Akaflieg Darmstadt D-38

D-38
Role	Single-seat Standard Class sailplane
National origin	Germany
Manufacturer	Akaflieg Darmstadt
First flight	19 December 1972
Developed into	Glaser-Dirks DG-100

The Akaflieg Darmstadt D-38 is a German, single-seat, Standard Class sailplane that was designed and built by the Fliegergruppe of Darmstadt University.^[1]

Design

The D-38 is a cantilever, shoulder-wing monoplane with a glassfibre/balsa sandwich shell structure fuselage and wing, the wing has no flaps or ailerons and the sailplane has a T-tail.^[1] The pilot has a semi-reclining seat in an enclosed cockpit with a transparent canopy and the landing gear is a manual retracting monowheel gear with a tailskid.^[1] The D-38 was, in effect, the prototype of the successful Glaser-Dirks DG-100 competition Standard class glider.^[2]

Specifications

Data from Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1973-74^[1]

General characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Length: 6.96 m (22 ft 10 in)
• Wingspan: 15.00 m (49 ft 2½ in)
• Height: 1.49 m (4 ft 7 in)
• Wing area: 11.00 m² (118.4 ft²)
• Empty weight: 207 kg (456 lb)
• Gross weight: 363 kg (800 lb)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 250 km/h (115 mph)
• Stall speed: 66 km/h (41 mph)
• G limits: ±6.3
• Maximum glide ratio: 39
• Rate of sink: 0.6 m/s ( ft/min)

See also

Related lists

• List of gliders

References

Notes

1. Taylor 1973, p. 546
2. "Darmstadt D-38" (in German). Darmstadt: www.akaflieg.tu. Retrieved 19 January 2012.

Bibliography

• Taylor, John W.R., ed. (1973). Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1973-74. London, United Kingdom: Jane's Yearbooks. ISBN 0-354-00117-5.

External links

• Akaflieg Darmstadt website