Siren Edelweiss
Encyclopedia
The Siren C.30 Edelweiss (or C.30S) is a 15 m span, Standard Class
sailplane designed in France
in the early 1960s. The Edelweiss came second in its class at the 1963 World Gliding Championships
(WGC) and first in its class two years later. Several are still flying in France and elsewhere in 2010.
, built mostly from wood. The wing has a single spar and is skinned with 8 mm foam-bonded plywood
. It has almost constant chord; it had forward sweep on the two prototypes but production Edelweiss have unswept wings. The ailerons are metal and are shorter on production aircraft. Inboard airbrakes
, again shorter in production aircraft, can extend from both upper and lower surfaces. The butterfly tail consists of two all moving surfaces, with wood sandwich leading edges and fabric covering elsewhere. Both carry trim tabs
.
The slender fuselage is assembled from two formed, foam-bonded ply shells, each with inbuilt longerons. Nose and tail cones are of laminated plastic. The pilot sits in a semi-reclining position, under a long, starboard hinged, canopy which ends at the wing leading edge. The prototypes had longer noses than later aircraft. The Edelweiss lands on a fixed, sprung, monowheel undercarriage, fitted with a wheel brake operated jointly with the airbrakes.
The Edelweiss flew for the first time on 25 September 1962. An initial production batch of 15 was begun in January 1965.
, held at Junin, Argentina and were placed 2nd and 17th in the Standard Class, piloted respectively by J. Lachney and C. Labar. At the next WGC, held in 1965 at South Cerney, UK
, two production aircraft finished in 1st and 7th place in their class, piloted by Francoise Henry and J. Lachney; two others were placed 8th and 10th (pilots J.-P. Cartrey and J. Penaud) in the Open Class
(unrestricted span).
51 Edelweiss have appeared on the French civil register. As of mid-2010, 12 Edelweiss remained on the French register and 1 on each on the registers of Belgium and Monaco; at least 3 are not active. Another is on the US register.
Glider Competition Classes
Competition classes in gliding, as in other sports, mainly exist to ensure fairness in competition. However the classes have not been targeted at fostering technological development as in other sports...
sailplane designed in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in the early 1960s. The Edelweiss came second in its class at the 1963 World Gliding Championships
World Gliding Championships
The World Gliding Championships is a gliding competition held every two years or so by the FAI Gliding Commission. The dates are not always exactly two years apart, often because the contests are sometimes held in the summer in the Southern Hemisphere....
(WGC) and first in its class two years later. Several are still flying in France and elsewhere in 2010.
Design and development
The Edelweiss is a 15 m class, single seat, shoulder wing sailplane with a butterfly tailV-tail
In aircraft, a V-tail is an unconventional arrangement of the tail control surfaces that replaces the traditional fin and horizontal surfaces with two surfaces set in a V-shaped configuration when viewed from the front or rear of the aircraft...
, built mostly from wood. The wing has a single spar and is skinned with 8 mm foam-bonded plywood
Plywood
Plywood is a type of manufactured timber made from thin sheets of wood veneer. It is one of the most widely used wood products. It is flexible, inexpensive, workable, re-usable, and can usually be locally manufactured...
. It has almost constant chord; it had forward sweep on the two prototypes but production Edelweiss have unswept wings. The ailerons are metal and are shorter on production aircraft. Inboard airbrakes
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....
, again shorter in production aircraft, can extend from both upper and lower surfaces. The butterfly tail consists of two all moving surfaces, with wood sandwich leading edges and fabric covering elsewhere. Both carry trim tabs
Trim tabs
Trim tabs are small surfaces connected to the trailing edge of a larger control surface on a boat or aircraft, used to control the trim of the controls, i.e. to counteract hydro- or aero-dynamic forces and stabilise the boat or aircraft in a particular desired attitude without the need for the...
.
The slender fuselage is assembled from two formed, foam-bonded ply shells, each with inbuilt longerons. Nose and tail cones are of laminated plastic. The pilot sits in a semi-reclining position, under a long, starboard hinged, canopy which ends at the wing leading edge. The prototypes had longer noses than later aircraft. The Edelweiss lands on a fixed, sprung, monowheel undercarriage, fitted with a wheel brake operated jointly with the airbrakes.
The Edelweiss flew for the first time on 25 September 1962. An initial production batch of 15 was begun in January 1965.
Operational history
The two Edelweiss prototypes competed in the 1963 WGCWorld Gliding Championships
The World Gliding Championships is a gliding competition held every two years or so by the FAI Gliding Commission. The dates are not always exactly two years apart, often because the contests are sometimes held in the summer in the Southern Hemisphere....
, held at Junin, Argentina and were placed 2nd and 17th in the Standard Class, piloted respectively by J. Lachney and C. Labar. At the next WGC, held in 1965 at South Cerney, UK
South Cerney
South Cerney is a village and civil parish in the Cotswold district of Gloucestershire, 3 miles south of Cirencester and close to the border with Wiltshire. It had a population of 3,074 according to the 2001 census...
, two production aircraft finished in 1st and 7th place in their class, piloted by Francoise Henry and J. Lachney; two others were placed 8th and 10th (pilots J.-P. Cartrey and J. Penaud) in the Open Class
Glider Competition Classes
Competition classes in gliding, as in other sports, mainly exist to ensure fairness in competition. However the classes have not been targeted at fostering technological development as in other sports...
(unrestricted span).
51 Edelweiss have appeared on the French civil register. As of mid-2010, 12 Edelweiss remained on the French register and 1 on each on the registers of Belgium and Monaco; at least 3 are not active. Another is on the US register.
Variants
-
- Siren-Bertin C.34 Edelweiss IV: Open Class version with 17.50 m span and retractable wheel. Two built.