The Strojnik S-2 is an American high-wing, single-seat motor glider that was designed and built by

Aleš Strojnik Aleš Strojnik (also known as Alex Strojnik, May 21, 1921 – November 6, 1995) was a Slovenian American aerodynamicist and aircraft designer specializing in low-speed drag reduction. He was also a pioneer and professor in physics and high-energy el ...

.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 ind ...

'', page 133. Soaring Society of America, November 1983. USPS 499-920

Design and development

Strojnik completed and flew his S-2 design in 1980. The S-2 is of mixed construction. The span wings consist of fiberglass skins built around a carbon fiber and aluminium

spars The United States Coast Guard (USCG) Women's Reserve, also known as the SPARS (SPARS was the acronym for "Semper Paratus—Always Ready"), was the women's branch of the United States Coast Guard Reserve. It was established by the United States ...

. The wings employ a Wortmann FX 67-170/17

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. ...

and have flaps for glidepath control. The wings are a constant chord design, with tapered wing tips. The fuselage is a pod-and-boom design, with the cockpit area made from wood, covered in fiberglass and the tail boom made from aluminium. The tail surfaces are of carbon fiber structure, covered in fiberglass. The powerplant is a Kohler Company engine of that drives a folding two-bladed propeller. The engine is mounted in

pusher configuration In an aircraft with a pusher configuration (as opposed to a tractor configuration), the propeller(s) are mounted behind their respective engine(s). Since a pusher propeller is mounted behind the engine, the drive shaft is in compression in nor ...

behind the cockpit, with the tail boom running underneath the propeller. The landing gear consists of two small wheels mounted in tandem on the fuselage centerline. A two-seat version with the same external dimensions was reportedly under development in 1983. Strojnik reported that 22 sets of plans had been sold by 1983.

Operational history

Strojnik earned his silver badge flying the S-2. The prototype S-2 is no longer on the Federal Aviation Administration registry, but at least eight were built and in July 2011 six remain on the US register, including three S-2s and three S-2As.

Variants

;S-2 :Initial version ;S-2A :Improved version ;S-4 "Laminar Magic" :One-off, registration number N85AS. Smaller, short-wing version, which set a US national aviation speed record in FAI Category C-1a/0 (European microlight, under 300kg gross weight) in 1987. ;S-5 :One-off aircraft, registration number N51152. Added slightly greater wingspan to existing S-4 fuselage for better performance in recreational flying.

Specifications (S-2)

References

{{reflist

External links