous rudder. The roll rate is quick because of the lively feel of the ailerons.
Stall is predictable and recovery simple. In level flight as airspeed is reduced when approaching the stall speed the sailplane vibrate a little, at this point decreasing the angle of attack results in airspeed increase and normal flight resume, from a climbing attitude the sailplane stall decisively, the nose pitch down gently and recovery is easy with stick forward.
Spin entry is obvious and recovered with rudder and stick.

[edit] Versions

There are three versions of the Silent Gliders.
The Silent Club version has 12 meter wingspan.
The Silent 2 version has 13 meter wingspan.
The Silent 2 Targa version 13.3 meter wingspan and a special elevator.