| Akaflieg München | |
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HW100 - 45000
UAW55 - 105000 RRW100 - 175000 PKRR - 7500 |
Akaflieg München Mü1 Vogel Roch Akaflieg München Mü1 Vogel Roch Role - Flying boat glider National origin - Germany Manufacturer - Akaflieg München First flight - 1924 Number built - 1 The Akaflieg München Mü1 Vogel Roch is a glider that was designed and built in Germany in 1924. Development Akaflieg München's first project, the Mü1 Vogel Roch (the Roc Bird), was designed and built shortly after the formation of the Fliegergruppe in 1924 at Hersching am Ammersee. The flying boat glider had a boat shaped hull, parasol mounted swept wings, open cockpit and a prominent fin, with wooden construction throughout. The Mü1 Vogel Roch was launched from a slipway on the Ammersee and towed into the air by a speedboat for flight testing. Specifications (Mü1 Vogel Roch) (Data from Mü1 "Vogel Roch") General characteristics Crew: 1 Wingspan: 12.62 m (41 ft 5 in) Wing area: 16 m2 (172.2 sq ft) Aspect ratio: 9.9 Airfoil: Göttingen 441 Empty weight: 135 kg (297.6 lb) Gross weight: 215 kg (474 lb) Akaflieg München Mü2 Münchner Kindl Mü2 Münchner Kindl Role - Competition glider National origin - Germany Manufacturer - Akaflieg München First flight - 1926 Number built - 1 The Akaflieg München Mü2 Münchner Kindl is a glider that was designed and built in Germany in 1926. Development The students at Akaflieg München designed and built the Mü2 “Münchner Kindl” to participate in gliding competitions. Construction was of wood throughout with plywood and fabric covering, a high mounted, unswept, cantilever wing, built in four pieces with slightly tapered outer panels that sat on the square-section aerofoil profiled fuselage. An all-flying tailplane was mounted at the extreme end of the fuselage with a fin mounting a large rudder attached to the top of the fuselage tail. The Mü2 "Münchner Kindl" was ready for the 1926 Rhön gliding competition at the Wasserkuppe but was retired early due to technical problems. After repairs and modifications the Mü2 "Münchner Kindl" returned to the Wasserkuppe for the 1927 Rhön meeting with success in the height gain, (205 m (673 ft)), and duration (1m:39s) categories. Specifications (Mü2 Münchner Kindl) (Data from Mü2 "Münchner Kindl") General characteristics Crew: 1 Length: 15 m (49 ft 3 in) Wingspan: 12.62 m (41 ft 5 in) Wing area: 18 m2 (193.75 sq ft) Airfoil: Göttingen 535 Empty weight: 140 kg (309 lb) Gross weight: 220 kg (485 lb) Akaflieg München Mü3 Kakadu Mü3 Kakadu Role - Competition Glider National origin - Germany Manufacturer - Akaflieg München Designer - Dr. August Kupper First flight - 1928 Number built - 1 The Akaflieg München Mü3 Kakadu is a glider designed and built in Germany in 1928. Development The Mü3 "Kakadu" was the first high performance glider designed and built at Akaflieg München. The Mü3 "Kakadu" was completed in time for the 1928 Rhön Competition at the Wasserkuppe, emerging as an impressive aircraft with a tapered wing, circular section fuselage and smooth lines. Designed by Dr. August Kupper, (nicknamed “Kakadu”), the Mü3 was regarded as the forerunner of the high aspect ratio, low induced drag sailplanes that emerged in the 1930s, such as 'Fafnir' and 'Austria'. Throughout the thirties the Mü3 Kakadu remained the highest performance glider at Akaflieg München being used for competition flying as well as mountain flying research. Specifications (Mü3 Kakadu) General characteristics Crew: 1 Length: 7.6 m (24 ft 11 in) Wingspan: 19.56 m (64 ft 2 in) Wing area: 17.2 m2 (185 sq ft) Aspect ratio: 22.2 Airfoil: Göttingen 652 Empty weight: 200 kg (441 lb) Gross weight: 280 kg (617 lb) The Mü3 taking a bungee launch Akaflieg München Mü4 München Akaflieg München Mü4 München Role - glider National origin - Germany Manufacturer - Akaflieg München First flight - 1927 Number built - 1 The Akaflieg München Mü4 München is a glider that was designed and built in Germany in 1927. Development As the membership of Akaflieg München expanded a requirement for more glider training capacity emerged. To provide the extra capacity, students at the Akaflieg designed and built the Mü4 München, ensuring that the aircraft had trouble-free handling and was easy to maintain and repair. Despite the simple gliders low performance it was found that the Mü4 München was capable of soaring flight and so was used for mountain flying in the Alps near Rosenheim. Specifications (Mü4 München) (Data from Mü4) General characteristics Crew: 1 Wingspan: 12.14 m (39 ft 10 in) Wing area: 17 m2 (183 sq ft) Aspect ratio: 8.6 Airfoil: Göttingen 549 Empty weight: 105 kg (231.5 lb) Gross weight: 185 kg (408 lb) Akaflieg München Mü5 Wastl Akaflieg München Mü5 Wastl Role - Tailless glider National origin - Germany Manufacturer - Akaflieg München First flight - 1929 Number built - 1 The Akaflieg München Mü5 Wastl is a glider that was designed and built in Germany in 1924. Development Tailless aircraft have been the dream of many aircraft designers in their quest for reduced drag and greater aerodynamic efficiency, with the students and faculty at Akaflieg München equally fascinated by aircraft without tails. To research the performance and handling of tailless aircraft the students designed and built the Mü5 Wastl, consisting of a highly swept wing, mounted on a pylon above a streamlined fuselage pod, and wingtip panels mounted with marked anhedral. Nicknamed “Fliegendes Ei” - “Flying Egg” the Mü5 Wastl was not very successful with a longest flight time of only 15s before the aircraft crashed due to the starboard wing dropping and contacting the ground, which had been a persistent problem in all flight attempts before the final hop. Egon Scheibe, a notable glider designer of later years, who was one of the students at Akaflieg München at the time of the Mü5 Wastl, is quoted as saying “Unser einziger Trost war daß es anderen Leuten mit schwanzlosen Flugzeugen ähnlich erging.