The Kasper Bekas is a family of

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

mid-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 con ...

, tailless gliders designed by Witold Kasper and derived from the earlier 1959

Brochocki BKB-1 The Brochocki BKB-1 was a Canadian mid-wing, single-seat, experimental tailless glider that was designed and constructed by Stefan Brochocki with assistance from Witold Kasper and A. Bodek. The designation indicated the contributions of all ...

design.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 36.

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 Bekas series was an attempt by Kasper to create an experimental tailless glider with a higher

glide ratio In aerodynamics, the lift-to-drag ratio (or L/D ratio) is the lift generated by an aerodynamic body such as an aerofoil or aircraft, divided by the aerodynamic drag caused by moving through air. It describes the aerodynamic efficiency under giv ...

, better ground handling and rigging, using a flexible wing to study the effects of wing flexing on stability and controllability in flight. The Bekas is built from wood and covered in plywood. The wing uses a

NACA The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) was a United States federal agency founded on March 3, 1915, to undertake, promote, and institutionalize aeronautical research. On October 1, 1958, the agency was dissolved and its assets ...

8-H-12 airfoil and has greater span and higher aspect ratio than the BKB-1 to achieve its goals. The wing features outboard

trailing edge The trailing edge of an aerodynamic surface such as a wing is its rear edge, where the airflow separated by the leading edge meets.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', page 521. Aviation Supplies & Academics, 199 ...

control surfaces that act both as

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 ...

for pitch control and aileron for roll control. The wing is swept 15° and has a chord of . The landing gear is a fixed monowheel. The design resulted in a high glide ratio for a wingspan of 45:1, along with a reasonably low sink rate of 2.0 feet per second.

Operational history

The first Bekas, an "N" model, was built by Kasper in 1968. It was destroyed and removed from

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records in 1977. Two others were completed. One model 1-A was started by Al Wilson of

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region ...

and completed by Clifford Johnson of Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1972, which features a wider chord wing. The final one was completed by Don Mattson of Seattle.

Variants

;Bekas N :The "N" (for narrow wing) was first flown in April 1968. ;Bekas 1-A :Variant with longer wing chord.

Specifications (Bekas N)

References

{{reflist

External links