The Schreder Airmate HP-8 is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

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 confi ...

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 by

Richard Schreder Richard E. Schreder (25 September 1915 – 2 August 2002) was an American naval aviator and sailplane developer, responsible for design and development of the HP/RS-series kit sailplanes marketed from 1962 until about 1982. Schreder also foun ...

after the loss of the HP-7 in 1957. Airmate was the name of Schreder's design company.

Design and development

The HP-8 was designed as a result of the lessons learned in flying the HP-7 in the 1957 US Nationals. The HP-7 was destroyed in an

aero-tow 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 ...

ing accident shortly after the Nationals and Schreder decided to improve on the earlier design with the HP-8. As in all of Schreder's designs, the ''HP'' stands for "high performance". The HP-8 is an all-metal design with a very high aspect ratio wing of 24:1, that incorporates 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 ...

65 (3)-618

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. ...

. The wing is of only 110 square feet (10 m²) in area and this gives a high wing loading of 7.53 lbs/sq ft (36.8 kg/m²), allowing a high glide ratio at a high speed.

Operational history

The HP-8 was entered by Schreder in the 1958 US Nationals and placed first. Schreder set records with the aircraft in all three speed categories in 1959 and also flew it to first place in the 1960 US Nationals. The sole example built was then sold to

George B. Moffat, Jr. George B. Moffat Jr. is an author, twice world champion glider pilot, and a member of the U.S. Soaring Hall of Fame. He began flying airplanes in 1953, gliders in 1959, entered his first national soaring competition in 1962, and was still an active ...

who raised the speed records that Schreder had set in the aircraft. The HP-8 was subsequently purchased by Fred Hefty and John Elizalde and donated 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 ...

Aircraft on display

- 1. Currently listed as "under restoration"

Specifications (HP-8)

Notes

References