M.Hardy. Gliders & Sailplanes of the world

Sidou Joao Grande

  Designed by Eng Antonio Menezes Sidou of Porto Alegre in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, this Brazilian tandem two-seater is intended for primary and advanced training and Open Class contest flying, and Eng Sidou hoped to begin construction of the Joao Grande (or Stork) at Paso Funde in Rio Grande do Sul early in 1978. It is a cantilever mid-wing monoplane similar to the IPD Urupema in appearance but with a T-tail and cambered wing tips, of all-wooden construction with plywood covering and abrasion-resistant plastics finish; it is designed for aerobatics and cloud flying. There are Schempp-Hirth air brakes on the upper and lower surfaces of the wing, which has long span ailerons and a dihedral of 3° 36'. The ailerons, elevators and rudder are both statically and dynamically balanced, a narrow-chord tailplane being mounted on top of the swept back fin. There is a retractable rubber-sprung monowheel with rubber shock absorbers and a brake, and a tail bumper. The two pilots sit in tandem under a long flush-fitting one-piece jettisonable Plexiglas cockpit canopy.


Span: 59 ft 0 3/4 in
Length: 29 ft 6 1/4 in
Height: 8 ft 3 1/4 in
Wing area: 139.5 sqft
Aspect ratio: 25.0
Empty weight: 595 lb
Max weight: 992 lb
Max speed: 112 mph (in rough air)
Min sinking speed: 1.87 ft/sec at 50.5 mph
Best glide ratio: 43.9:1 at 59 mph