Glasflügel 205 Club Libelle on:
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The Glasflügel 205 Club Libelle is a
The Glasflügel H-201 Standard Libelle proved immensely popular, but was not an optimal aircraft for club and rental use, due to its mid-wing and low tail which could both be damaged in off-airport landings. Also its small cockpit fits only a certain demographic percentage of soaring pilots. The company developed the 205 with the design goals of a simple, rugged aircraft that would withstand club and
high wing
A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft
A fixed-wing aircraft is a heavier-than-air aircraft, such as an airplane, which is capable of flight using aerodynamic lift. Fixed-wing aircraft are distinct from rotary-wing aircraft (in which a r ...
, T-tail
A T-tail is an empennage wikt:configuration, configuration in which the tailplane of an aircraft is mounted to the top of the vertical stabilizer, fin. The arrangement looks like the capital letter T, hence the name. The T-tail differs fr ...
ed, single seat glider that was designed and produced in West Germany
West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...
by Glasflügel for club and rental use.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 i ...
'', page 80, 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 Glasflügel H-201 Standard Libelle proved immensely popular, but was not an optimal aircraft for club and rental use, due to its mid-wing and low tail which could both be damaged in off-airport landings. Also its small cockpit fits only a certain demographic percentage of soaring pilots. The company developed the 205 with the design goals of a simple, rugged aircraft that would withstand club and fixed-base operator
A fixed-base operator (FBO) is an organization granted the right by an airport to operate at the airport and provide aeronautical services such as fueling, hangaring, tie-down, and parking, aircraft rental, aircraft maintenance, flight instruction ...
rental use. The resulting aircraft has a high-wing and a T-tail to provide more obstacle clearance as well as a larger cockpit. To eliminate gear-up landings the monowheel landing gear is non-retractable, although at least one Club Libelle exists (D-2468 - s/n 114) which is equipped with retractable landing gear. This retrofit, fully certified, was performed by installing the landing gear of the Libelle Standard H201.
The aircraft is constructed from fibreglass
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 c ...
. It has a new wing that uses a double-taper planform and incorporates combination spoilers and flaps that occupy two thirds of the wing's 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, 1997. ...
. The span wing employs a Wortmann FX 66-17A II 182 airfoil
An airfoil (American English) or aerofoil (British English) is a streamlined body that is capable of generating significantly more Lift (force), lift than Drag (physics), drag. Wings, sails and propeller blades are examples of airfoils. Foil (fl ...
, the same as is used on the Standard Libelle and the Glasflügel 206 Hornet.
The Club Libelle was type certified
A type certificate signifies the airworthiness of a particular category of aircraft, according to its manufacturing design (''type design''). Certification confirms that the aircraft of a new type intended for serial production is in compliance w ...
in Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
as well as in the United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. The US certification was granted on 8 September 1975 and includes aerobatic
Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in conventional passenger-carrying flights. The term is a portmanteau of "aeroplane" and "acrobatics". Aerobatics are performed in aeroplanes and gl ...
approval for spins
The spins (as in having "the spins") is an adverse reaction of Substance intoxication, intoxication that causes a state of vertigo and nausea, causing one to feel as if "spinning out of control", especially when lying down. It is most commonly as ...
, loops, hammerhead turns and lazy eights. Due to its fibreglass construction, the aircraft's certification contains the restriction: "All external portions of the glider exposed to sunlight must be painted white. Registration and competition numbers must be painted blue-gray or in any other light color."
Operational history
In July 2011 there were six 205s on the United StatesFederal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is a Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government agency within the United States Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Transportation that regulates civil aviation in t ...
registry.
Specifications (205)
See also
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Glasflugel 205 Club Libelle 1970s German sailplanes Glasflügel aircraft T-tail aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1975 High-wing aircraft