The Hermanspann Chinook is an American
mid-wing, two-seat,
experimental research
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 ...
that was designed and constructed by
Fred Hermanspann and
Art Penz.
Design and development
The Chinook and its improved variant, the Chinook S, have been used to study the effect of rain on
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.
...
s and also
stall dynamics.
The aircraft is predominantly made from
aluminium with 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 ...
area made from
fiberglass. Its span high
aspect ratio wing employs a Wortmann FX67-K-170/17 airfoil. Glidepath control is via hydraulically operated
trailing edge flaps that deflect 80°. The
landing gear consists of hydraulically retractable nose gear and main gear. The
vertical stabilizer is highly swept.
The improved Chinook S features an improved wing tip design, system and structure refinements and a BRS-1200
ballistic parachute.
Only one Chinook was constructed and it was registered with the US
Federal Aviation Administration in the ''
Experimental - Amateur-built'' category.
Operational history
In March 2015 the Chinook was still registered with the FAA to Hermanspann.
After the conclusion of a number of research projects including about rain effects, performance measurements and stall dynamics, the sailplane was being employed extensively through 2015 for cross-country flying, having made a total of five crossings of the Cacscade mountains and having set four Washington state soaring records.
Variants
;Chinook
:Original configuration, first flown in 1993.
;Chinook S
:Improved configuration, first flown in 1996.
Specifications (Chinook S)
See also
References
{{reflist
1990s United States sailplanes
Homebuilt aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1993
Mid-wing aircraft
Glider aircraft