The Glasflügel BS-1, sometimes called the Björn Stender BS-1 or the Stender BS-1, is a

West German West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

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,

T-tail A T-tail is an empennage configuration in which the tailplane is mounted to the top of the fin. The arrangement looks like the capital letter T, hence the name. The T-tail differs from the standard configuration in which the tailplane ...

ed,

FAI Open 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: * ...

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 Björn Stender and produced by Glasflügel.Said, Bob: ''1983 Sailplane Directory,

Soaring Magazine ''SOARING'' is a magazine published monthly as a membership benefit of the Soaring Society of America. It was first published in 1937. The headquarters is in Hobbs, New Mexico. The magazine's article topics include safety issues and accounts of in ...

'', page 79,

Soaring Society of America The Soaring Society of America (SSA) was founded at the instigation of Warren E. Eaton to promote the sport of soaring in the USA and internationally. The first meeting was held in New York City in the McGraw–Hill Building on February 20, 193 ...

November 1983. USPS 499-920

Design and development

The prototype BS-1 was designed by Stender as the initials indicate; the BS-1 was closely based on his earlier Akaflieg Braunschweig SB-6 Nixope, produced whilst he was still an undergraduate. Two prototypes were built by him and his three assistants in 1962. He was then a young engineering student and designed the aircraft at the request of a

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

n sailplane pilot and industrialist, producing a design that was very advanced for its time. While the designer was test flying of one of the prototypes in 1963 the aircraft suffered an in-flight structural failure and Stender was killed. Glasflügel then took over the project and re-engineered the design, based on their experience producing the Glasflügel H-301 Libelle. The company went on to build 18 production aircraft. The BS-1 is constructed entirely from

fiberglass 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 clo ...

and features an wing with flaps and

dive brake Dive brakes or dive flaps are deployed to slow down an aircraft when in a dive. They often consist of a metal flap that is lowered against the air flow, thus creating drag and reducing dive speed.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, ...

s. For further glidepath control the BS-1 has a tail-mounted parachute. The landing gear is a retractable monowheel. A planned improved model, the BS-1b, was never produced.

Operational history

The BS-1 was considered one of the first soaring "super ships" and was one of the most high-performing gliders of its time, the mid-1960s. Alfred Rohm of West Germany flew a BS-1 to a world speed record of in 1967.

Thierry Thys Thierry Thys (May 2, 1931 in San Francisco, CA – August 19, 2009) was an American pilot and metallurgical engineer, who held the world's distance and altitude record for sailplane flight in 1970, and in 2002, made the first self-launched sail ...

of San Leandro, California flew a BS-1 on a flight in 1970. At that time it was the third-longest soaring flight ever made.

Aircraft on display

* Frontiers of Flight Museum *

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 ...

- one, listed as in "storage"

Specifications (BS-1)

References

External links