The Finsterwalder Funfex is a German
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-place,
hang glider
Hang gliding is an air sport or recreational activity in which a pilot flies a light, non-motorised foot-launched heavier-than-air aircraft called a hang glider. Most modern hang gliders are made of an aluminium alloy or composite frame cover ...
, designed and produced by
Finsterwalder.
[Bertrand, Noel; Rene Coulon; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2003-04'', page 44. Pagefast Ltd, Lancaster OK, 2003. ISSN 1368-485X]
Design and development
The Funfex and the smaller-sized Airfex are intended as man-packable double-surface intermediate gliders for recreational cross-country flying. As such the Funfex weighs only and can be reduced to a folded size of
The aircraft is made from
aluminum
Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. It ha ...
tubing, with the wing covered in
Dacron
Polyethylene terephthalate (or poly(ethylene terephthalate), PET, PETE, or the obsolete PETP or PET-P), is the most common thermoplastic polymer resin of the polyester family and is used in fibres for clothing, containers for liquids and foo ...
sailcloth. Its span wing is
cable braced from a single
kingpost
A king post (or king-post or kingpost) is a central vertical post used in architectural or bridge designs, working in tension to support a beam below from a truss apex above (whereas a crown post, though visually similar, supports items above f ...
. The nose angle is 120° and the
aspect ratio is 5.5:1.
Variants
;Airfex
:Medium-sized glider with wing area of and a pilot hook-in weight of . DHV certified as Class 1-2.
;Funfex
:Large-sized glider with wing area of and a pilot hook-in weight of . DHV certified as Class 2.
Specifications (Funfex)
References
External links
*
{{Finsterwalder aircraft
Hang gliders