Schleicher ASK 18 on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
The Schleicher ASK 18 is a single-seat
Sailplane directory
{{Schleicher 1970s German sailplanes Schleicher aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1974 Shoulder-wing aircraft
sailplane
A glider or sailplane is a type of glider aircraft used in the leisure activity and sport of gliding (also called soaring). This unpowered aircraft can use naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmosphere to gain altitude. Sailplan ...
that was built by the German manufacturer 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 ...
. It was designed to be a sturdy aircraft for inexperienced solo pilots and so uses a simple and rugged construction and has docile handling characteristics.
Design
The ASK 18 was designed byRudolf Kaiser
Rudolf Kaiser (10 September 1922 – 11 September 1991) was a designer of 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 designs for Schleiche ...
and was the last Schleicher glider to use the traditional construction method, at a time when contemporary aircraft of the same class, such as the Grob G102 Astir
The G102 Astir is a single-seat glassfibre Club Class sailplane, designed by Burkhart Grob and built by Grob Aircraft. It was the first Grob-designed sailplane, with the first flight in December 1974. Grob had previously built the Schempp ...
, were made of 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 ...
. The fuselage was derived from the Ka 8 and used welded steel tube and spruce longerons. It is covered in fabric. The wings are from the Ka 6E but with 16-metre span. They have a single wooden spar. The rear part of the wing is fabric-covered and the ailerons are plywood-covered. The tailplane came from the K 10; the fin and tailplane are plywood-covered and the rudder and elevators are fabric covered. A Flettner trim tab is fitted to the elevator. Only the nose cone is glass-fibre. The main-wheel is fixed and has a brake. There is a tail-skid but no nose-skid. The Schempp-Hirth airbrakes extend above and below the wing. First flight was in October 1974.
A variation was the ASK 18B which had a span reduced to 15m. At the end of production in 1977 38 K18s and 9 K18Bs had been built by Schleicher and one unknown variant built from a kit. A further 8 K18-ARs were produced in Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
.
Specifications
See also
References
''Gliders and Sailplanes of the World'' by Michael Hardy Ian Allan Ltd 1982External links
Sailplane directory
{{Schleicher 1970s German sailplanes Schleicher aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1974 Shoulder-wing aircraft