Schreder RS-15

RS-15
Role	Club (formerly 15 metre) class Sailplane
Manufacturer	Homebuilt
Designer	Richard Schreder

The RS-15 is a Richard Schreder-designed metal Racing Class sailplane that was offered as a kit for homebuilding during the 1970s and 1980s.^[1]

Unlike Schreder's other designs, which are all designated HP (for High Performance), the RS-15 takes its nomenclature from the designer's initials and its wingspan in metres.^[1]

Design and development

The dominating aesthetic feature of the RS-15 is its pod-and-boom fuselage. The forward fuselage is a composite molding, and the aft portion is a 6" diameter aluminum tube. The V-tail is essentially the same as on other contemporary Schreder sailplanes, differing only in detail design from that of the HP-18.

Unlike Schreder's HP-series gliders, the RS-15 was intended to achieve more modest performance, sacrificing performance for a shortened build time.

Early RS-15 models featured wings that were essentially the same as the HP-16, and using the same one-piece machined aluminum I-beam wing spar. Later units were supplied with wing kits nearly identical to those of the HP-18, using that ship's riveted aluminum box spar. Unlike the HP-18, however, RS-15 examples usually lack the flap/aileron interconnect that adjusts the neutral aileron deflection to match that of the flap in the range of -10 to +10 flap deflection.

Major features:

• Pod-and-boom fuselage with relatively deep cockpit
• V-tail that folds upwards for easy storage
• Wing structure composed of spars with caps pre-machined from solid aluminium plate and aluminium wing skins bonded to closely spaced foam ribs
• Fiberglass fuselage pod, wing tip skids and tail fairings
• Tubular aluminum aft fuselage
• Winglets added by some homebuilders
• Water ballast carried inside the hollow aluminium wing spars
• Typical Schreder trailing edge flaps/airbrakes

Specifications

General characteristics

• Crew: One pilot
• Length: 22 ft 0 in (6.71 m)
• Wingspan: 49 ft 2 in (15.00 m)
• Wing area: 113 ft² (10.5 m²)
• Aspect ratio: 21.4
• Empty weight: 440 lb (200 kg)
• Gross weight: 940 lb (426 kg) each each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 150 mph (240 km/h)
• Maximum glide ratio: 38
• Rate of sink: 126 ft/min (0.6 m/s)

See also

Related lists

• List of gliders

References

1. Said, Bob: 1983 Sailplane Directory, Soaring Magazine, page 20. Soaring Society of America, November 1983. USPS 499-920

• Schreder Designs webpage
• Sailplane Directory