“ - (The only consolation is that other flying wings have had similar problems). Incidentally, the 'Flying Egg' name would be used later by Akaflieg Graz for their experimental G23 glider of 1941 that was designed around the same format. Variants Akaflieg München Mü7 To investigate the properties of the Mü5 Wastl's wing and develop a sailplane for weak thermals, it was proposed by Egon Scheibe to fit a conventional fuselage to the Mü5 Wastl wing, but lack of time meant that hardware was not forthcoming. Specifications (Mü5 Wastl) (Data from Mü5 Wastl) General characteristics Crew: 1 Length: 2.0 m (6 ft 6 in) Wingspan: 13.4 m (44 ft 0 in) Wing area: 11 m2 (118 sq ft) Aspect ratio: 16.4 Empty weight: 140 kg (308.6 lb) Gross weight: 220 kg (485 lb) Akaflieg München Mü6 Akaflieg München Mü6 Role - Glider aircraft National origin - Germany Manufacturer - Akaflieg München First flight - 1931 Number built - 1 The Akaflieg München Mü6 is a glider aircraft that was designed and built in Germany in 1924. Development In 1931 Akaflieg München students Egon Scheibe and Victor Urban designed the Akaflieg München Mü6 to investigate Aero-towing, the new art of launching gliders. To ensure easy handling during tow, the aircraft was made light and robust (of fabric-covered-wood construction), with good handling characteristics. A strut-supported high-mounted wing was fitted on a rhomboidal section fuselage and a conventional empennage. The Mü6 survived until at least 1934 when it was noted that total flight time was 23 hours which includes the time taken for Egon Scheibe to fly his 105 km flight to Regensburg in 1933. Specifications (Mü6) (Data from Mü6) General characteristics Crew: 1 Wingspan: 14 m (45 ft 11 in) Wing area: 16.5 m2 (178 sq ft) Aspect ratio: 11.9 Airfoil: Göttingen 549 Empty weight: 125 kg (276 lb) Gross weight: 210 kg (463 lb) Performance Rate of sink: 0.78 m/s (154 ft/min) Akaflieg München Mü8 Akaflieg München Mü8 Role - Light Aircraft National origin - Germany Manufacturer - Akaflieg München First flight - 1933 Number built - 1 The Akaflieg München Mü8 is a light sports aircraft that was designed and built in Germany in 1933. Development The first powered aircraft to be built by Akaflieg München was the Mü8, an uncomplicated aircraft in design and construction, cheap to build and operate. Constructed from wood throughout the Mü8 was a single-seat open cockpit aircraft with a wire-braced low wing covered with fabric. Power came from a 15 kW (20 hp) DKW engine, initially but this was replaced by a 12 kW (16 hp) unit later with a commensurate reduction in performance, maximum level speed reducing from 130 km/h (81 mph) to 105 km/h (65 mph). The Akaflieg München Mü14 was an unbuilt development of the Mü8 powered by a 15 kW engine. Variants Akaflieg München Mü8 - The sole prototype of this low wing sport aircraft. Akaflieg München Mü14 - a proposed development of the Mü8. Specifications (Mü8) (Data from Mü8) General characteristics Crew: 1 Wingspan: 8.6 m (92 ft 7 in) Wing area: 10 m2 (108 sq ft) Aspect ratio: 7.4 Airfoil: Göttingen 633 Empty weight: 180 kg (397 lb) Gross weight: 280 kg (617 lb) Powerplant: 1 × DKW, 15 kW (20 hp) Performance Rate of sink: 1.5 m/s (295 ft/min) Akaflieg München Mü9 Mü9 Role - Tail-less Aircraft National origin - Germany Manufacturer - Akaflieg München Number built - 1 The Akaflieg München Mü9 is a tail-less light aircraft that was designed in Germany in 1932. Development Construction of the tail-less Mü9 was almost complete when further work was abandoned due to the negative experiences of contemporary tail-less aircraft builders and the far from satisfactory Akaflieg München Mü5 Wastl. The sharply tapered wing was to have had moderate sweep on the leading edge and zero sweep on the trailing edge with small vertical surfaces at the wing-tips. The fuselage pod was to support the engine in the nose, house the cabin amidships and the tailwheel at the extreme rear, with no fin or rudder, (at least as initially designed), as well as the mountings for the main undercarriage legs which were to have been angled outwards to provide adequate track. Specifications (Mü9) (Data from Mü9) General characteristics Crew: 1 Length: 4.26 m (14 ft 0 in) Wingspan: 10 m (32 ft 10 in) Wing area: 15 m2 (161.5 sq ft) Empty weight: 360 kg (794 lb) Gross weight: 700 kg (1,543 lb) Akaflieg München Mü10 Milan Mü10 Milan Role - Training Glider National origin - Germany Manufacturer - Akaflieg München Designer - Dipl.-Ing. Egon Scheibe First flight - 1934 Retired - 1959 Number built - 1 The Akaflieg München Mü10 Milan is a two-seat glider aircraft that was designed in Germany in 1934. Only one copy of the design was built. Development The Mü10 Milan is one of the most successful gliders built by Akaflieg München in its early history. Construction of this two-seater, designed by Dipl.-Ing. Egon Scheibe, uses mixed materials with wooden wings and tail surfaces covered with fabric, as well as a welded steel tube fuselage covered with fabric, the first time welded steel tubing was used for a practical sailplane. Performance of the Mü10 Milan was found to be good at low speeds, suiting the aircraft to thermalling, due to the use of homegrown aerofoil sections developed by Egon Scheibe, who was now leader of the Akaflieg München design team. The sections used were highly cambered in the leading edge with virtually no camber aft of mid chord, producing a section with reduced twisting and pitching moments and high lift coefficients. Accommodation in the Mü10 Milan was in two cockpits, one forward of the wing leading edge for the student and another under the trailing edge of the centre-section aft of the mainspar. Entry into the front cockpit was via a removable canopy, (largely opaque with portholes in the first iteration), built up with wooden frames and Plexiglas panels. The rear cockpit was accessed via a large door on the port side of the fuselage with windows under the wings forward to the front cockpit glazing and in the centre-section above the instructor's head. The rear access door could also be used as an airbrake to assist in approach control. Despite the low performance of the Mü10 Milan, with an L/D of 20, the aircraft was listed as high performance as late as 1938, perhaps due to the many cross-country flights the aircraft is credited with, such as Hesselberg-Prague (1934), a world record breaking 180 km flight in 1935, Salzburg-Fara d'Alpago / Italy (195 km, 1937) and