Lommatzsch favorite
| Lommatzsch favorite | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Type: | Glider |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: |
VEB Apparatebau Lommatzsch |
| First flight: |
April 20, 1962 |
| Production time: |
1962-1963 |
| Number of pieces: |
5 |
The Lommatzsch Favorit is a high-performance glider from VEB Apparatebau Lommatzsch in the GDR . On July 29, 1962, Adolf Daumann was the first German to circumnavigate a 500-kilometer triangle on German territory with this type.
history
The development work for a successor to the Libelle-Laminar began in 1961. The design group consisted of Hans Wegerich, responsible for the design and aerodynamics, Hans Hartung (design) and Wolfgang Heintze (statics). The Favorit was designed as a shoulder- winged wooden honeycomb sandwich construction with trapezoidal wings. In order to be able to withstand the loads at high speeds, the wing was given a light metal spar to 2/3 of the span. The bow and stern fuselage were made of fiberglass laminate. The wing profile was a NACA 65-615.5. Kurt Götze carried out the first flight on April 20, 1962. The subsequent test comprised 30 more flights with a total time of 16 hours. From 1962 to 1963, five aircraft designated as Lom-61 were produced in small series . Some further developments were planned. The Lom-62 with flaps to improve the high and low-speed characteristics, the Lom-63 with modified fuselage-wing transitions, a better high-speed profile and exchangeable wing, and the Lom-64 with flaps , 1.5 meters larger wingspan and enlarged transverse and rudders. The general decline of the GDR aircraft construction (see also 152 ) as well as the lack of technical prerequisites and also potential customers led to the failure of the projects. VEB Apparatebau Lommatzsch was incorporated into VEB Flugzeugwerft Dresden and finally merged with VEB Carl Zeiss Jena in 1964 . From then on, the aircraft manufacturers only built packaging boxes for the optics manufacturer's devices.
reception
The favorite was a glider specially designed for high speeds. He set a GDR record with an average speed of 107 km / h on a 100-kilometer triangle. Although only approved for 216 km / h, it also withstood speeds of over 300 km / h, as is sometimes the case in competitions. Strength tests carried out by the manufacturer failed to break the wing. The test facility was damaged, which supposedly certified the wing with a strength of up to 400 km / h. Favorite pilots report flights with up to 350 km / h in competitions to shake off pursuers. The truth of these statements can no longer be checked.
However, due to its relatively large turning circle , the favorite in thermal circular climbing in tight thermals was relatively inefficient and very difficult to handle, also because it had very low rudder pressures of up to 200 km / h and had no trim. The most negative quality, however, was that, without warning, if the circling speed was too low and the rudder cruised slightly, it suddenly fell into a spin. The poor view ahead was also criticized. This led to the conversion of some aircraft. The front field of vision has been expanded with additional glazing in the fixed front part of the cockpit glazing. The aircraft exhibited on the Wasserkuppe ( DM-2704 ) had such a modified canopy. After a few years, however, hairline cracks appeared in the subsequently expanded part, which is why the exhibited canopy was created from the original metal frame and a blank of a Bocian canopy. Even so, the view when landing at the touchdown point was quite poor.
The favorite was the pinnacle of wooden airplane construction. The revolutionary honeycomb construction enabled wooden aircraft construction one last time to achieve top performance. These achievements were only achieved and exceeded years later by aircraft made of GFP construction. The automatic rudder connections, which were very advanced for this time and were also easily accessible through a flap on the top of the fuselage, were also remarkable.
Preserved copies
The favorite was flown until 1980, when its license expired and non-airworthy aircraft had to be destroyed as quickly as possible in the GDR. Despite this, two planes have been preserved. The DM-2704 can be seen in the German Gliding Museum. It is the last favorite produced and at the same time the last aircraft built in the GDR. The second favorite, the DM – 2700 , was stored after it was written off and later transferred to the exhibition at the Finsterwalde Aviation Museum, which was founded at the airport there in 1987 . At the moment (2019) it is planned to restore the aircraft to an airworthy condition in Jahnsdorf .
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Lom-61 | Lom-64 (project) |
|---|---|---|
| crew | 1 | |
| span | 15.00 m | 16.5 m |
| length | 6.74 m | 6.74 m |
| height | 2.00 m | k. A. |
| Wing area | 12.40 m² | 13.24 m² |
| Wing extension | 18.15 | 20.6 |
| Trunk width | 0.60 m | k. A. |
| Wing loading | 28.1 kg / m² | k. A. |
| Empty mass | 240 kg | 275 kg |
| Takeoff mass | normal 315 kg maximum 350 kg |
normal 350 kg maximum 385 kg |
| best glide ratio | 38 at 90 km / h | 40.8 at 95 km / h |
| slightest sinking | 0.62 m / s at 80 km / h | 0.5 m / s at 75 km / h |
| Speed at 2 m / s descent | 156 km / h | k. A. |
| Minimum speed | 68 km / h | k. A. |
| maximum permissible speed | 216 km / h (calm weather) 160 km / h (gusty weather) |
k. A. |
| maximum towing speed | 160 km / h (aircraft tow) 110 km / h (winch tow) |
k. A. |
| Landing speed | 70 km / h | k. A. |
literature
- Frank-Dieter Lemke: Glider construction in the GDR . Ideas and projects - replicas and new constructions. Rockstuhl, Bad Langensalza 2018, ISBN 978-3-95966-303-8 .
- Detlef Billig, Manfred Meyer: Airplanes of the GDR. tape 1 . TOM Modellbau, Friedland 2002, ISBN 3-613-02198-6 .
- Frank Lemke: The rise and fall of GDR aircraft construction . In: Fliegerrevue . No. 4 , 1992.
- Hans Wegerich: The favorite from Lommatzsch . In: Fliegerrevue . No. 6 , 1992.
- Heinz A. F. Schmidt: Airplanes from all over the world. Volume I . 3rd revised edition. Transpress, Berlin 1970, p. 38 .
- Heinz AF Schmidt: Gliders. In: Aerotyp , Transpress, Berlin 1969, pp. 38/39.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Aerosport . No. 1 , 1964, pp. 28 .
- ↑ Kurt Götze: I tested the “favorite”. In: Aerosport 1/1963, pp. 12-14.
- ^ Frank-Dieter Lemke: History of the aviation industry in the GDR. Rockstuhl, Bad Langensalza 2019, ISBN 978-3-95966-428-8 , p. 180/181.
