I can’t resist the temptation to squeeze in a few non-JS3 pictures. Last week Friday I maidened my 1:3.5 Chocofly Diana2. This plane is the exact copy of the Diana 2 that was designed by members of our JS3 team now almost ten years ago (using the same wing design, profile and fuselage), and of which I already built one from scratch last year and had a lot of fun flying it since. My new Diana2 is the Chocofly pre-production heavy slope version. With 6.3kgs it is heavier than my scratch-built Diana 2 (5.8kg), but also a very robust slope racer – looking forward to putting this one through its paces on one of our nearby slopes soon.
We also had a family excursion of our full set of scratch built Dianas, me flying my refurbished 14-year old Diana1 (SZD 56.1), built by Richie, Richie flying his 1:3 Diana 2, and Georg his 1:3.5 Diana 2. Bliss. Oh, and yes, we love our Dianas. The Diana2 is still the best plane I’ve ever piloted, but maybe our JS3 will change that?
Bliss sounds about right! 🙂
Have you had enough time with the JS3 to determine…
“The Diana2 is still the best plane I’ve ever piloted, but maybe our JS3 will change that?”
🙂
Haha, certainly have, although I’m not sure if the below will be very helpful.
On our airfield which is mostly thermal flying, I definitely prefer the JS3. The same on the slope in light (thermal) lift. On the slope in good or heavier conditions (dynamic or good thermal lift) I still prefer the Diana2. Note however that one reason for this is that my JS3 is scratch-built and I will not expose it to speeds over 260kmh, whereas the Diana2 I use on the slope is the Alpine Version of the Chocofly fully moulded plane and definitely high-speed resistent and tested. This may still change if I get my fully moulded JS3 from Chocofly, although I will be going for the lighter GPS or standard edition, so not made for unlimited vertical drops and high G turns (most of my flying is in light thermals and I have enough heavy slope planes).
I really like both planes a lot. The Diana2 is the more agile, very fast, amazing all-rounder. Just put down the nose a bit and it accelerates like crazy. It flies like a plane in the F3 class and a dream to fly on the slope, but also on our airfield. The JS3 in the long wing version is an amazing thermaller, you can turn it on its wingtips using just rudder. We’ve been flying it through much of autumn this year, and were amazed how well it flies in very weak lift. But it also likes a bit of speed, and will also be very fast in the short wing slope version.
A major difference between the JS3 and the Diana2 is the wing position (mid-fuse for Diana2, shoulders for JS3). With its low wing position, the Diana2’s wings will often get caught in higher grass on the slope, which has already required me to make minor repairs (especially when you have a version without landing gear). Because of the wing position, and also because the Diana2’s acceleration, the JS3 is easier to land (on our airfield we sometimes need to land with light tailwind – the Diana2 is then challenging to land).
In short: it depends on what you’re looking for. If you like a fast and agile plane, which is a good all-rounder and amazing on the slope, go for the Diana2. If you want a plane that’s an amazing thermaller, but can also be used on the slope in the short wing version, go for the JS3. Personally, I really need both :-). If I could have only one, then I’d probably go for the JS3 (robust short wings for the slope and light long wings for thermalling) – just because of its broader spectrum of conditions in which you can use it. But it would be hard for me to go without the Diana2 – I just love that plane.
Thank you so much for the explanation, J! I will initially only be able to afford the JS3. I will pick up a Diana2 in time. Hopefully ordering the JS3 as you wrote it is possible. You will receive your factory Chocofly JS3 well before me I believe, as I have a year or more to wait. Please keep me updated on Facebook about when you place your order and when you receive your JS3, if you would. 🙂