Is anyone using the Eppler 214?

If so, what do you like about it compared to any of the other popular airfoils?

I am considering making a 100'' wing with the Eppler 214. Would it be worth the effort?

What does it take to get the best performance from it?

The E214 was used on the Lovesong in the early '90s. I'm still flying one, and I really like it. It's plenty fast enough, but will slow down for tight circling with no complaints. It will go even faster with reflex, but I didn't put that on my Lovesong.

It was replaced by the 7037 (I think) on the Anthem. I always thought the Anthem was less forgiving at low speeds than the Lovesong.

Some people put a "trip" on the E214. I think it was about 20% back from the leading edge and about .008" or so high. It looked like a strip of pinstripe tape about 1/8" wide. I never tried it since mine did just fine without it, in my opinion.

Roger

I liked it on my glider too. It was like the lovesong, but a different fuse. It slowed down better than the lovesong, but flew the same at the higher speeds. We used them tripped and not tripped. Good airfoil. I switched to the SD7032 after that and liked it a little better. I still use the 7032 on that fuse. I have a couple different plan forms, but the next set will be the same planform as the lovesong. I have used a tripple taper and a double taper, but I like the straight leading edge the best on that bird. The 214 was great on the slope. The Camano was the lovesong fuse with a 100 inch E214 wing. It was a good plane. For some reason, my Kamiak fuse made it slow down a bit more.

The E214 is a fantastic thermal airfoil. Not the fastest thing around, but will thermal with the best of them. My lovesong flew much better with a trip than without. While its perhaps true that some of the newer foils are more efficient I would argue they are also much harder to fly. Also keep in mind the 214 is pretty thick, making it easy to build strong.

Kristopher

I really liked the versatility of the 214. If you set up your surfaces correctly, you can reflex the entire trailing edge upward and end up with pretty good penetration capability.

My Camano could fly thermal as well as just about any slope conditions. It surprised me a few times with its ability stay aloft in extremely light slope conditions...



That's flying just below ridge level in variable (zero to 5mph) conditions... if you don't make it back to the ridge of the dike, you have a choice of landing on riprap or water