WA-30 'Bijave' Front Seat, Version 2a for FSX
A two seat glider for training and performance, 1958 - 1972
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T/O Weight: 550 kg max., 300 kg empty
Length: 9.6 m
Wing span: 16.85 m
Top cruise speed: 260 km/h
Stall speed: 55 - 65 km/h
Glide ratio: 28:1 at 85 km/h
Minimum sinkrate: 0.85 m/s at 75 km/h
Crew: 2 , student pilot and flight instructor
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Some datas from this glider :
First flight : December 17th 1958
In 1957 the French authority ask builders for a new training glider to take the place of the
old Caudron C800 and Castel C25s in the French aeroclubs. The prototype is selected by the
French state (it was opposed to the Fauvel AV22 and the Choucas) but the Test Fligth Center
requested some changes. The second prototype modified flew in March 18th 1960. Again some
minor changes were requested (vertical tail changes and small triangular windows at rear place).
To promote the glider, the prototype #2 has been used by Trouillard-Suchet (two women)
who established the world female record of absolute altitude (8 571m) and world female record
of gain of height (7256 m) in December 1961 (it seems that those two records are still valid
in France but of course no more at the world level). Later, another female crew, Quéraud-Mehl,
established the French female speed record on a triangle of 300 km (151 km/h !). An average
of 280 WA-30 has been built from 1958 to 1972.
Unfortunately, in August 1970, after a black serie of fatal accidents (center wing rupture in
flight), the Bijave's were grounded until spring 1972 (wing spar reinforcement by fiber). Wassmer,
in big financial difficulties stopped its activities. The last French glider builder disappeared.
.. and German gliders started to be imported ! The Bijave is now a very robust glider,
still efficient and still used in lot of French aeroclubs to train pilots from the beginning to
the first solo.
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Thanks to Michael Bourgeois his pictures, documents and engagement!
------------------------------- Installation ----------------------------------------------------
Installation to FSX
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Copy the folder WA-30 Bijave (Front) include the subfolders MODEL , PANEL , SOUND and TEXTURE
under your \FSX\SIMOBJECTS\AIRPLANES folder.
Then copy the contents of the folder GAUGES to the FSX subfolder \GAUGES
(If you already have some of these *.gau-files, then overwrite them.)
Installation in FSX
-------------------
Kopiere das Verzeichnis WA-30 Bijave (Front) einschließlich dessen Unterverzeichnisse
MODEL , PANEL , SOUND und TEXTURE unter das \FSX\SIMOBJECTS\AIRPLANES Verzeichnis.
Kopiere den Inhalt des Ordners GAUGES in den FSX\GAUGES - Unterordner.
(Vorhandene Files können überschrieben werden, falls sie älter sind)
Installation pour FSX
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Copier le dossier WA-30 Bijave (Front) (y compris les sous-dossiers Model, Panel, Sound et Texture)
dans le répertoire \FSX\SIMOBJECTS\AIRPLANES
Copier le dossier \GAUGES dans le répertoire \FSX\GAUGES