Bern-Pallanza/Lago Maggiore (136 km; 1938) as a two-seater. Success in gliding competitions was also achieved with the 1934 Rhön-construction prize and 1st place at the ISTUS Conference (International Study Commission for gliding). At Salzburg it was flown by Ludwig Karch to a height gain of 2980m (9777 feet) and 195 km (121 miles) distance over the Austrian Alps. The 'Milan' was retired to the Deutsches Museum München, at Oberschleissheim, before World War II, surviving the war to be resurrected by Akaflieg München in 1951 to assist with training new students, as well as carry out long distance cross-country flights and mountain flying, until at least 1959 with the Mü10 finally being retired to the Deutsches Museum München for a second time. Variants Akaflieg München Mü10 Milan - two-place glider; steel-tube fuselage, Mü Scheibe wing section and wooden wings. One unit constructed. Akaflieg München Mü24 Milan II - A proposed instrument flying-version. In the early 1960s students at the Akaflieg designed a cloud/instrument flying version of the Mü10. The Akaflieg München Mü24 Milan II was to have had similar layout and profiles to the Mü10, with the slow-flying qualities of the Mü Scheibe aerofoil sections and improved aerodynamics for the fuselage and wings. The Mü24 did not progress beyond the drawing board. Specifications (Mü10 Milan) (Data from Flugzeug-Typenbuch . Handbuch der deutschen Luftfahrt- und Zubehör-Industrie 1944) General characteristics Crew: 1 pilot Capacity: 1 passenger Length: 6.75 m (22 ft 2 in) Wingspan: 17.8 m (58 ft 5 in) Height: 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) Wing area: 20 m2 (220 sq ft) Aspect ratio: 15.85 Airfoil: Scheibe Mü Empty weight: 185 kg (408 lb) Gross weight: 365 kg (805 lb) Performance Never exceed speed: 180 km/h (110 mph, 97 kn) Maximum glide ratio: 22 at 70 km/h (43 mph; 38 kn) Rate of sink: 0.65 m/s (128 ft/min) at 50 km/h (31 mph; 27 kn) Wing loading: 18.25 kg/m2 (3.74 lb/sq ft) A close-up of the nose showing the Akaflieg München logo München Mü10 Milan on display at Deutsches Museum Flugwerft Schleissheim Akaflieg München Mü11 Papagei Akaflieg München Mü11 Papagei Role - Primary Training Glider National origin - Germany Manufacturer - Akaflieg München First flight - 1935 Number built - 1 The Akaflieg München Mü11 Papagei is a primary glider that was designed and built in Germany in 1935. Development The Mü11 Papagei, (Parrot), was a Primary style training glider similar to the SG-38 but with a Mü Scheibe aerofoil section. Flight trials were carried out but there is very little information available. Only one photograph and a contemporary model survive. The photograph shows the pilots seat surrounded by a plywood nacelle. Specifications (Data from Mü11 "Papagei") General characteristics Crew: 1 Akaflieg München Mü12 Kiwi Mü12 Kiwi Role - Training glider National origin - Germany Manufacturer - Akaflieg München First flight - 1935 Number built - 1 The Akaflieg München Mü12 Kiwi is a glider that was designed and built in Germany in 1935. Development The Mü12 Kiwi was conceived in 1935 as a single-seat training glider of simple and rugged construction with a high strutted wing and a plywood covered rhomboid section fuselage. Flight testing revealed a glider with good control response but less than satisfactory approach control. Due to various problems certification of the Mü12 Kiwi was delayed to the end of 1935 and finally abandoned. Specifications (Mü12 Kiwi) (Data from Mü12 "Kiwi") General characteristics Crew: 1 Wingspan: 12.35 m (40 ft 6 in) Wing area: 16.46 m2 (177 sq ft) Aspect ratio: 9.7 Empty weight: 114.7 kg (376 lb) Gross weight: 200 kg (656 lb) Akaflieg München Mü13 Mü13 Role - Sailplane National origin - Germany Manufacturer - Akaflieg München Designer - Egon Scheibe, Kurt schmidt and Tony Troeger First flight - 1935 Number built - ca 150 Variants - Scheibe Bergfalke The Akaflieg München Mü13 Merlin and Akaflieg München Mü13 Atalante were gliders designed and built in Germany from 1935. A motor-glider version of the Merlin was converted by the addition of a small engine in the nose, as the Mü13M Motormerlin. Post-war development as the Mü13E entered production as the Scheibe Bergfalke. Development Germany had established Akademische Fliegerschule at several universities after World War I. The first and lead group was established in Berlin, but one of the most prolific, up to World War II, was Akaflieg München. The Akaflieg München Mü13 was a single-seat development of the two-seat Akaflieg München Mü10 Milan, designed and built by Tony Troeger and Kurt Schmidt, under the direction of Egon Scheibe, in two versions, a motorglider and a pure sailplane. Two prototypes were built: Tony Troeger's motor glider was named 'Merlin' and Kurt Schmidt's sailplane was named 'Atalante'. One is on display at Gliding Heritage Centre, another at German Gliding Museum. The Mü13s were constructed with welded steel tube fuselages faired and covered using wooden longerons with fabric and conventional wooden wings with plywood skinning back to the main spar and fabric aft. In the prototypes the trailing edge of the wings were taken up by steel-framed fabric covered flaps and ailerons, all deflectable to improve thermalling and approach control, but later production aircraft had the flaps eliminated, upper surface spoilers fitted for approach control, with the Mü13D-3 gaining increased span wings, a lengthened fuselage and an enlarged fin and rudder. This arrangement from Egon Scheibe became known as the Schüle München - Munich School. The pilot sat just forward of the main-spar with his head flanked by the wing leading-edges, severely restricting sideways vision. The performance of the Mü13 was regarded as particularly good at an L/D ratio of 28 and the ability to fly at relatively high speeds due to the slender Mü Scheibe aerofoil section. 