The Masak Scimitar was an American
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 confi ...
, 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 ...
that was designed and constructed by
Peter Masak
Peter C. Masak (August 17, 1957 – May 22, 2004) was an engineer, inventor, and glider pilot. He graduated with a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in mechanical engineering in May 1981 from the University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. He ear ...
.
It first flew in 1995.
The aircraft was destroyed and the designer killed in a soaring accident on 22 May 2004.
Design and development
The Scimitar was intended to use new aerodynamic technology to achieve higher performance in a competition sailplane. The aircraft mated a
Schempp-Hirth Ventus
The Schempp-Hirth Ventus is a sailplane produced during 1980–1994 by Schempp-Hirth, a German sailplane manufacturer. It was designed by Klaus Holighaus and replaced the Schempp-Hirth Mini-Nimbus. Schempp-Hirth manufactured 613 Ventus sailplan ...
fuselage
The fuselage (; from the French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an engine as well, although in some amphibious aircraft t ...
with a wing of the same planform as the
Schempp-Hirth Discus
The Schempp-Hirth Discus is a Standard Class glider designed by Schempp-Hirth. It was produced in Germany between 1984 and 1995 but has continued in production in the Czech Republic. It replaced the Standard Cirrus. It was designed by Klau ...
, outfitted with an electronic
boundary layer control
Boundary layer control refers to methods of controlling the behaviour of fluid flow boundary layers.
It may be desirable to reduce flow separation on fast vehicles to reduce the size of the wake (streamlining), which may reduce drag. Boundary l ...
system.
The aircraft was made from
carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer
Carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (American English), carbon-fibre-reinforced polymers (Commonwealth English), carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics, carbon-fiber reinforced-thermoplastic (CFRP, CRP, CFRTP), also known as carbon fiber, carbon compo ...
and
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 cloth ...
with
Kevlar
Kevlar (para-aramid) is a strong, heat-resistant synthetic fiber, related to other aramids such as Nomex and Technora. Developed by Stephanie Kwolek at DuPont in 1965, the high-strength material was first used commercially in the early 1970s a ...
wing skins. Its span wing initially employed a Wortmann FX 79-K-144
airfoil
An airfoil (American English) or aerofoil (British English) is the cross-sectional shape of an object whose motion through a gas is capable of generating significant lift, such as a wing, a sail, or the blades of propeller, rotor, or turbine.
...
.
The sole example was
registered with the US
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic m ...
in the ''
Experimental - Amateur-built'' category.
Operational history
The aircraft was involved in a minor accident on 25 April 1998 when trying to land after hitting sinking air while ridge soaring near
Scrabble, West Virginia
Scrabble is an unincorporated community in Berkeley County, West Virginia, United States. According to the Geographic Names Information System, the community has been known as Hard Scrabble, Hard Scrabble Town, and Hardscrabble throughout its ...
. While landing in a short length field the pilot ground looped the aircraft to avoid hitting a tree.
The Scimitar was destroyed on 22 May 2004 while flying in the US Nationals near
Alexandria, Pennsylvania
Alexandria is a borough in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 388 at the 2020 census.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of , all of it land.
Demographics
As of th ...
. Masak was attempting to cross a ridge line and struck a tree, resulting in his death. The US
National Transportation Safety Board
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and incid ...
determined the cause of the accident to be "The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed, which resulted in an inadvertent stall/spin. A factor was the turbulent wind conditions." A "nationally known, locally based glider instructor" who assisted the accident investigation stated that if Masak had successfully crossed the ridgeline, "he would have been the only pilot to do so, and probably would have easily won the day."
Variants
;Scimitar I
:Original configuration for the
FAI 15-Metre 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 ...
, with a wing employing a Wortmann FX 79-K-144 airfoil
;Scimitar II
:Later configuration for the
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 ...
, with a wing employing a PM-24 airfoil
Specifications (Scimitar)
See also
References
{{reflist
1990s United States sailplanes
Homebuilt aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1995