Gerhard Waibel
Encyclopedia
Gerhard Waibel is a designer of gliders
who worked for Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co
producing many famous designs.
. His father Karl Waibel had worked with Wolf Hirth
in the 1920s. Gerhard began flying models in 1948 and in 1951 helped with the building the SG38. He then studied at Akaflieg
Darmstadt
. Gerhard's father arranged in 1962 a practical course in a steel plant for him and Wolf Lemke
in Sheffield
where in the evenings they started designing the D-36 Circe. After much development back in Germany, Waibel flew the D-36 to the victory in the Open Class of the German Championships in 1964.
He joined Schleicher in 1964. His first design, the ASW 12
, was based on the D36. He then designed almost all the racing gliders for Schleichers up to the ASW 28
which first flew in May 2000. The 'W' in a Schleicher designation shows that he designed it. He retired in August 2003 after 39 years service.
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...
who worked for Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co
Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co
Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co is a major manufacturer of sailplanes located in Poppenhausen, near Fulda in Germany. It is also the oldest sailplane manufacturer in the world....
producing many famous designs.
Biography
Waibel was born in FrankfurtFrankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
. His father Karl Waibel had worked with Wolf Hirth
Wolf Hirth
Wolfram Kurt Erhard Hirth was a German gliding pioneer and sailplane designer. He was a co-founder of Schempp-Hirth, still a renowned glider manufacturer....
in the 1920s. Gerhard began flying models in 1948 and in 1951 helped with the building the SG38. He then studied at Akaflieg
Akaflieg
Akaflieg is an abbreviation for Akademische Fliegergruppe, an academic group of pilots in pre and postwar Germany.-History:Otto Lilienthal published his book Der Vogelflug als Grundlage der Fliegekunst in 1889. This described the basics of modern aerodynamics and aircraft construction...
Darmstadt
Darmstadt
Darmstadt is a city in the Bundesland of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Rhine Main Area.The sandy soils in the Darmstadt area, ill-suited for agriculture in times before industrial fertilisation, prevented any larger settlement from developing, until the city became the seat...
. Gerhard's father arranged in 1962 a practical course in a steel plant for him and Wolf Lemke
Wolf Lemke
Wolf Lemke is a designer of gliders who worked for Rolladen Schneider and after it was taken over in 2003, for DG Flugzeugbau GmbH.He was one of the student members of the Akaflieg Darmstadt who designed the revolutionary D-36 "Circe". This team also included Heiko Fries, Klaus Holighaus and...
in Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
where in the evenings they started designing the D-36 Circe. After much development back in Germany, Waibel flew the D-36 to the victory in the Open Class of the German Championships in 1964.
He joined Schleicher in 1964. His first design, the ASW 12
Schleicher ASW 12
|-References:...
, was based on the D36. He then designed almost all the racing gliders for Schleichers up to the ASW 28
Schleicher ASW 28
|-See also:-References:***Simons M, Segelflugzeuge 1965-2000, Eqip, 2004...
which first flew in May 2000. The 'W' in a Schleicher designation shows that he designed it. He retired in August 2003 after 39 years service.