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The Schneider ES-60 ''Boomerang'' is a 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 ...
that was designed and manufactured in
Australia in the 1960s. It is constructed of wood and
fabric
Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not th ...
. It was designed and manufactured by
Edmund Schneider Pty of
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
,
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
. It has a fixed main wheel and a tail skid. The ''Boomerang'' has an all-moving, swept
tailplane
A tailplane, also known as a horizontal stabiliser, is a small lifting surface located on the tail (empennage) behind the main lifting surfaces of a fixed-wing aircraft as well as other non-fixed-wing aircraft such as helicopters and gyropla ...
that resembles a
boomerang
A boomerang () is a thrown tool, typically constructed with aerofoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight. A returning boomerang is designed to return to the thrower, while a non-returning ...
and hence the name given to the ES-60. A version with a conventional straight stabiliser and moving elevator was also manufactured, called the ES-60B ''Super Arrow''.
In the 1950s Edmund Schneider Pty Ltd manufactured a number of
Schleicher Ka 6
The Schleicher Ka 6 is a single-seat glider designed by Rudolf Kaiser, built by Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co, Germany and is constructed of spruce and plywood with fabric covering. The design initially featured a conventional tailplane and e ...
gliders, under licence from
Alexander Schleicher of Germany. However, the Ka 6 with its low
wing loading
In aerodynamics, wing loading is the total mass of an aircraft or flying animal divided by the area of its wing. The stalling speed of an aircraft in straight, level flight is partly determined by its wing loading. An aircraft or animal with a ...
proved to be unsuited as a competition glider in Australia's strong summer thermal conditions. The
Gliding Federation of Australia
The Gliding Federation of Australia (GFA), also known as Gliding Australia, is the governing body for the sport of gliding in Australia. It was founded in 1949. The GFA is responsible to Civil Aviation Safety Authority for the conduct of safe ...
asked
Edmund Schneider to design and manufacture a competition sailplane better suited to Australian conditions. The result was the ES-60 ''Boomerang''.
Specifications
See also
Notes
References
Sailplane Directory. Schneider. Online. October 7, 2007.*
ES-60 ''Boomerang'' in Sailplane Directory{{Edmund Schneider aircraft
1960s Australian sailplanes
Glider aircraft
Edmund Schneider aircraft