The Raab Krähe ( en, crow) 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 ...
high-wing
A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes.
A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing co ...
, single-seat,
pusher configuration motor glider
A motor glider is a fixed-wing aircraft that can be flown with or without engine power. The FAI Gliding Commission Sporting Code definition is: a fixed-wing aerodyne equipped with a means of propulsion (MoP), capable of sustained soaring flight ...
that was designed by
Fritz Raab for
amateur construction around 1958.
[Rogers, Bennett: ''1974 Sailplane Directory, Soaring Magazine'', page 87. Soaring Society of America, August 1974. USPS 499-920]
Design and development
Raab designed the Krähe specifically for homebuilders.
The Krähe is constructed from wood, with the
fuselage
The fuselage (; from the French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an engine as well, although in some amphibious aircraf ...
made from a wooden structure covered in doped
aircraft fabric
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 are ...
. The span wings are built with a wooden structure and covered in
plywood and fabric. The wings feature
spoilers and a custom Raab-designed
airfoil. The
tailplane
A tailplane, also known as a horizontal stabiliser, is a small lifting surface located on the tail (empennage) behind the main lifting surfaces of a fixed-wing aircraft as well as other non-fixed-wing aircraft such as helicopters and gyropla ...
is braced with four cables to the wing
trailing edge
The trailing edge of an aerodynamic surface such as a wing is its rear edge, where the airflow separated by the leading edge meets.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', page 521. Aviation Supplies & Academics, 199 ...
. The
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 a fixed monowheel.
The motor installation is unconventional for a motorglider in that the engine is mounted in the rear of the cabin area, with the propeller in between the top and bottom tail boom tubes. Motors used are usually of an output of about .
About 30 examples were reported completed by 1974.
Operational history
One Krähe built in
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
by Tasso Proppe and imported to the
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 territori ...
was powered by a
Steyr twin-cylinder,
four-stroke engine that produced a cruise speed of on a fuel burn of per hour. The aircraft is no longer on 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 ...
registry.
Variants
;Krähe
:Initial model with monowheel landing gear and propeller in between top and bottom tail boom tubes.
;Austria Krähe
:Later model with
tricycle landing gear
Tricycle gear is a type of aircraft undercarriage, or ''landing gear'', arranged in a tricycle fashion. The tricycle arrangement has a single nose wheel in the front, and two or more main wheels slightly aft of the center of gravity. Tricycle g ...
and propeller rotating around the upper tail boom tube.
Specifications (Krähe)
See also
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Raab Krahe
1950s German sailplanes
Homebuilt aircraft
Glider aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1958
Krähe
Motor gliders
Single-engined pusher aircraft