DFS Weihe

The DFS Weihe (English: Harrier) is a German single-seat, high-wing, 18 metre wingspan, high-performance glider that was designed by Hans Jacobs in 1937-38.[1][2]

Weihe
Role Glider
National origin Germany
Manufacturer Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug (DFS)
Jacobs-Schweyer
Focke-Wulf
Designer Hans Jacobs
First flight 1938
Introduction 1938
Status No longer in production
Produced 1938-after World War II
Number built More than 400

Design and development

Jacobs designed the Weihe to be the pre-eminent performance glider of its era and indeed it captured many championships and set many records, until its performance was surpassed at the end of the 1950s. Even today it is considered one of the "classic sailplane designs".[1][2]

The Weihe is of wooden construction with fabric covering on the wing trailing edges and the control surfaces. The spar is built from Baltic Pine, with a birch leading edge D-box, fuselage and the fixed portions of the tail surfaces. The airfoil is a modified Gö 549-M.2 section. Early versions took off from a dolly and landed on a fixed skid, while later versions has a fixed wheel and skid undercarriage. Originally fitted with DFS-style airbrakes, some were later modified for Schempp-Hirth style brakes instead. The aircraft incorporates a unique rigging system which was widely copied in later gliders.[1][2]

Initially the aircraft was produced by Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug (DFS) (English: German Research Institute for Soaring Flight) and later by Jacobs-Schweyer. Post World War II it was produced by Focke-Wulf as well as in France, Spain, Sweden and Yugoslavia. Production of the Weihe totaled over 400 aircraft.[1][2]

Operational history

The Weihe won the World Gliding Championships in 1948 and 1950. It was used to set many world and national records, including the world record for altitude gain in 1959 of 9,665 m (31,709 ft).[1][2]

Dick Johnson won the US National Soaring Championships in 1959, flying a Weihe.[2]

Variants
DFS Weihe
Original production version.[1][2]
Jacobs-Schweyer Weihe
Second production version, before World War Two. Had a larger canopy and longer nose.[1][2]
Focke-Wulf Weihe 50
Post war production version, with a blown canopy and a fixed wheel.[1][2]
VMA-200 Milan
Post war French production of the Weihe, by Minie, Saint-Cyr .[2]

Aircraft on display

Specifications (Weihe 50)

Data from Sailplane Directory and Soaring Magazine[1][2][6][7]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 1
  • Length: 8.135 m (26 ft 8 in)
  • Wingspan: 18.0 m (59 ft 1 in)
  • Wing area: 18.34 m2 (197.4 sq ft)
  • Aspect ratio: 17.7
  • Airfoil: modified Gö 549 - root, Gö 549 - mid, M.12 - tip
  • Empty weight: 215 kg (474 lb)
  • Max takeoff weight: 335 kg (739 lb)

Performance

  • Stall speed: 55 km/h (34 mph, 30 kn)
  • Never exceed speed: 170 km/h (110 mph, 92 kn)
  • Winch launch speed max: 90 km/h (55.9 mph; 48.6 kn)
  • Aerotow speed: 110 km/h (68.4 mph; 59.4 kn)
  • Maximum glide ratio: 29:1 at 70 km/h (43 mph; 38 kn))
  • Rate of sink: 0.58 m/s (114 ft/min) at 60 km/h (37 mph; 32 kn))
  • Wing loading: 18.25 kg/m2 (3.74 lb/sq ft)

See also

Related lists

Notes
  1. Activate Media (2006). "Weihe Jacobs Schweyer". Archived from the original on 15 July 2011. Retrieved 27 February 2011.
  2. Said, Bob (November 1983). "1983 Sailplane Directory". Soaring Magazine. ISSN 0037-7503.
  3. "Gliding Heritage Centre". Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  4. Museo del Aire. "AISA Weihe (EC-RAB)". Retrieved 25 March 2013.
  5. US Southwest Soaring Museum (2010). "Sailplanes, Hang Gliders & Motor Gliders". Retrieved 26 May 2011.
  6. Shenstone, B.S.; K.G. Wilkinson (1958). The World's Sailplanes:Die Segelflugzeuge der Welt:Les Planeurs du Monde (in English, French, and German) (1st ed.). Zurich: Organisation Scientifique et Technique Internationale du Vol a Voile (OSTIV) and Schweizer Aero-Revue. pp. 151–152.
  7. Simons, Martin (1986). The World's Vintage Sailplanes 1908–45. Melbourne: Kookaburra Technical Publications Pty. Ltd. pp. 164–166. ISBN 0-85880-046-2.

References
  • Shenstone, B.S.; K.G. Wilkinson (1958). The World's Sailplanes:Die Segelflugzeuge der Welt:Les Planeurs du Monde (in English, French, and German) (1st ed.). Zurich: Organisation Scientifique et Technique Internationale du Vol a Voile (OSTIV) and Schweizer Aero-Revue. pp. 151–152.
  • Activate Media (2006). "Weihe Jacobs Schweyer". Archived from the original on 15 July 2011. Retrieved 27 February 2011.
  • Said, Bob (November 1983). "1983 Sailplane Directory". Soaring Magazine. ISSN 0037-7503.
  • US Southwest Soaring Museum (2010). "Sailplanes, Hang Gliders & Motor Gliders". Retrieved 26 May 2011.
  • Simons, Martin (1986). The World's Vintage Sailplanes 1908–45. Melbourne: Kookaburra Technical Publications Pty. Ltd. pp. 164–166. ISBN 0-85880-046-2.
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