The Schleicher K7 Rhönadler 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 ...

, two-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 ...

that was designed by

Rudolf Kaiser Rudolf Kaiser (10 September 1922 – 11 September 1991) was a designer of glider (sailplane), gliders who worked for Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co. The designs of Rudolf Kaiser have proven themselves for over 50 years all over the world. His d ...

and produced by Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co. Often referred to as the ''Ka-7'' or ''K-7'', 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 ...

type certificate 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 ...

officially designates it as the ''K7''.

Design and development

The K7 was intended as a two-place trainer with good performance, a rare combination in trainers of its time. The K7 is constructed with a welded steel tube fuselage, covered in doped aircraft fabric covering. The wing is a wooden structure with a doped fabric covering and employs a Goettingen 533 (16%) 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 ...

, transitioning to a Goettingen 533 (14%) 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 features powerful

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. The landing gear is a fixed monowheel. The earlier Ka-2 variant has a plywood

monocoque Monocoque ( ), also called structural skin, is a structural system in which loads are supported by an object's external skin, in a manner similar to an egg shell. The word ''monocoque'' is a French term for "single shell". First used for boats, ...

fuselage. After 550 had been built, the K7 was superseded in production by the

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 ...

. The K7 can be converted into a K7/13 with a conversion kit to lower the wing to the

mid-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 con ...

position and installation of a one-piece canopy, rendering the aircraft similar to the ASK-13.

Operational history

A K7 was flown to a new world multi-place glider speed record for flight around a triangle of in 1964 in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

A K7 was assigned to 2 Wing AAFC and used to train

Australian Air Force Cadets The Australian Air Force Cadets (AAFC), known as the ''Air Training Corps (AIRTC)'' until 2001, is a Federal Government funded youth organisation. The parent force of the AAFC is the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). Along with the Australia ...

228 Squadron at Bundaberg from 2007 to 2014.

Variants

; Ka-2 :Early version with a plywood monocoque fuselage ;K7 :Main production version with a steel tube fuselage. ;K7/13 :K7 converted to a mid-wing arrangement, plus a single piece canopy, to resemble an AS-K 13

Specifications (K7)

Notes

References

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External links

{{Schleicher 1960s German sailplanes Schleicher aircraft High-wing aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1960