'Merlin', flown by Hans Wiesehöfer, flew around southern Germany and the Alps on point to point flights, but 'Atalante' achieved fame as the mount of Kurt Schmidt, who at the age of 16 had been responsible for building a large part of 'Atalante as well as piloting the glider at the 1935 Rhön competition at the Wasserkuppe, achieving the longest flight at 252 km (156.6miles) from the Wasserkuppe to Trier. The success of Kurt Schmidt brought attention to the Mü13 and demand for a production version. Among other accolades 'Atalante', piloted by Kurt Schmidt, also set a German goal flight (fly to a specified goal) record of 482 km (260 nm) in May 1939. With improvements the Mü13 went into production as the Mü13D, built by the Schwarzwald-Flugzeugbau Wilhelm Jehle (Wilhelm Jehle Black Forest Aircraft Works) in Donaueschingen, with Mü13D's taking part in most gliding competitions from 1936 to the start of World War II. The tandem two seat Mü13E, produced post-war as the Scheibe Bergfalke series of Trainers, was, in essence a new design. Tony Troeger's 'Merlin' had an 18 hp (13 kW) Kroeber M4 Köller two cylinder horizontally opposed engine fitted in the nose, re-designated Mü13M Motormerlin, reaching a top speed of 125 km/h (78 mph) and landed at 45 km/h (28 mph) making wheel brakes on the retractable mainwheel superfluous. Taking part in the 1937 Rangsdorf competition the Mü13M Motormerlin scored highly demonstrating the best performance. Variants Mü13 'Merlin' - First prototype of the Mü-13 built in 1935. Mü13 'Atalante' - Second prototype of the Mü-13 built in 1936. Mü13D - Production aircraft built by the Black Forest Aircraft works. Mü13D-3 - One of the last variants of the Mü-13 introduced in 1943. Mü13E - Post-war development flown in 1951 and produced as the Scheibe Bergfalke. Mü13M Motormerlin - 'Merlin' D-14-127 fitted with a 18 PS (17.8 hp; 13.2 kW) Kroeber M4 Köller 2-cylinder 2-stroke engine and retractable main undercarriage. Specifications (Mü13 Merlin) (Data from Jane's World Sailplanes & Motor Gliders, Flugzeug-Typenbuch . Handbuch der deutschen Luftfahrt- und Zubehör-Industrie 1944) General characteristics Crew: 1 Length: 5.9 m (19 ft 4 in) Wingspan: 16 m (52 ft 6 in) Height: 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) Wing area: 17 m2 (180 sq ft) Length de-rigged: 8.5 m (28 ft) Width de-rigged (without tailplane): 1.04 m (3 ft 5 in) Width de-rigged (with tailplane): 2.52 m (8 ft 3 in) Height de-rigged: 1.52 m (5 ft 0 in) Aspect ratio: 15.05 Airfoil: Scheibe Mü 15% Empty weight: 145 kg (320 lb) Gross weight: 285 kg (628 lb) Performance Never exceed speed: 200 km/h (120 mph, 110 kn) g limits: +12 (ultimate) Maximum glide ratio: 28:1 at 70 km/h (43 mph; 38 kn) Rate of sink: 0.58 m/s (114 ft/min) at 55 km/h (34 mph; 30 kn) Wing loading: 13.82 kg/m2 (2.83 lb/sq ft) Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Schneider Grunau Baby Akaflieg München Mü15 Mü15 Role - Sailplane National origin - Germany Manufacturer - Akaflieg München First flight - November 1940 Retired - November 1941 Number built - 1 The Akaflieg München Mü15 was a two-seat glider designed and built in Germany in the late 1930s, loosely based on the Mü10. A longer span version, the Akaflieg München Mü20 was still in the design stages when further work was abandoned. Development Germany had established Akademische Fliegerschule at several universities after World War I. The first and lead group was established in Berlin, but one of the most prolific, up to World War II, was Akaflieg München. The Akaflieg München Mü15 was a high-performance, two-seat glider loosely based on the Akaflieg München Mü10 Milan, with flaps and a retractable main undercarriage. Following a similar construction method to the early Akaflieg München gliders, the Mü15 was constructed using a welded steel tube fuselage covered by wooden longerons with aircraft fabric covering and conventional wooden wings, with plywood skinning back to the main spar and fabric aft. The trailing edges of the wings were taken up by steel-framed fabric covered flaps and ailerons, all deflectable to improve thermalling and approach control. DFS style spoilers, on upper and lower surfaces, were fitted for approach control. The Mü15 had long-span wings, a long fuselage with a large fin and rudder. This arrangement from Egon Scheibe became known as the Schüle München - Munich School. The pilot sat forward of the wing under a long built-up canopy, affording excellent visibility. In contrast, the instructor/passenger sat with their head between the wing leading edges, relying on windows either side of the fuselage under the wings for visibility. Mü20 A longer-span, 20 m (66 ft), version of the Mü15 was still in the design stages when further work was abandoned. Operational history Like the single-seat Mü13, the performance of the sole Mü15 (D-14-250) was regarded as particularly good, with a glide ratio of 29:1 and the ability to fly at relatively high speeds, due to the slender 'Scheibe Mü' aerofoil section. First flown in 1940, at Ainring in Austria, this aircraft was equipped for blind flying, but had very poor roll response, requiring large application of the oversized rudder to complete turns with much skid. Flown until the exigencies of World War II intervened, the Mü15 had flown a total of 45 hours when flying ceased in November 1941. Variants Akaflieg München Mü15 Loosely based on the Mü 10 with 19 m (62 ft) span wings, flaps and a mainwheel. Akaflieg München Mü20 Further development of the Mü10/Mü15 line with a 20 m (66 ft) span wings and 500 kg (1,102 lb) all-up weight. Design of the Mü20 was almost complete when work was abandoned. Specifications (Mü15) (Data from Flugzeug-Typenbuch . Handbuch der deutschen Luftfahrt- und Zubehör-Industrie 1944) General characteristics Crew: 2 Length: 8.2 m (26 ft 11 in) Wingspan: 19 m (62 ft 4 in) Height: 1.7 m (5 ft 7 in) Wing area: 18.8 m2 (202 sq ft) Length de-rigged: 9.6 m (31 ft) Width de-rigged (without tailplane): 1.02 m (3 ft 4 in) Width de-rigged (with tailplane): 2.6 m (8 ft 6 in) Height de-rigged: 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) Aspect ratio: 19.3 Airfoil: Scheibe Mü Empty weight: 250 kg (551 lb) Gross weight: 450 kg (992 lb) Performance Never exceed speed: 200 km/h (120 mph, 110 kn) g limits: +8 (ultimate) Maximum glide ratio: 29:1 at 80 km/h (50 mph; 43 kn) Rate of sink: 0.7 m/s (140 ft/min) at 65 km/h (40 mph; 35 kn) Wing loading: 23.95 kg/m2 (4.91 lb/sq ft) The Mü15 illustrating the instructor's access door, windows and retractable undercarriage