The firm Glasflügel (german: glass wings) was founded by Eugen Hänle in 1962 and was located in Schlattstall, south of

Kirchheim unter Teck Kirchheim unter Teck ( Swabian: ''Kircha'') is a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, in the district of Esslingen. It is located on the small river Lauter, a tributary of the Neckar. It is 10 km (6 miles) near the Teck castle, approximately ...

. It was the first firm to manufacture a glass-fibre sailplane in large numbers. It was also responsible for a large number of innovations in sailplane design and technology: quick assembly systems for wings and tailplane, automatic control connections, trailing edge airbrake-

flap Flap may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Flap'' (film), a 1970 American film * Flap, a boss character in the arcade game ''Gaiapolis'' * Flap, a minor character in the film '' Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland'' Biology and he ...

combinations, hinged instrument panels, the parallelogram control stick and automatic trimming are some innovations introduced by Glasflügel and later adopted by other manufacturers. Some of these are standard features in nearly all gliders produced today. Glasflügel encountered financial difficulties in the 1970s which led to a co-operation with the firm

Schempp-Hirth Schempp-Hirth Flugzeugbau GmbH is a glider manufacturer based in Kirchheim unter Teck, Germany. History Martin Schempp founded his own company in Göppingen in 1935, with the assistance of Wolf Hirth. The company was initially called "Sportfl ...

starting from May 1975. The death of Eugen Hänle in a flight accident on September 21 of the same year further aggravated the company's position, and after further changes in ownership in 1979, it was finally dissolved in 1982.

Products

The following glider types were manufactured by Glasflügel: *

Glasflügel BS-1 The Glasflügel BS-1, sometimes called the Björn Stender BS-1 or the Stender BS-1, is a West German, high-wing, single seat, T-tailed, FAI Open Class glider that was designed by Björn Stender and produced by Glasflügel.Said, Bob: ''1983 Sa ...

* Glasflügel H-30 GFK * Glasflügel H-101 Salto * Glasflügel H-201 Standard-Libelle * Glasflügel H-301 Libelle * Glasflügel 202 Standard-Libelle * Glasflügel 203 Standard-Libelle * Glasflügel 204 Standard-Libelle *

Glasflügel 205 Club Libelle The Glasflügel 205 Club Libelle is a high wing, T-tailed, single seat glider that was designed and produced in West Germany by Glasflügel for club and rental use.Said, Bob: ''1983 Sailplane Directory, Soaring Magazine'', page 80, Soaring Soc ...

* Glasflügel 206 Hornet * Glasflügel Hornet C *

Glasflügel 303 Mosquito The firm Glasflügel (german: glass wings) was founded by Eugen Hänle in 1962 and was located in Schlattstall, south of Kirchheim unter Teck. It was the first firm to manufacture a glass-fibre sailplane in large numbers. It was also responsible ...

* Glasflügel 304 *

Glasflügel 401 Kestrel The firm Glasflügel (german: glass wings) was founded by Eugen Hänle in 1962 and was located in Schlattstall, south of Kirchheim unter Teck. It was the first firm to manufacture a glass-fibre sailplane in large numbers. It was also responsible ...

Glasflügel 402 The Glasflügel 402 is a German sailplane developed by the glider manufacturer Glasflügel. Specifications See also *List of gliders This is a list of gliders/ sailplanes of the world, (this reference lists all gliders with references, w ...

Glasflügel 604 The Glasflügel 604 is a high-wing, T-tailed, single seat, FAI Open Class glider that was designed and produced in West Germany by Glasflügel starting in 1970.Said, Bob: ''1983 Sailplane Directory, Soaring Magazine'', page 81, Soaring Society o ...

Hansjörg Streifeneder Falcon The Hansjörg Streifeneder Falcon is a German sailplane developed by the glider manufacturer Glasflügel. Specifications See also *List of gliders This is a list of gliders/ sailplanes of the world, (this reference lists all gliders wi ...

The projected Glasflügel 701 and 704 side-by-side two-seaters did not materialise due to the demise of the company.

Licensed production

The British company

Slingsby Aviation Slingsby Aviation was a British aircraft manufacturer based in Kirkbymoorside, North Yorkshire, England. The company was founded to design and build gliders and sailplanes. From the early 1930s to around 1970 it built over 50% of all British c ...

built the Kestrel under license as the

Slingsby T-59 The Slingsby T.59 Kestrel is a British Open class glider which first flew in August 1970. Of fibreglass construction, it features camber-changing flaps, airbrakes, and a retractable main wheel. Originally a licensed-built version of the Gla ...

. Slingsby later developed the

Slingsby Vega The Vickers-Slingsby T-65 Vega is a 15-metre class class glider which first flew on 3 June 1977. Of fibreglass construction, it features linked camber-changing flaps and airbrakes, and a retractable main and tailwheel. A simplified version ...

, a family of 15-metre span gliders heavily influenced by its previous experience with Glasflügel designs.

References

Website of Hanjörg Streifeneder Glasfaser Flugzeugbau GmbH
{{DEFAULTSORT:Glasflugel Defunct aircraft manufacturers of Germany Companies based in Baden-Württemberg Glider manufacturers