Rudolf Kaiser (10 September 1922 – 11 September 1991) was a designer of

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 ...

s who worked for

Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co is a major manufacturer of sailplanes located in Poppenhausen, near Fulda in Germany. It is also the oldest sailplane manufacturer in the world. History The company was founded in 1927 by Alexander Schleicher u ...

. The designs of Rudolf Kaiser have proven themselves for over 50 years all over the world. His designs for Schleichers can be recognised by the K in the ASK designation. The designs that he did on his own account have the designation Ka. He was born in

Coburg, Germany Coburg () is a town located on the Itz river in the Upper Franconia region of Bavaria, Germany. Long part of one of the Thuringian states of the Wettin line, it joined Bavaria by popular vote only in 1920. Until the revolution of 1918, it was ...

, and graduated in house construction in 1952. However at the same time he took up gliding. He built a small single seater, the Ka 1 at his home in 1952 to perfect his design skills. (He used it to get his 'Silver C'

gliding Gliding is a recreational activity and competitive air sport in which pilots fly unpowered aircraft known as gliders or sailplanes using naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmosphere to remain airborne. The word ''soaring'' is al ...

badge.) His next glider, the two-seat Ka 2, was created for Alexander Schleicher, the sailplane manufacturer in Poppenhausen. Rudolf Kaiser also worked for Egon Scheibe designing the Ka 5 "Zugvogel" which was the best performing production sailplane in the world at the time. To earn his Gold C, he again built a sailplane for himself; the Ka 6. It won the OSTIV prize for the best new design in 1958. After Schleicher put it into production, it became the most popular Standard Class sailplane, winning two

World Gliding Championships The World Gliding Championships (WGC) is a gliding competition held every two years or so by the FAI Gliding Commission. The dates are not always exactly two years apart, often because the contests are sometimes held in the summer in the Southern ...

(1960 and 1963). 1368 Ka 6's were built and many are still flying. Kaiser then designed three more classic gliders: *

Schleicher K7 The Schleicher K7 Rhönadler is a West German high-wing, two-seat, glider that was designed by Rudolf Kaiser and produced by Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co. Often referred to as the ''Ka-7'' or ''K-7'', the US Federal Aviation Administration t ...

two-seat trainer (550 built)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 in ...

'', page 105,

Soaring Society of America The Soaring Society of America (SSA) was founded at the instigation of Warren E. Eaton to promote the sport of soaring in the USA and internationally. The first meeting was held in New York City in the McGraw–Hill Building on February 20, 1932. ...

November 1983. USPS 499-920 *

Schleicher ASK 13 The ASK 13 is a two-seater glider that was built by German sailplane manufacturer Alexander Schleicher Gmbh & Co. It was and still is widely used for basic training of glider pilots. Design and development In 1965 Rudolf Kaiser continued d ...

two-seat trainer (645 built) *

Schleicher K 8 The Schleicher K 8 (also known as Ka-8) is a single-seat glider designed by Rudolf Kaiser and built by the Alexander Schleicher company of Germany. Design and development The K 8 was derived from the earlier Ka 6 design as a simple single-pla ...

single-seat glider with 15 metre wingspan (1,212 built) The K 8 was a single seater with similar characteristics to the two-seaters and so it is still a popular glider for early solo pilots who had trained on Kaiser's two seaters. Further designs followed: the

Schleicher ASK 18 The Schleicher ASK 18 is a single-seat sailplane that was built by the German manufacturer Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co. It was designed to be a sturdy aircraft for inexperienced solo pilots and so uses a simple and rugged construction and ha ...

single seater and two motorgliders, the

ASK 14 The Schleicher ASK 14 is a West Germany, West German low-wing, single-seat motor glider that was designed by Rudolf Kaiser and produced by Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co.Said, Bob: ''1983 Sailplane Directory, Soaring Magazine'', page 131. Soa ...

and ASK 16. Kaiser then designed two

glass-fibre Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass clot ...

gliders: the two-seat

Schleicher ASK 21 The ASK 21 is a glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) two-seat glider aircraft with a T-tail. The ASK 21 is designed primarily for beginner instruction, but is also suitable for cross-country flying and aerobatic instruction. Design and development Th ...

trainer, which first flew in 1978, and the single-seat

Schleicher ASK 23 The Schleicher ASK 23 is a single-seat Club Class sailplane that was built by the German manufacturer Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co. Design The ASK 23 was the last glider to be designed by Rudolf Kaiser. It is an early-solo sailplane with doci ...

which filled the role of the K 8. The ASK 23 first flew in 1983. When the certification process of the ASK 23 was complete Rudolf Kaiser retired at the age of 61.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kaiser, Rudolf 1922 births 1991 deaths German aerospace engineers People from Coburg Engineers from Bavaria