The Ross RH-3 is a single seat,
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 ...
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
Harland Ross.
[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 60. Soaring Society of America, November 1983. USPS 499-920
Design and development
Ross designed the R-3 as simplified version of the
Ross R-2 Ibis with the intention of making the aircraft type easier to construct for
amateur builders. The
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 aircraf ...
remained similar to the R-2, but the wing was redesigned as a straight wing, in contrast to the R-2's complex
gull wing
The gull wing is an aircraft wing configuration, known also as ''Pulaski wings'', with a prominent bend in the wing inner section towards the wing root. Its name is derived from the seabirds which it resembles. Numerous aircraft have incorpora ...
. The R-3 design was intended to be of all-wooden construction and employed 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 ...
23018
airfoil section. Ross never constructed an example of the R-3.
Marvin Hicks of
Aurora, Colorado
Aurora (, ) is a home rule municipality located in Arapahoe, Adams, and Douglas counties, Colorado, United States. The city's population was 386,261 at the 2020 United States Census with 336,035 residing in Arapahoe County, 47,720 residing in ...
purchased a set of plans and built a modified version of the aircraft over a ten-year period, culminating in a first flight on 1 January 1963. Hicks' aircraft used an increased span wing with
flaps and a NACA 63 (3)-618
laminar flow airfoil. He designated the aircraft as the RH-3, indicating ''Ross-Hicks'' as contributing designers. The RH-3 proved to be a good performer in soaring contests.
Variants
;R-3
:Original Ross design, with a NACA 23018 airfoil. None built.
;RH-3
:Hicks modified Ross design, with a NACA 63 (3)-618 laminar flow airfoil. One built.
Specifications (RH-3)
See also
References
{{Harland Ross aircraft designs
1960s United States sailplanes
Harland Ross aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1963
Mid-wing aircraft