DFS Kranich
Encyclopedia
The DFS Kranich is a German glider
. It was developed by Hans Jacobs
for the Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug
(DFS).
. The two-seater was in its version 2, the most widely built glider in Germany from 1935 to 1939. Several hundred examples were built; exact numbers are not known.
On 11 October 1940 Erich Klöckner in a Kranich achieved the record height in a glider of 11,460 m. Because it occurred in wartime, the altitude record was not recognized by the Allied occupying powers, and Klöckner only received official recognition by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale
(FAI) in the late 1990s. This record height was only exceeded ten years after the flight by the American Bill Ivans during a similar scientific program in the Sierra Nevada.
In 1942 30 Kranichs were built by the Swedish manufacturer AB Flygplan in Norrköping
, and delivered to the Swedish Air Force
for training purposes. These machines were given the military designation Se 103.
Between 1950 and 1952 50 examples of a slightly modified copy of the Kranich II were built in Poland, known as the SZD-C Żuraw (żuraw is Kranich in Polish = "crane
").
After the war, the Focke-Wulf
aircraft factory in Bremen
developed and produced the Kranich III, which was a completely new development and shows no similarities with its predecessors. The first flight was on 1 May 1952, piloted by Hanna Reitsch
. 37 examples of this type were built.
Glider (sailplane)
A glider or sailplane is a type of glider aircraft used in the sport of gliding. Some gliders, known as motor gliders are used for gliding and soaring as well, but have engines which can, in some cases, be used for take-off or for extending a flight...
. It was developed by Hans Jacobs
Hans Jacobs
Hans Jacobs was a German sailplane designer and pioneer. He had been taught sailplane design by Alexander Lippisch, designer of many gliders during the 1920s and the 1930s...
for the Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug
Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug
The Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug, or DFS was formed in 1933 to centralise all gliding activity in Germany...
(DFS).
History
Series production of the Kranich took place in the aircraft division of Karl Schweyer AG in MannheimMannheim
Mannheim is a city in southwestern Germany. With about 315,000 inhabitants, Mannheim is the second-largest city in the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, following the capital city of Stuttgart....
. The two-seater was in its version 2, the most widely built glider in Germany from 1935 to 1939. Several hundred examples were built; exact numbers are not known.
On 11 October 1940 Erich Klöckner in a Kranich achieved the record height in a glider of 11,460 m. Because it occurred in wartime, the altitude record was not recognized by the Allied occupying powers, and Klöckner only received official recognition by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale
Fédération Aéronautique Internationale
The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale is the world governing body for air sports and aeronautics and astronautics world records. Its head office is in Lausanne, Switzerland. This includes man-carrying aerospace vehicles from balloons to spacecraft, and unmanned aerial vehicles...
(FAI) in the late 1990s. This record height was only exceeded ten years after the flight by the American Bill Ivans during a similar scientific program in the Sierra Nevada.
In 1942 30 Kranichs were built by the Swedish manufacturer AB Flygplan in Norrköping
Norrköping
Norrköping is a city in the province of Östergötland in eastern Sweden and the seat of Norrköping Municipality, Östergötland County. The city has a population of 87,247 inhabitants in 2010, out of a municipal total of 130,050, making it Sweden's tenth largest city and eighth largest...
, and delivered to the Swedish Air Force
Swedish Air Force
The Swedish Air Force is the air force branch of the Swedish Armed Forces.-History:The Swedish Air Force was created on July 1, 1926 when the aircraft units of the Army and Navy were merged. Because of the escalating international tension during the 1930s the Air Force was reorganized and expanded...
for training purposes. These machines were given the military designation Se 103.
Between 1950 and 1952 50 examples of a slightly modified copy of the Kranich II were built in Poland, known as the SZD-C Żuraw (żuraw is Kranich in Polish = "crane
Crane (bird)
Cranes are a family, Gruidae, of large, long-legged and long-necked birds in the order Gruiformes. There are fifteen species of crane in four genera. Unlike the similar-looking but unrelated herons, cranes fly with necks outstretched, not pulled back...
").
After the war, the Focke-Wulf
Focke-Wulf
Focke-Wulf Flugzeugbau AG was a German manufacturer of civil and military aircraft before and during World War II. Many of the company's successful fighter aircraft designs were slight modifications of the Focke-Wulf Fw 190.-History:...
aircraft factory in Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
developed and produced the Kranich III, which was a completely new development and shows no similarities with its predecessors. The first flight was on 1 May 1952, piloted by Hanna Reitsch
Hanna Reitsch
Hanna Reitsch was a German aviator and the only woman awarded the Iron Cross First Class and the Luftwaffe Combined Pilots-Observation Badge in Gold with Diamonds during World War II...
. 37 examples of this type were built.
Kranich II specifications
| Category | Data |
|---|---|
| Overall length | 7,7 m |
| Span | 18 m |
| Maximum take-off weight | 465 kg |
| Maximum speed | 175 km/h |
| Best Glide ratio | 23 at 70 km/h |
| Minimum sink | 0,7 m/s at 60 km/h |
External links
- Das Virtuelle Luftfahrtmuseum: Technische Daten, visited on 2 March 2009
- Deutsches Segelflugmuseum: 1935–1950, visited on 2 March 2009