Akaflieg München Mü16 Akaflieg München Mü16 Role - Sailplane National origin - Germany Manufacturer - Akaflieg München The Akaflieg München Mü16 was a glider that was designed in Germany from 1938. Development With a quoted L/D of 50 and min. sink of 0.4 m/s (79 ft/m) @ 52 km/h (32 mph) the Mü16 would have been one of the highest performance gliders in the world circa 1938, if it had been built. The 25m (82 ft 1in) high aspect ratio, four section, thin wings would have sat on top of a rhomboidal section fuselage housing the pilot lying in a prone position, to reduce frontal area and thus drag. Instruments were to have been viewed via a mirror to reduce stress on the pilots neck. Air brakes were to be fitted to the rear fuselage sides because the wings were too thin and filled with structural parts leaving little room for the mechanism, as well as reducing stress points and thus structural weight. Unfortunately the aerodynamic equations used to calculate the proposed performance have been lost so the ambitious claims cannot be verified, in any event the technology available in 1938 would have made building the Mü16, and achieving the extraordinary performance claimed, extremely difficult. Specifications (Mü16) General characteristics Crew: 1 Wingspan: 25 m (82 ft 1 in) Wing area: 15.6 m2 (168 sq ft) Empty weight: 230 kg (507 lb) Performance Maximum glide ratio: 50 Rate of sink: 0.40 m/s (79 ft/min) at 52km/h (32mph) Akaflieg München Mü17 Merle Mü17 Merle Role - Olympic Glider aircraft National origin - Germany Manufacturer - Akaflieg München First flight - 1938 Number built - 2 prototypes + ca 60 production units The Akaflieg München Mü17 Merle is a single-place glider aircraft that was designed and built in Germany from 1938. Development The Mü17 Merle (a.k.a. 'Aerostat' or 'Kleiderbügel') is the oldest Akaflieg design still flying with the Fliegergruppe today. In 1938 the ISTUS conference issued a specification for an Olympic games Olympic glider to be used at the 1940 Olympics gliding competition. Akaflieg München designed and offered the Mü17 Merle to the committee at Rome in February 1939, but it was rejected in favour of the DFS Meise. Two prototypes of the Mü17 Merle were built with emphasis on simple construction, straightforward handling and easy rigging and de-rigging, using automatic connections for the aileron and airbrake controls. The plywood- and fabric-covered wooden wings are trapezoidal in plan view with swept leading edges and straight trailing edges, ailerons over the outer half of the trailing edges and spoilers mid-chord at approx half span. Adhering to the 'Schüle München' the fuselage is a welded steel-tube space-frame with fabric covering and wooden tail surfaces, also covered in plywood and fabric. Despite failing in the Olympic selection the Mü17 Merle was put into production with around 60 units built before and after World War II, many with variations such as retractable landing gear. A Mü17 Merle 'Alpha Sierra' (D-1740), built in 1961, is still in use today at the Akaflieg München gliding club, where it is used as an intermediate single-seater for early single-seat and cross-country flying. The low weight and sedate performance suiting the aircraft to inexperienced pilots. A 19m (62.3 feet) span wing was conceived for use with the Mü17 fuselage, as the Akaflieg München Mü19, gradually losing all direct connection with the Mü17 as the design evolved into a motor-glider. Construction of the prototype was not completed due to the war situation. Variants Akaflieg München Mü17 - The original proposal, a single-seat 15m (49.2 feet) span Olympic glider contender. Two examples were built. Akaflieg München Mü19 - A 19m span version of the Mü17, not completed due to the war situation. Specifications (Mü17 Merle) (Data from Flugzeug-Typenbuch . Handbuch der deutschen Luftfahrt- und Zubehör-Industrie 1944) General characteristics Crew: 1 Length: 7.5 m (24 ft 7 in) Wingspan: 15 m (49 ft 3 in) Height: 1.06 m (3 ft 6 in) Wing area: 13.3 m2 (143 sq ft) Length de-rigged: 7.5 m (25 ft) Width de-rigged (without tailplane): 1.1 m (3 ft 7 in) Width de-rigged (with tailplane): 3 m (10 ft) Height de-rigged: 1.4 m (4 ft 7 in) Aspect ratio: 16.9 Airfoil: Scheibe Mü Empty weight: 160 kg (353 lb) Gross weight: 255 kg (562 lb) Performance Never exceed speed: 200 km/h (120 mph, 110 kn) g limits: +10 (ultimate) Maximum glide ratio: 26:1 at 75 km/h (47 mph; 40 kn) Rate of sink: 0.64 m/s (126 ft/min) at 58 km/h (36 mph; 31 kn) Wing loading: 19.15 kg/m2 (3.92 lb/sq ft) The Mü17 in flight Akaflieg München Mü18 Meßkrähe Akaflieg München Mü18 Meßkrähe Role - Flying Wind Tunnel Glider National origin - Germany Manufacturer - Akaflieg München First flight - ca 1942 Number built - 1 The Akaflieg München Mü18 Meßkrähe is a glider that was designed and built in Germany in 1927. Development Initiated by the RLM (Reichsluftfahrministerium - Reich Aviation Ministry), the Mü18 "Meßkrähe" was an experimental flying wind-tunnel used to research aerofoil sections in undisturbed airflow. With the airframe designed and built at Akaflieg München, test aerofoil sections were provided by Akaflieg Chemnitz, Akaflieg Danzig and Akaflieg Göttingen. Test sections were suspended, in undisturbed airflow on an adjustable trapeze, for measurement of pressure distribution at various angles of attack. Progress on the glider was slow due to a very low priority for resources, but the Mü18 "Meßkrähe" eventually flew towards the end of World War II. Akaflieg München Mü22 Mü22 Role - High Performance Glider National origin - Germany Manufacturer - Akaflieg München Designer - Dipl. Ing. J Kraus First flight - Mü22 - 1954, Mü22b - 13 March 1964 Number built - Mü22 - 1, Mü22b - 1 The Akaflieg München Mü22 is a single-seat research glider designed and built in Germany from 1953. Development Mü22(a) The first aircraft built by Akaflieg München after World War II was the Mü22, with typical 'Munich School' construction of steel tube fuselage with wooden wings and tail-unit. Design of this high performance glider with 30% laminar flow forward swept wings and vee tail started in 1953 with construction complete in late 1954 at the Akaflieg München workshops at Prien. Use of