The Ross-Johnson RJ-5 is a single seat competition

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 by Harland Ross and constructed partially by Ross and finished by Dick Johnson. The RJ-5 became one of the most famous gliders ever built when Johnson flew it in 1951, setting a new world distance record that endured for 13 years.Said, Bob: ''1983 Sailplane Directory,

Soaring Magazine ''SOARING'' is a magazine published monthly as a membership benefit of the Soaring Society of America. It was first published in 1937. The headquarters is in Hobbs, New Mexico. The magazine's article topics include safety issues and accounts of ind ...

'', page 60. Soaring Society of America, November 1983. USPS 499-920

Design and development

The RJ-5 was conceived by Johnson, who contracted Ross to design and built a glider with record-setting performance. The aircraft utilizes a

NACA The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) was a United States federal agency founded on March 3, 1915, to undertake, promote, and institutionalize aeronautical research. On October 1, 1958, the agency was dissolved and its assets ...

63 (2)-615

laminar flow 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. ...

and was one of the first gliders to achieve a 40:1

glide ratio In aerodynamics, the lift-to-drag ratio (or L/D ratio) is the lift generated by an aerodynamic body such as an aerofoil or aircraft, divided by the aerodynamic drag caused by moving through air. It describes the aerodynamic efficiency under give ...

. Johnson asked Ross to build the RJ-5 in 1948. Ross completed the design work and much of the construction, with help from Stan Hall, but by 1950 the glider was still incomplete. Johnson took delivery of it, finishing work on it at

Mississippi State University Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university adjacent to Starkville, Mississippi. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Unive ...

, and incorporated some design changes of his own.Johnson, Richard: ''Soaring Mail'', page 3. Soaring Society of America, November 1994. 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 aircraft t ...

and tail were built from wood, with all-metal wings. The RJ-5 was designed to use a take-off dolly and land on its fixed skid. Johnson sold the aircraft to Graham Thompson, who in turn sold it to Brad Strauss. While Strauss owned it the aircraft was damaged and Strauss had Adrian Kisovec design a new metal fuselage and tail for the aircraft, after which it was designated the ''RJK-5'', acknowledging Kisovec's contributions. The aircraft was later sold to Dietrich Ennult and Rolf Bayer who modified it with a retractable monowheel landing gear from a Schweizer 1-34 and

dive brake Dive brakes or dive flaps are deployed to slow down an aircraft when in a dive. They often consist of a metal flap that is lowered against the air flow, thus creating drag and reducing dive speed.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, ...

s, which somewhat lowered the performance. They subsequently donated it to the

National Soaring Museum The National Soaring Museum (NSM) is an aviation museum whose stated aim is to preserve the history of motorless flight. It is located on top of Harris Hill near Elmira, New York, United States. The NSM is the Soaring Society of America's officia ...

, who have since restored it to RJ-5 configuration with a new fuselage. Only a single example was ever built and the aircraft is classified as an experimental amateur-built. Originally registered as ''N3722C'', the registration was later changed to ''N79T''.

Operational history

Johnson took the newly completed RJ-5 to the US Nationals in 1950 and won the championship, a feat he duplicated with the aircraft in 1951, 1952 and 1954. He also set a US national distance to a declared goal record of , a US National distance record of , a triangle speed record of and the world distance record of . After Graham Thompson purchased the aircraft from Johnson he placed second in the 1956 US Nationals flying the RJ-5. The next owner, Brad Strauss loaned it to Bernie Carris, who came in second in both the 1960 and 1963 US Nationals, the aircraft having been rebuilt into the RJK-5 by the second competition. Carris's second-place finish in 1963 was just 8 points behind the aircraft's former owner, Dick Johnson, who was flying a Slingsby Skylark 4.

Aircraft on display

- the sole example, restored to RJ-5 configuration.

Specifications (RJK-5)

References

External links