Raab-Katzenstein RK 7
| Raab-Katzenstein RK 7 butterfly | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Type: | Glider |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
April 13, 1927 |
| Commissioning: |
April 18, 1927 |
| Number of pieces: |
at least 4 |
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The Raab-Katzenstein RK 7 Butterfly was a towing gliders in biplane design of the German manufacturer Raab-Katzenstein in Kassel . It was the first airplane to be towed into the air by a powered airplane.
development
The RK 7 Schmetterling was designed and built by Paul John Hall as a "trailer aircraft " for testing and demonstrating aircraft towing within 23 days . The building materials used were wood and canvas. When towing aircraft served with the first flight on 13 April and on 18 April 1927 at the towing demonstration before an audience during an air display at the airfield Kassel-Waldau one Raab-Katzenstein RK 6 .
The tow plows were demonstrated by Raab-Katzenstein as the "tow tractor of the future" at air days in 1927/28. The attachment of the tow rope was initially on the upper wing of the tow plane, so that the rope had to be guided over the tail unit. After completion of the towing tests, which were observed by Russian, Italian and American military representatives, USAAC bought both two RK 7s and a tow plane and brought the machines to the USA for further tests. The fuselage and wing of this specimen were probably discovered at Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome. The parts were transferred to the German Museum of Technology in Berlin for restoration .
Four license plates are known from the RK 7: D-1351, D-1352, D-1379 and D-1392.
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| crew | 1 |
| length | 6.15 m |
| span | 8 m |
| height | 1.83 m |
| Wing area | 15.32 m² |
| Empty mass | 125 kg |
| Max. Takeoff mass | 200 kg |
swell
- Rolf Nagel, Thorsten Bauer: Kassel and the aviation industry since 1923 . History (s), people, technology. A. Bernecker Verlag GmbH, Melsungen 2015, ISBN 978-3-87064-147-4 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Kassel and the aviation industry since 1923 , page 39 ff.
- ↑ a b Bruno Lange: Type Handbook of German Aviation Technology , Die deutsche Luftfahrt Vol. 9, Bernard & Graefe Verlag, Koblenz, 1986, p. 231
- ^ Alfred J. Nigl: Silent Wings, Savage Death , p. 25 excerpt from Google.books
- ↑ Flieger Revue 44, p. 6