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In 2003 Moyes introduced carbon fibre tip wands to their high performance line
of gliders.
The tip wand is the final connection between the frame and sail and therefore is
a vital element to the performance and handling of a glider.
The further outboard the part, the more important weight reduction becomes.
Carbon serves this purpose well and even just holding them in your hand the
advantage over fibreglass is clear.
Choosing such a stiff fibre to create the strong lines of the famous Moyes
curved tip was not a trivial task. Many ideas and prototypes were thoroughly
tested until the Moyes R&D team were satisfied that every last iota of material
performance had been realized.
In thermals the lightness and stiffness of these carbon tip wands creates a
direct and connected feel, which helps the pilot feel every nuance of the air
and follow meandering cores. During glides the stiffness of carbon holds the
sail flat at all speeds for impressive performance.
Moyes carbon fibre tip wands
are hand‐laid onto a mandrel and tension wound to consolidate the laminate.
Following a cure cycle at 120 degrees Celsius, they are accurately weighed and
paired so that each pair has equal stiffness.
Two stiffness grades are produced
for different applications and pilot preferences and are marked with a coloured
dot. Red indicates normal stiffness and Yellow indicates extra stiff. This dot
is at the tip of each wand and indicates the backbone of the wand. Ideally one
should insert the wand with the dot pointing backwards to position the backbone
on the compression side of the bent tip wand. One should always use the same
orientation each day otherwise the glider may show a slight turn preference to
one side.
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