the laminar flow NACA 63 (3)-618 aerofoil section imbued the Mü22 with a good glide ratio at a high speed which was ideal for competition cross-country flight, in contrast to the low speed Mü Scheibe section used for previous sailplanes at Akaflieg München. To maintain strength with reduced weight and to eliminate turbulence from gaps and protuberances the Mü22 was built without airbrakes, relying on the use of the 70 degree trailing edge split flaps and the skill of the pilot in side-slipping for approach control. The high performance of the design was demonstrated during flight testing after the first flight on 29 November 1954 at Riem, as well as by placing second in the German National Gliding Championships in 1959. The Mü22 was also flown extensively to investigate mountain flying during which the Mü22 suffered a serious accident late in 1959 and was damaged beyond repair. Note: Originally the Mü22 was not given the 'a' suffix. This suffix was applied after the Mü22b was built to differentiate between the two aircraft. Mü22b The second Mü22, given the suffix 'b', followed the design principles of the original crashed version but introduced an all-flying vee-tail and a smoother fibreglass covered forward fuselage to reduce drag. Construction of the laminar flow wings, using plywood skin over closely spaced ribs, gives an accurate profile which has remained true since manufacture. Flight testing commenced in 1964 but was marred, on 5 June 1964, by the failure of a bolt attaching a bearing in the tail unit, the tail fluttered dramatically breaking the tail unit off the fuselage. The pilot, Dipl.-Ing. Frodo Hadwich, bailed out safely and the glider impacted relatively softly enabling repairs to be carried out. The relatively high performance of the Mü22b makes the aircraft popular for cross-country tasks but the landing characteristics, without airbrakes, require practice for smooth landings. The Mü22b continued to fly at the Akaflieg München gliding club, until at least 2002, and has also competed in recent competitions, flown by Heiko Hertrich in 1986, completing a 586 km triangle for the Barron Hilton Cup, as well as completing a 650 km triangle flown by Jan Skedelj. Variants Akaflieg München Mü22(a) - The original aircraft with fixed vee-tail and fabric covered steel tube fuselage. Akaflieg München Mü22b - The second aircraft, built to replace the crashed Mü22 with fibreglass covered fuselage and all-flying vee-tail. Specifications (Mü22b) (Data from Mü22b) General characteristics Crew: 1 Wingspan: 17 m (55 ft 9 in) Wing area: 13.7 m2 (147.5 sq ft) Aspect ratio: 21.1 Airfoil: NACA 63 (3)-618 Empty weight: 280 kg (617 lb) Gross weight: 360 kg (794 lb) Performance Maximum glide ratio: 36 at 80 km/h (50mph) Rate of sink: 0.56 m/s (110 ft/min) at 69 km/h (43mph) Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era SZD-22 Mucha Standard Standard Austria Schemp-Hirth SHK The Mü22b The Mü22 wings under construction illustrating the closely spaced ribs Akaflieg München Mü23 Saurier Mü23 Saurier Role - Motor-Glider National origin - Germany Manufacturer - Akaflieg München Number built - 1 The Akaflieg München Mü23 Saurier is a two-seat motor-glider designed and built in Germany from 1956. Development In 1957 the students at Akaflieg München began the design and construction of the Mü23 Saurier motor-glider. Using the classic 'Munich School' construction technique, the Mü23 was built using fabric covered welded steel tube for the fuselage and wooden wings and tail covered with plywood and fabric. The pilot sitting directly behind the engine under a built up transparent canopy and the passenger sitting in a compartment under the centre section of the wing, similar to the seating arrangement of the Akaflieg München Mü10 Milan. Using the Mü Scheibe aerofoil section imbued the Mü23 with excellent low speed characteristics and short landings and takeoffs, but development was slowed by problems with the chosen engines, initially a Volkswagen VW1200, later a Braendle ZB700 and finally a Volkswagen VW1500N which gave satisfactory performance. Once the performance of the aircraft could be guaranteed with the VW1500N engine, the Mü23 took part in sailplane and motor glider competitions with some success. In 2010 the Mü23 is undergoing restoration. Specifications (Mü23 Saurier) (Data from Mü23 "Saurier") General characteristics Crew: 1 Capacity: 1 Wingspan: 20 m (65 ft 7 in) Wing area: 24 m2 (258 sq ft) Aspect ratio: 16.7 Airfoil: Mü Scheibe Empty weight: 477 kg (1,052 lb) Gross weight: 700 kg (1,543 lb) Powerplant: 1 × Volkswagen VW1500N , 33.5 kW (45 hp) Performance Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Schleicher ASK-14 Akaflieg München Mü26 Mü26 Role - High performance Glider National origin - Germany Manufacturer - Akaflieg München First flight - July 1971 Number built - 1 The Akaflieg München Mü26 is a high performance single-seat glider designed and built in Germany starting in 1970. Development After the success of the Akaflieg München Mü22, the students at Akaflieg München designed the Mü22d variant with a fibreglass fuselage, retaining the all-flying vee-tail and forward swept wooden wings of the earlier aircraft. Before the aircraft was completed it was given the new designation of Mü26. As with the Mü22 the closely spaced ribs and relatively thick plywood skin give the wings a high quality surface seldom found in other wooden aircraft. The supine seating position also reduced the cross-section of the cockpit to a minimum, reducing drag but resulting in cramped conditions in the cockpit. First flight came in July 1971 at Oberpfaffenhofen, with the Mü 26 carrying out flight tests and cross-country flying until a crash in 1984 forced the airframe to be stored in the roof of the gliding club hangar. Veteran Akaflieger Rainer, Till and Skonz acquired the aircraft in 1987 and have restored it beautifully, after many years of painstaking work. To prove the competitiveness of the design, it was entered in the 2006 Austrian Federal Junior Gliding Championship, coming in fourth behind the Rolladen Schneider LS-3, fitted with the Akaflieg München automatic flap system, flown by Benz. Specifications (Mü26) (Data from Mü26) General