The Glasflügel H-301 Libelle is an early
composite
Composite or compositing may refer to:
Materials
* Composite material, a material that is made from several different substances
** Metal matrix composite, composed of metal and other parts
** Cermet, a composite of ceramic and metallic material ...
single-seat
sailplane
A glider or sailplane is a type of glider aircraft used in the leisure activity and sport of gliding (also called soaring). This unpowered aircraft can use naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmosphere to gain altitude. Sailplan ...
produced by
Glasflügel
The firm Glasflügel () was founded by Eugen Hänle in 1962 and was located in Schlattstall, south of Kirchheim unter Teck. It was the first firm to manufacture a glass-fibre sailplane in large numbers. It was also responsible for a large number ...
from 1964 to 1969. The H-301 had
camber-changing wing flaps so was required to compete in the
Open Class because the Standard Class excluded wing flaps. It was often known as the ''Open Class Libelle''.
Development
In 1964 the H-301 Libelle ("Dragonfly") received the first German and first U.S.
Type Certificate
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 ...
issued to an all-fiberglass aircraft. It had flaps,
water ballast
Ballast is weight placed low in ships to lower their centre of gravity, which increases stability (more technically, to provide a righting moment to resist any heeling moment on the hull). Insufficiently ballasted boats tend to tip or heel exce ...
and retractable landing gear.
There are two
canopy
Canopy may refer to:
Plants
* Canopy (biology), aboveground portion of plant community or crop (including forests)
* Canopy (grape), aboveground portion of grapes
Religion and ceremonies
* Baldachin or canopy of state, typically placed over an a ...
variants: the normal canopy and a sleeker, lower-profiled 'racing' canopy with no side vent. The canopy is unique in that it has a catch that enables the front to be raised by 25 mm (1 in) in flight to provide a flow of ventilating air instead of the more conventional small sliding panel used for this purpose.
The American Wil Schuemann pioneered several performance-enhancing modifications to the type, including a re-profiled wing, converting the
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 ...
to a Wortmann section, various fairings, a new canopy and a reshaped fuselage nose. Aircraft incorporating these changes are informally known as 'Schümanised' Libelles.
[Rogers, Bennett: ''1974 Sailplane Directory, Soaring Magazine'', page 52. Soaring Society of America, August 1974. USPS 499-920]
Design
*Wings: spar and shell of balsa or foam / reinforced plastic sandwich
*Ailerons: balsa or synthetic foam / reinforced plastic sandwich.
*Horizontal stabilizer: reinforced plastic
*Elevator: reinforced plastic
*Automatic connections for airbrakes, flaps and elevator. Ailerons are connected by a "pip" pin
The
H-201 Standard Libelle was developed in 1967 as a Standard Class variant.
The Libelle was a popular and influential design. Its light wings and easy rigging set a new benchmark.
Handling is generally easy except that it is sensitive to sideslipping and has relatively ineffective airbrakes that make short landings tricky for inexperienced pilots.
The H-201 Libelle (standard class) was superseded by the
Hornet
Hornets (insects in the genus ''Vespa'') are the largest of the Eusociality, eusocial wasps, and are similar in appearance to yellowjackets, their close relatives. Some species can reach up to in length. They are distinguished from other Vespi ...
.
The H-301 Libelle (open class) was superseded by the
Mosquito
Mosquitoes, the Culicidae, are a Family (biology), family of small Diptera, flies consisting of 3,600 species. The word ''mosquito'' (formed by ''Musca (fly), mosca'' and diminutive ''-ito'') is Spanish and Portuguese for ''little fly''. Mos ...
.
Specifications
See also
References
*Thomas F, ''Fundamentals of Sailplane Design'', College Park Press, 1999
*Simons M, ''Segelflugzeuge 1965–2000'', Eqip, 2004
Sailplane Directory
{{DEFAULTSORT:Glasflugel H-301
Glasflügel aircraft
1960s German sailplanes
Aircraft first flown in 1964
Mid-wing aircraft