The Rolladen-Schneider LS2 is a 15-metre

span Span may refer to: Science, technology and engineering * Span (unit), the width of a human hand * Span (engineering), a section between two intermediate supports * Wingspan, the distance between the wingtips of a bird or aircraft * Sorbitan ester ...

single seat

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 ...

prototype with trailing-edge flaps, designed and built by

Rolladen-Schneider Flugzeugbau GmbH Rolladen-Schneider was a major glider manufacturer. It originally made rolling doors and shutters and was run by Willi and Walter Schneider based in Egelsbach near Frankfurt, Germany. Walter was a keen glider pilot and recruited a sailplane desi ...

c. 1973. The LS2 was designed by

Wolf Lemke Wolf Lemke is a designer of gliders who worked for Rolladen Schneider and after it was taken over in 2003, for DG Flugzeugbau GmbH. He was one of the student members of the Akaflieg Darmstadt who designed the revolutionary D-36 "Circe" in the pe ...

and Walter Schneider in response to changes in the Standard Class rules. Only one example, an experimental prototype, was built. First flown in 1973, it won the German Championships that year.

Helmut Reichmann Helmut Reichmann (1941 – March 10, 1992) was a German glider pilot, thrice World Gliding Champion, and co-founder, along with millionaire Barron Hilton, of the Barron Hilton Cup. He was an arts teacher and a professor of industrial design in hi ...

competing in the LS2 won the 14th World championships in

Waikerie, South Australia Waikerie ( ) is a rural town in the Riverland region of South Australia on the south bank of the Murray River. At the , Waikerie had a population of 2,684. The Sturt Highway passes to the south of the town at the top of the cliffs. There is a ca ...

in 1974.

Design

The design was nevertheless unsatisfactory. The flaps occupied most of the trailing edge of the wing, being intended both as a means to control speed and improve climb rates in narrow

thermals A thermal column (or thermal) is a rising mass of buoyant air, a convective current in the atmosphere, that transfers heat energy vertically. Thermals are created by the uneven heating of Earth's surface from solar radiation, and are an example ...

. Class rules did not allow these surfaces to be coupled to the ailerons. The resultant sluggish roll rate from the very short

ailerons An aileron (French for "little wing" or "fin") is a hinged flight control surface usually forming part of the trailing edge of each wing of a fixed-wing aircraft. Ailerons are used in pairs to control the aircraft in Flight dynamics, roll (or ...

led to poor and unsafe flying characteristics. Thrice World Champion

reportedly said the performance advantages were not worth the extra pilot workload. The LS2 highlighted inconsistencies in the rules that promoted unwise design trends, with trade-offs having to be made by designers between competitiveness and safety. Many observers also felt that trailing-edge flaps were against the spirit of the Standard Class, an issue that affected other types such as the PIK-20, Libelle and Schreder HP-8. The

International Gliding Commission The International Gliding Commission (IGC) is the international governing body for the sport of gliding. It is governed by meetings of delegates from national gliding associations. It is one of several Air Sport Commissions (ASC) of the Fédérati ...

voted a new set of rules in 1974, prohibiting any lift-enhancing devices in the Standard Class and creating the

15 metre Class Competition classes in gliding, as in other sports, mainly exist to ensure fairness in competition. However the classes have not been targeted at fostering technological development as in other sports. Instead classes have arisen because of: * t ...

where these were allowed without any restriction.

Specifications

References

LS-Flugzeugbau website
*Simons M, Segelflugzeuge 1965-2000, Equip, 2004
Sailplane Directory
{{Rolladen-Schneider aircraft Rolladen-Schneider aircraft 1970s German sailplanes Aircraft first flown in 1973 T-tail aircraft Shoulder-wing aircraft

Design

Specifications

See also

References