Der Dessauer

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Der Dessauer
Role Single seat glider
National origin Germany
Manufacturer Flugtechnischer Verein, Dessau
Designer Ludwig Hoffmann
First flight 1923
Number built 1

The Der Dessauer, later Der alte Dessauer, was a German single-seat

Rhön gliding contests on the Wasserkuppe between 1923 and 1928, flew in the Alps
, and made a long-duration flight along the German sea shore.

Design and development

Around 1923, Ludwig Hoffmann was a Junkers employee and co-founder of the Flugtechnische Verein Dessau (Flight Technical Association Dessau). He had already had experience in glider design at Akaflieg Darmstadt with the Akaflieg Darmstadt D-6 Geheimrat. The Der Dessauer was recognisable as a descendant of that glider.[1][2]

The Der Dessauer was a

wing tips. The trailing edges of these outer panels carried obliquely mounted differential ailerons which broadened to the tips.[1]

The Der Dessauers fuselage was wood-framed and skinned with plywood. There were no internal cross frames; instead the ply skin carried the stresses.

pneumatic shock absorber, assisted by a spring tail skid.[1]

Operational history

The Der Dessauer was a competitor at the 1923 Rhön (Wasserkuppe) competition; though it did not win it, pilot Otto Thomsen used its manoeuvrability, particularly in circling, to advantage.[1][4] On the last day of the contest, 30 August, a crowd of about 30,000 people gathered to observe the dedication of a memorial to those glider pilots who had died on the Wasserkuppe. Despite very gusty conditions, several gliders flew and some crashed; amongst these was Der Dessauer. Violent wing oscillations set in and although Thomsen was able to bring the aircraft down before the wings broke away, the impact very seriously damaged it. The accident was blamed upon resonances caused by the elastic wing struts. Thomsen was not seriously hurt.[1]

Despite the damage, the Der Dessauer was rebuilt by a small group at the

Rossitten
.

It continued to fly competitively for three more years, attending all the Rhön events from 1925 to 1928, frequently flown by Akaflieg Dessau students, one of whom irreparably damaged it there in 1928.[1]

Rossitten
(upper aircraft)

Specifications

Data from Historische Deutsche Flugzeug p.23.[1] Weights and performance figures are approximate

General characteristics

  • Crew: One
  • Length: 6.10 m (20 ft 0 in)
  • Wingspan: 12.80 m (42 ft 0 in)
  • Height: 1.35 m (4 ft 5 in)
  • Wing area: 15.5 m2 (167 sq ft)
  • Aspect ratio: 10.57
  • Airfoil: Göttingen 289
  • Empty weight: 100 kg (220 lb)
  • Gross weight: 176 kg (388 lb)
  • Wing loading: 11.5 kg/m2 (2.4 lb/sq ft)

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 140 km/h (87 mph, 76 kn)
  • Minimum control speed: 40 km/h (25 mph, 22 kn)
  • Maximum glide ratio: best, 1:19
  • Rate of sink: 0.6 m/s (120 ft/min)

See also

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 978-3-923142-39-2
    .
  2. ISBN 3 9806773 4 6
    .
  3. ^ a b "Gliders in Germany". Popular Aviation. July 1928. p. 58.
  4. ^ a b Pagé, Victor (1930). A B C of Gliding and Sailflying. New York: Norman W. Henley Publishing Co. pp. 88–91.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Der Dessauer.
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