Glasflügel
Encyclopedia
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 of innovations in sailplane design and technology: quick assembly systems for wings and tailplane, automatic control connections, trailing edge airbrake
-flap
combinations, hinged instrument panels, the parallelogram control stick and automatic trimming are some innovations introduced by Glasflügel and later adopted by other manufacturers. Some of these are standard features in nearly all gliders produced today.
Glasflügel encountered financial difficulties in the seventies which led to a co-operation with the firm Schempp-Hirth
starting from May 1975. The death of Eugen Hänle in a flight accident on September 21 of the same year further aggravated the company's position, and after further changes in ownership in 1979, it was finally dissolved in 1982.
The projected Glasflügel 701 and 704 side-by-side two-seaters did not materialise due to the demise of the company.
built the Kestrel under license as the Slingsby T-59. Slingsby later developed the Slingsby Vega, a family of 15 metre span gliders heavily influenced by its previous experience with Glasflügel designs.
Kirchheim unter Teck
Kirchheim unter Teck is a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, in the district of Esslingen. It is located on the small river Lauter, a tributary of the Neckar. It is situated near the Teck castle, approximatively 25 km southeast of Stuttgart...
. It was the first firm to manufacture a glass-fibre sailplane in large numbers. It was also responsible for a large number of innovations in sailplane design and technology: quick assembly systems for wings and tailplane, automatic control connections, trailing edge airbrake
Air brake (aircraft)
In aeronautics, air brakes or speedbrakes are a type of flight control surface used on an aircraft to increase drag or increase the angle of approach during landing....
-flap
Flap (aircraft)
Flaps are normally hinged surfaces mounted on the trailing edges of the wings of a fixed-wing aircraft to reduce the speed an aircraft can be safely flown at and to increase the angle of descent for landing without increasing air speed. They shorten takeoff and landing distances as well as...
combinations, hinged instrument panels, the parallelogram control stick and automatic trimming are some innovations introduced by Glasflügel and later adopted by other manufacturers. Some of these are standard features in nearly all gliders produced today.
Glasflügel encountered financial difficulties in the seventies which led to a co-operation with the firm Schempp-Hirth
Schempp-Hirth
Schempp-Hirth Flugzeugbau GmbH is a glider manufacturer based in Kirchheim unter Teck, Germany.-History:Martin Schempp founded his own company in Göppingen in 1935, with the assistance of Wolf Hirth. The company was initially called "Sportflugzeugbau Göppingen Martin Schempp"...
starting from May 1975. The death of Eugen Hänle in a flight accident on September 21 of the same year further aggravated the company's position, and after further changes in ownership in 1979, it was finally dissolved in 1982.
Products
The following glider types were manufactured by Glasflügel:- Glasflügel BS-1Glasflügel BS-1|-See also:...
- Glasflügel H-30 GFK
- Glasflügel H-101 SaltoGlasflügel H-101-Bibliography:* Coates, Andrew. Jane's World Sailplanes and Motorgliders. London. Macdonald and Jane's Publishers Ltd., 1978. ISBN 0 354 01119 7*Martin Simons, Sailplanes, Vol...
- Glasflügel H-201 Standard-LibelleGlasflügel H-201|-References:*Thomas F, Fundamentals of Sailplane Design, College Park Press, 1999*Simons M, Segelflugzeuge 1965-2000, Eqip, 2004*...
- Glasflügel H-301 LibelleGlasflügel H-301|-References:*Thomas F, Fundamentals of Sailplane Design, College Park Press, 1999*Simons M, Segelflugzeuge 1965-2000, Eqip, 2004*...
- Glasflügel 202 Standard-LibelleGlasflügel H-201|-References:*Thomas F, Fundamentals of Sailplane Design, College Park Press, 1999*Simons M, Segelflugzeuge 1965-2000, Eqip, 2004*...
- Glasflügel 203 Standard-LibelleGlasflügel H-201|-References:*Thomas F, Fundamentals of Sailplane Design, College Park Press, 1999*Simons M, Segelflugzeuge 1965-2000, Eqip, 2004*...
- Glasflügel 204 Standard-LibelleGlasflügel H-201|-References:*Thomas F, Fundamentals of Sailplane Design, College Park Press, 1999*Simons M, Segelflugzeuge 1965-2000, Eqip, 2004*...
- Glasflügel 205 Club LibelleGlasflügel 205 Club Libelle|-See also:...
- Glasflügel 206 Hornet
- Glasflügel Hornet C
- Glasflügel 303 MosquitoGlasflügel 303|-See also:-References:*Thomas F, Fundamentals of Sailplane Design, College Park Press, 1999*Simons M, Segelflugzeuge 1965-2000, Eqip, 2004-External links:**...
- Glasflügel 304Glasflügel 304|-See also:-References:*Johnson R H, A Flight Test Evaluation of the 304CZ Sailplane, Soaring, July 2000**Thomas F, Fundamentals of Sailplane Design, College Park Press, 1999*Simons M, Segelflugzeuge 1965-2000, Eqip, 2004*...
- Glasflügel 401 KestrelGlasflügel 401-References:* Flight Manual* Die Entwicklung der Kunststoffsegelflugzeuge, Dietmar Geistmann, Motorbuchverlag, ISBN 3-87943-483-2*...
- Glasflügel 402
- Glasflügel 604Glasflügel 604|-See also:-External links:**...
- Hansjörg Streifeneder Falcon
The projected Glasflügel 701 and 704 side-by-side two-seaters did not materialise due to the demise of the company.
Licensed production
The British company Slingsby AviationSlingsby Aviation
Slingsby Aviation is a British aircraft company based in Kirkbymoorside, North Yorkshire, England. The Slingsby business was founded on the building and design of gliders and sailplanes. From the early 1930s to about 1970 it built over 50% of all British club gliders and had success at national and...
built the Kestrel under license as the Slingsby T-59. Slingsby later developed the Slingsby Vega, a family of 15 metre span gliders heavily influenced by its previous experience with Glasflügel designs.