Suppose somebody could build a two-seat sailplane of about 16-meter span. Using conventional steel tube and wood technology to hold costs down to maybe a third those of a fiber¬glass ship, and still come up with an L/D of 32:1 and a minimum sink of 128 fpm at a gross weight of 1235 pounds? We11, somebody has.
The Brazilian company Industria Paranaense de Estruturas has evolved the design of its two-seat Nhapecan II out of a line of earlier single-seat ships built lo quantity for Brazilian flying clubs, the military and private owners. The accompanying photo, provided by Eng. J.C. Boscardin, shows the number two prototype flying in May, 1984. The ship has fiberglass skin o the area of the cockpit, but apart from the basic steel tube and wood structure no details were supplied on construc¬tion. Empty weight is given as 750 lbs., and speeds for best L/D and minimum sink are 55 mph and 43 mph respectively. Stall Speed is 36 mph.

Revista Soaring de 08/84