Flight Manual LS1-f
Issued May 2011
4.12
Copyright DG Flugzeugbau GmbH - any copy or publishing prohibited
4.4.5
Flight with water ballast
Recommended ballast for smooth thermals:
rate
of
climb
ballast
m/s
fpm
litres
U.S.
gallons
below 1
200
none
1 – 2
200 - 400
30
8
2 - 4
400 - 800
60
16
more than
4
800
max. ballast
Do not exceed the maximum gross weight when loading water ballast. The
maximum quantity of water allowed depends on empty weight and cockpit
load (see section 6).
Warning:
If there is the risk of freezing, dump all water before you reach
freezing altitude, latest at +2°C (36°F), or descend to lower altitudes.
Don’t dump water below freezing temperature as the water will freeze behind
the valve and thus you can dump only a part of the ballast
Frozen water along the aft fuselage boom may shift the C.G. behind the rear
limit.
Water ballast raises the approach speed, so it is recommended to dump the
waterballast before landing. Dump the ballast before an outlanding in any case.
Filling the waterballast
See sections 4.2.3. During filling level the wings and check if the dump
valves are tight. It is not allowed to fly with leaking watertanks as this may
result in an asymmetric loading condition.
Dumping of the waterballast
See section 4.2.4.
In flight the water drains at approx. 0.75 lt./sec. (1.65 lbs./sec).
Caution:
As the water drains through the landing gear box always extend the
landing gear prior to dumping the water. Otherwise the landing gear box will be
filled with water and the wheel brake might become wet and will not brake
sufficiently.