characteristics Crew: 1 Wingspan: 16.6 m (54 ft 6 in) Wing area: 15.3 m2 (165 sq ft) Aspect ratio: 18 Airfoil: Eppler 348 Empty weight: 212 kg (467 lb) Gross weight: 382 kg (842 lb) Performance Maximum glide ratio: 40 at 97km/h (60mph) Rate of sink: 0.60 m/s (118 ft/min) at 83km/h (52mph) The Mü26 on aero-tow Akaflieg München Mü27 Mü-27 Role - Glider aircraft National origin - Germany Manufacturer - Akaflieg München First flight - 24 February 1979 Number built - 2 The Mü-27 is a research glider aircraft that designed and built in Germany in 1979. Only one example was constructed. Development Germany had established Akademische Fliegergruppe at several universities after World War I. The first and lead group was established in Berlin, but one of the most prolific, up to World War II, was Akaflieg München, and design activities continued after World War II. The Akaflieg München Mü-27 is a two-seat research aircraft intended to explore the performance characteristics of slotted Fowler flaps when used on a high-performance Sailplane. The Mü-27 is a large glider. The empennage and fuselage are constructed of glassfibre re-inforced plastic with conticell foam sandwich cores throughout. The wings have aluminium alloy spars and webs. The full-span slotted flaps/ailerons extend and retract in and out of the wing trailing edge, increasing the area of the wings by up to 36%. A tall retractable undercarriage and a T-tail reduce the risk of damage during field landings and reduce drag when in flight. Flight trials commenced at Oberpfaffenhofen airfield with Thomas Fischer at the controls. Specifications (Mü-27) (Data from Coates, Andrew. “Jane's World Sailplanes & Motor Gliders new edition”. London, Jane's. 1980. ISBN 0-7106-0017-8) General characteristics Crew: 1 pilot Capacity: 1 passenger Length: 10.3 m (33 ft 10 in) Wingspan: 22 m (72 ft 2 in) Height: 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in) Wing area: 17.6-23.9 m2 (189-257 sq ft) Aspect ratio: 27.5 - 20.3 Airfoil: Wortmann FX-67-VC-170/136 Empty weight: 480 kg (1,058 lb) Gross weight: 700 kg (1,543 lb) Performance Maximum speed: 280 km/h (174 mph, 151 kn) Maximum glide ratio: 47 at 101 km/h (55 kts) Rate of sink: 0.56 m/s (110 ft/min) Akaflieg München Mü28 Mü28 Role - Research aerobatic glider aircraft National origin - Germany Manufacturer - Akaflieg München First flight - 8 August 1983 Number built - 1 The Akaflieg München Mü28 is a research glider aircraft that was designed and built in Germany in 1983. Only one example of the design was built. Development Students at Akaflieg München started the development of a high performance aerobatic glider during the early 1980s. The aerobatic performance of the resulting Mü28 hinged on the extremely strong structure, stressed to +/-10g. Use of a symmetrical aerofoil section and an innovative automatic flap system (Wölbklappenautomatik) contributed to the Mü28's success. By combining a symmetrical aerofoil section with an automatic flap system the Mü28 has identical performance and handling in normal and inverted flight, resulting in a harmonious image whether flying inverted or in normal flight during aerobatic routines. Wölbklappenautomatik (Automatic flap System) This innovative automatic flap system fitted to the Mü28 was developed at the Flugwissenschaftliche Vereinigung Aachen under the project designation FVA-21, controlling the position of the flaps, depending on the speed and the load factor, so that the aircraft flies with optimal angle of attack in all flight conditions. The essential element of this automatic system is a lever arm attached to a mass in the centre-fuselage, which is connected with the pitch controls. The moment generated by the mass is arranged to reach an equilibrium condition with the pitch control forces at each flight condition, with the flaps moving to a high lift coefficient position at low speeds or when there is a high pitch control load, and vice versa, maintaining the optimum angle of attack for the aerofoil. The automatic system on the Mü28 is identical in operation with the aircraft inverted, due to the use of a symmetrical section aerofoil set at zero degrees incidence, with the automatic system only turned off for takeoff and landing, and over-ridden manually as desired by the pilot. After successful testing on a scale model the automatic flap system was installed in the Mü28. The automatic flap system's suitability for cross-country flying has also been tested successfully in a specially modified Rolladen-Schneider LS3 high-performance competition glider. A high degree of reliability is achieved due to there being no electrical or electronic components in the automatic flap system. Due to the automatic nature of the system, incorrect flap settings, such as caused by pilots under stress, are a thing of the past. Operational history In 1984 the Mü28 participated in its first Glider Aerobatics Championships, and has participated in aerobatic championships throughout Europe since then. At each championship up to nine pilots could be seen on the scoring lists flying Mü28, but each pilot would use the same aircraft as there has only been one Mü28 built so far. This aircraft has nearly 4,000 take-offs and more than 1,000 flying hours under its belt, appearing at numerous national and international competitions, flown by pilots from different countries, in Germany, Hungary, Austria, Switzerland, France, Turkey, Belgium and the Netherlands, with only about 5% of flights in the log book from the Akaflieg München home base at Königsdorf. The most significant sporting successes of the Mü28 occurred in the 1980s and 1990s, but it is still used for competitions, participating in the 2007 Salzmann Cup, one of the most famous glider aerobatics competitions in Germany. Some notable successes were: 1984 Bavarian Glider Aerobatics Championship, Halbacro, Thannhausen 3rd Place 1985 German Glider Aerobatics Championship, Vollacro, Hockenheim, 14th Place 1986 International Andrzeij Ablamowicz Memorial Cup, Rybnik, Poland 3rd Place 1986 Bavarian Glider Aerobatics Championship, Vollacro, Thannhausen 5th Place 1987 German Glider Aerobatics Championship, Vollacro, Paderborn 2nd Place 1987 World Glider