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Old 2nd April 2018 | 20:10
  #24 (permalink)  
Intruder
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From: Seattle
For the glider example, it likely has to do with the basic design philosophy of the builder, as well as nomenclature.

If a glider is actually a high-performance sailplane, focused on competitive long-distance soaring, then the wing will be designed as much for speed as for glide ratio (L/D). A "1 degree" flap setting or similar may be incorporated to get better L/D at lower speeds for thermalling. OTOH, other sailplane mfgrs will instead incorporate a "negative flap" setting for high-speed dashes, while the normal 0 deg setting is used for thermalling.
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