The Scheibe Zugvogel ( en, Migratory bird) 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,

FAI Open 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: * ...

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 produced by Scheibe Flugzeugbau. The first version was designed by Rudolph Kaiser and subsequent versions by

Egon Scheibe Egon Scheibe (28 September 1908 – 26 September 1997)
''Münchner Merkur'', 26 September ...

.Simons, Martin, ''Sailplanes 1945-1965'', (Ed: Eqip) p.162

Design and development

The Zugvogel was designed with the goal of a simple and inexpensive, but high performance, open class competition glider, with quick assembly. It was developed through several variants before production ended after 100 had been completed. The aircraft is of mixed construction, with a welded steel tube

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 ...

covered in doped aircraft fabric covering, wooden framed tail surfaces covered in fabric and wooden wings. The span wing uses 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 ...

63-616 airfoil at the

wing root The wing root is the part of the wing on a fixed-wing aircraft or winged-spaceship that is closest to the fuselage The fuselage (; from the French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds crew, passengers, o ...

, changing to a NACA 63-614 section at the

wing tip A wing tip (or wingtip) is the part of the wing that is most distant from the fuselage of a fixed-wing aircraft. Because the wing tip shape influences the size and drag of the wingtip vortices, tip design has produced a diversity of sha ...

. The wing uses

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 for glidepath control. The nose is covered with

fibreglass 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 clo ...

. 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 Zugvogel IIIB was

type certified A type certificate signifies the airworthiness of a particular category of aircraft, according to its manufacturing design (''type design''). It confirms that the aircraft of a new type intended for serial production, is in compliance with applica ...

in 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 ...

on 6 May 1964. Zugvogel IIIAs operated in the US are in the ''Experimental - Racing/Exhibition'' category.

Operational history

US glider pilot Helen Dick set a number of US national feminine single-place records in her Zugvogel IIIB between 1964 and 1967. These included a distance of , distance to goal of and an out and return distance of . In July 2011 there were three Zugvogel IIIAs and two IIIBs registered with 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 ...

and two Zugvogel IIIAs and four IIIBs registered with the British Civil Aviation Authority.

Variants

;Zugvogel I :Initial version ;Zugvogel II :Improved version ;Zugvogel III :Improved version ;Zugvogel IIIA : wingspan, 37.8:1

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 giv ...

. ;Zugvogel IIIB :Similar to the IIIA, but with a shallower fuselage. ;Zugvogel IV ;Zugvogel IVA ; Scheibe SF-27 Zugvogel V :

FAI Standard 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 ...

development ;Loravia LCA-10 Topaze: ;Loravia LCA-11 Topaze:

Aircraft on display

* Deutsches Segelflugmuseum

Specifications (Zugvogel IIIA)

References

External links

* {{Scheibe aircraft 1950s German sailplanes Zugvogel Glider aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1954