The Akaflieg Karlsruhe AK-5b is a single-seat club class

glider Glider may refer to: Aircraft and transport Aircraft * Glider (aircraft), heavier-than-air aircraft primarily intended for unpowered flight ** Glider (sailplane), a rigid-winged glider aircraft with an undercarriage, used in the sport of glidin ...

designed and built in Germany by members of

Akaflieg Karlsruhe Akaflieg Karlsruhe is one of ten flying groups (Akaflieg) attached to German universities. Akaflieg is an abbreviation for ''Akademische Fliegergruppe'', an academic group of students working with a German University. The ''Akademische Fliegergru ...

Design and development

Poor handling characteristics of the

AK5 The Ak 5 or ''Automatkarbin 5'' ("automatic carbine 5", "automatic carbine" being the Swedish term for assault rifle) is the Swedish version of the FN FNC assault rifle with certain modifications, mostly to adapt the weapon to the partially subarc ...

prompted Akaflieg Karlsruhe to design a successor with improved handling capable of being used as a first single-seater at the

gliding club. During development of the AK-5b it was decided to make changes to the construction by using carbon-fibre, aramid fibres and glass-fibre. As part of the re-design, a new cockpit was designed with new crash-worthy canopy, equipped with a new opening and emergency release mechanisms

Specification (AK-5b)

References

External links

Akaflieg Karlsruhe homepage
{{Akaflieg Karlsruhe aircraft 1990s German sailplanes Akaflieg Karlsruhe aircraft T-tail aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1996