Aerobatics Championship, Bielsko-Biala, Poland, Sept 16th. Placed 3rd in single-seat Freestyle World Cup 1990 German Glider Aerobatics Championship, Vollacro, Aue Hattorf 1991 Bavarian Glider Aerobatics Championship, parishes 3rd Place 1991 World Glider Aerobatics Championship in Zielona Gora, Poland 13th Place Specifications (with 90 kg (200 lb) payload) General characteristics Crew: 1 Length: 6.75 m (22 ft 2 in) Wingspan: 12 m (39 ft 4 in) Wing area: 13.2 m2 (142 sq ft) Airfoil: FX 71-L-150/20 Empty weight: 315 kg (694 lb) Max takeoff weight: 453 kg (999 lb) Performance Stall speed: 67 km/h (42 mph, 36 kn) Never exceed speed: 380 km/h (240 mph, 210 kn) g limits: +10, -10 Roll rate: 360° in 4.2 seconds Maximum glide ratio: 27 at 103 km/h (56 kn; 64 mph) Rate of sink: 1 m/s (200 ft/min) at 89 km/h (48 kn; 55 mph) Avionics Flight director + full standard instrument panel Akaflieg München Mü 28 at the 2012 German Aerobatic Championships, Koblenz/Winningen the instrument panel of the Mü28 Akaflieg München Mü30 Schlacro Akaflieg München Mü30 Schlacro Role - Aerobatic Aircraft and Glider Tug National origin - Germany Manufacturer - Akaflieg München Designer - Dieter Thomas First flight - 2000 Number built - 1 The Akaflieg München Mü30 Schlacro (SCHLepp-ACRObatic) is a high performance two-seat glider tug and aerobatic aircraft designed and built in Germany from 1985. Development Students at Akaflieg München recognized that the requirements of an aerobatic aircraft and glider tug coincided, both needing a high power-to-weight ratio, high rate of climb at relatively low speed, and high control authority. To meet these requirements design and construction of the Mü30 began in 1985. Initially it was intended to fit a Porsche PFM 3200, obtained from Porsche at no cost. Use of the PFM 3200 promised to cut operating costs and environmental impact dramatically, with the engine certified to use MOGAS in place of the very expensive AVGAS, but Porsche abandoned development of the PFM3200 in 1992, leaving the Mü30 without an engine. During development the ailerons were optimized for maximum roll rate, the wings revised with carbonfibre structure and the center of gravity adjusted by moving the wings 150 mm (5.9 in) forward, compensating for a heavier Lycoming engine and ensuring reserve for possible future re-design. Work on the prototype continued and an alternative engine installation was designed for the 223 kW (300 hp) Lycoming AEIO-540 driving a four-bladed propeller. First flight with the Lycoming engine was carried out in 2000 with flight testing continuing till 2003. Problems with cooling the Lycoming engine necessitated the complete re-design of the cooling air intake, exhaust system and cowling. Flying re-commenced on 16 February 2007, resuming flight tests which, so far, have proved to be satisfactory and certification is well advanced. Initial problems with lateral stability have been overcome by altering the control geometry and flight tests by Uli Schell have revealed the aircraft to have adequate stability and be easy to control. Flight testing was completed by New Year's Eve 2007, with the exception of Vd (Maximum Design Dive Speed - 1.2x Vne) which had earlier highlighted problems with the elevator trim. After thickening the trailing edge of the elevators the trim problems were alleviated and the Vd test was carried out successfully. Specifications (Mü30) General characteristics Crew: 2 Length: 7.5 m (24 ft 7 in) Wingspan: 9 m (29 ft 6 in) Empty weight: 748 kg (1,649 lb) Powerplant: 1 × Lycoming AEIO-540 6-cyl. air-cooled horizontally-opposed piston engine, 220 kW (300 hp) Performance Maximum speed: 400 km/h (250 mph, 220 kn) Akaflieg München Mü30 Schlacro - The aileron servo balance - A side view showing the tandem cockpit and deflected flaps - The Lycoming AEIO-540 installation in a CAP 231 - The Porsche PFM 3200 - The flaps on the Mü30 - The Mü30 at ILA 2010 The Mü30 Schlacro in the static park at the 2008 ILA at Berlin Tempelhof Akaflieg München Mü31 Mü31 Role - High-performance glider aircraft National origin - Germany Manufacturer - Akaflieg München First flight - 15 September 2017 The Akaflieg München Mü31 is a high-performance single-seat glider aircraft that is under design in Germany as of 2010. Development After completion of the Akaflieg München Mü30 Schlacro, students turned to the design of a new 15m-FAI racing class glider, with a maximum span of 15m (49 ft 3in), a maximum of 150 liters (40 US gallons) of water ballast and full-span flaps. Designated Akaflieg München Mü31, this glider is being designed to minimize interference drag between fuselage and wing root, with several variations being studied to select the ideal configuration: - planar wing in midwing configuration (conventional) - high-mounted wing with a swept wing root/fuselage transition - high-mounted wing with turbulent flow at the joint between wing and fuselage These concepts were wind-tunnel-tested in 2006. The third configuration was deemed to be best. The resulting fuselage wing joint is similar to a pylon with the wing suspended by the leading edge, leaving uninterrupted flow at the trailing edge. This layout has the advantages of: - continuous upper wing surface - only two intersections between fuselage and wing as opposed to four in a more conventional mounting - turbulence created by the wing/fuselage joint does not disturb flow over the rear of the fuselage pod and boom - approximately elliptical lift distribution can be attained, reducing induced drag significantly To keep construction costs low, the Mü31 will be built using components from the Schleicher ASW 27, such as the forward fuselage, rear fuselage and tail and outer wings. Specifications and projected performance (Mü31) (Data from Mü31) General characteristics Crew: 1 Capacity: 150 liter water ballast Wingspan: 15 m (49 ft 3 in) Wing area: 9.0 m2 (97 sq ft) Aspect ratio: 25 Airfoil: DU 89-134/14, DU 94-086 M4 Empty weight: 240 kg (529 lb) Gross weight: 500 kg (1,102 lb) Performance Maximum speed: 285 km/h (177 mph, 154 kn) Stall speed: 67 km/h (41 mph, 36 kn) Rate of sink: 0.50 m/s (98 ft/min) Akaflieg Munchen Mu31 at the ILA Berlin Airshow, 2016 The Mü31 wings under stress testing |