The Schleicher ASK 14 is a

West German West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

low-wing, single-seat motor glider that was designed by Rudolf Kaiser and produced by

Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co is a major manufacturer of sailplanes located in Poppenhausen, near Fulda in Germany. It is also the oldest sailplane manufacturer in the world. History The company was founded in 1927 by Alexander Schleicher u ...

.Said, Bob: ''1983 Sailplane Directory,

Soaring Magazine ''SOARING'' is a magazine published monthly as a membership benefit of the Soaring Society of America. It was first published in 1937. The headquarters is in Hobbs, New Mexico. The magazine's article topics include safety issues and accounts of ind ...

'', page 131. Soaring Society of America, November 1983. USPS 499-920 The aircraft is often referred to as the Schleicher AS-K 14 or the Schleicher ASK-14, the ''AS'' for ''Alexander Schleicher'' and the ''K'' for ''Kaiser''. The US

Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic m ...

designates the aircraft as the ''Schleicher ASK-14'', while

Transport Canada Transport Canada (french: Transports Canada) is the department within the Government of Canada responsible for developing regulations, policies and services of road, rail, marine and air transportation in Canada. It is part of the Transportati ...

and the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

Civil Aviation Authority A civil aviation authority (CAA) is a national or supranational statutory authority that oversees the regulation of civil aviation, including the maintenance of an aircraft register. Role Due to the inherent dangers in the use of flight vehicles, ...

call it the ''Schleicher ASK 14''.

Design and development

The ASK 14 was developed as a low-wing motorized version of the

Schleicher Ka 6E The Schleicher Ka 6 is a single-seat glider designed by Rudolf Kaiser, built by Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co, Germany and is constructed of spruce and plywood with fabric covering. The design initially featured a conventional tailplane and elev ...

. The powerplant is a Hirth F10 K19 four-cylinder,

two-stroke A two-stroke (or two-stroke cycle) engine is a type of internal combustion engine that completes a Thermodynamic power cycle, power cycle with two strokes (up and down movements) of the piston during one power cycle, this power cycle being comple ...

engine, made by

Hirth Hirth Engines GmbH is an engine manufacturer based in Benningen, Germany. It is currently a part of the UMS Aero Group. Hirth began manufacturing aero engines in the 1920s, was taken over by Heinkel in WWII to develop the Heinkel-Hirth jet en ...

and driving a fully feathering

propeller A propeller (colloquially often called a screw if on a ship or an airscrew if on an aircraft) is a device with a rotating hub and radiating blades that are set at a pitch to form a helical spiral which, when rotated, exerts linear thrust upon ...

. The aircraft is built from wood and covered with doped

aircraft fabric covering Aircraft fabric covering is a term used for both the material used and the process of covering aircraft open structures. It is also used for reinforcing closed plywood structures. The de Havilland Mosquito is an example of this technique, as ar ...

. The span wing employs a NACA 63-618

airfoil An airfoil (American English) or aerofoil (British English) is the cross-sectional shape of an object whose motion through a gas is capable of generating significant lift, such as a wing, a sail, or the blades of propeller, rotor, or turbine. ...

at the wing root transitioning to a NACA 63-615 section at the wing tip and features spoilers. The monowheel

landing gear Landing gear is the undercarriage of an aircraft or spacecraft that is used for takeoff or landing. For aircraft it is generally needed for both. It was also formerly called ''alighting gear'' by some manufacturers, such as the Glenn L. Martin ...

is retractable. The

cockpit A cockpit or flight deck is the area, usually near the front of an aircraft or spacecraft, from which a Pilot in command, pilot controls the aircraft. The cockpit of an aircraft contains flight instruments on an instrument panel, and the ...

is covered by a bubble canopy that gives all-around visibility. Due to its Ka 6E heritage the handling of the ASK 14 was described by

in 1983 as "superb". The ASK 14 was never type certified and aircraft registered in the United States were in the ''Experimental - Racing/Exhibition '' category. ASK 14s in Canada are in the category ''CAR Standard 507.03(5)(a) Aircraft Held a Flight Permit - Private Aircraft prior 01/89''. Those in the UK have an

EASA The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is an agency of the European Union (EU) with responsibility for civil aviation safety. It carries out certification, regulation and standardisation and also performs investigation and monitori ...

Certificate of Airworthiness.

Operational history

ASK 14s finished second, third and fourth in the single-place class at the first international motorglider competition, that was held at Burg Feuerstein,

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

in 1970. In 1971 former

editor Bennett Rogers set the first

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

motorgliding record in an ASK 14, flying out-and-return from

Rosamond, California Rosamond is a unincorporated community in Kern County, California, US, near the Los Angeles county line. Rosamond is part of Greater Los Angeles and is located in the Mojave Desert just north of Lancaster and Palmdale, two of the largest cities ...

, US. In July 2011 there were still eight ASK 14s registered with the FAA in the US, two with the UK Civil Aviation Authority and one registered with Transport Canada.

Specifications (ASK 14)

References

External links

{{Schleicher 1960s German sailplanes Schleicher aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft Low-wing aircraft Motor gliders Aircraft first flown in 1967

Design and development

Operational history

Specifications (ASK 14)

See also

References

External links