The Applebay GA-II Chiricahua is an American
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 ...
, single-seat,
FAI Standard Class
Competition classes in gliding, as in other sports, mainly exist to ensure fairness in competition. However the classes have not been targeted at fostering technological development as in other sports. Instead classes have arisen because of:
* t ...
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 constructed by
George Applebay, first flying in 1970.
Design and development
Applebay started the Chiricahua as a standard class sailplane in 1959, but the aircraft was not completed for 11 years, first flying in 1970.
It was named for the
Chiricahua people, a group of
Apache Native Americans.
The aircraft is made from wood and covered in a combination of
plywood and
doped Ceconite. Its span wing employs a Göttingen 549
airfoil and features
Schempp-Hirth
Schempp-Hirth Flugzeugbau GmbH is a glider manufacturer based in Kirchheim unter Teck, Germany.
History
Martin Schempp founded his own company in Göppingen in 1935, with the assistance of Wolf Hirth.
The company was initially called "Sportfl ...
style top surface
airbrakes. As originally specified for the standard class, the landing gear was a fixed monowheel.
Only one example was built.
Operational history
On 7 July 1974 at
New River, Arizona
New River is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. The population was 17,290 as of the 2020 census, up from 14,952 at the 2010 census.
History
New River is named after the ...
the prototype, N9413, was involved in an accident and substantially damaged. The aircraft was on a soaring flight, ran out of lift, made an attempted landing on a road in a crosswind and struck a tree. The 24-year-old pilot, who had 32 hours of flying time total, including 11 hours on type, was not injured.
The aircraft has since been re-registered as N53MB.
Specifications (GA-II)
See also
References
External links
Gŏttingen 549 airfoil{{Applebay Sailplanes
1970s United States sailplanes
Homebuilt aircraft
GA-II
Aircraft first flown in 1970