The Schleicher Ka 6 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 ...

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 ...

, built by Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co, Germany and is constructed of spruce and plywood with fabric covering. The design initially featured a conventional

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 ...

and

elevator An elevator or lift is a cable-assisted, hydraulic cylinder-assisted, or roller-track assisted machine that vertically transports people or freight between floors, levels, or decks of a building, vessel, or other structure. They a ...

which was later replaced by an all-moving tailplane in the -Pe and Ka 6E variants. Variants built before the -CR and -BR used a main skid as the principal undercarriage, with later variants including the Ka 6E using a wheel as the main undercarriage with no nose skid. Other modifications for the Ka 6E include a more aerodynamic fuselage with

glassfibre 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 cloth ...

nose and wingroot fairings, longer canopy, and modified aluminium airbrakes.

Variants

Dates of initial airworthiness approval in brackets: * Ka 6 – Initial version; span , (30 October 1956). * Ka 6B (27 September 1957) * Ka 6B-Pe – The Ka 6B with all-flying tailplane, (20 May 1960). * Ka 6BR – The Ka 6B with the main skid removed and a relocated mainwheel, (27 September 1957). * Ka 6CR – The Ka 6C with the main skid removed and a relocated mainwheel, (24 February 1959). * Ka 6CR-Pe – The Ka 6CR with all-flying tailplane, (20 May 1960). * Ka 6E The ultimate Ka-6, with all-flying tailplane, (29 July 1965)

Aircraft on display

US Southwest Soaring Museum The US Southwest Soaring Museum is an aviation museum, located at 918 E US Route 66, in Moriarty, New Mexico, United States that focuses on the history of gliding in the western United States. The museum is an affiliate member of the Soaring Socie ...

– Ka 6B-Pe and Ka 6e

Specifications (Ka 6E)

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Coates, Andrew, ''Janes World Sailplanes and Motorgliders''. London. Macdonald and Jane's Publishers Ltd., 1978. * Macfadyen, Tim. ''BGA Data sheet for Schleicher Ka-6, BR and CR (Rhönsegler)''. Leicester. British Gliding Association. 1 July 2003.

External links

British Gliding Association, Ka 6 datasheet

British Gliding Association, Ka 6E datasheet

Ka6 Sailplane history and information website
{{Schleicher Schleicher aircraft 1950s German sailplanes High-wing aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1955