Schempp-Hirth Cirrus
| Schempp-Hirth Cirrus | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Type: | Glider |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
20th January 1967 |
| Production time: |
1967-1976 |
| Number of pieces: |
170 (63 pieces by VTC) |
The Schempp-Hirth Cirrus is a high performance glider of the Club Class . It was developed in 1967 and manufactured by Schempp-Hirth near Stuttgart, later in Yugoslavia. The gliding index is 100.
history
The era of plastic gliders began with the Cirrus in Kirchheim. The original Cirrus was developed for open class and European weather, with a wingspan of 17.74 m and a relatively thick profile without flaps with good climbing and gliding properties, but weaknesses in high-speed flight. It could therefore be loaded with water ballast for days with strong thermals .
construction
It was designed by Klaus Holighaus and flew for the first time in 1967. The Cirrus was Klaus Holighaus’s first own design and, at the same time, Schempp-Hirth’s first GRP aircraft . The fuselage shell was created as a fiberglass shell with fiberglass / foam rib rings. The Cirrus wing is a fiberglass / foam sandwich. Klaus Holighaus calculated the cirrus in his diploma thesis at the Technical University of Darmstadt. The innovations introduced by Holighaus also characterize many of his later developments. There is a tubular steel construction in the fuselage center section and the wing connection. The dive brakes were deployed on the top and bottom of the wing, and a braking parachute was also installed. The landing gear was retractable. This type of aircraft was later called "Open Cirrus" (to distinguish it from the following types such as the Standard Cirrus ). After a little over a year of construction, Klaus Holighaus flew the Cirrus V1 himself in 1967.
In contrast to the later series, the Cirrus V1 was still built with a V-tail . The later models received the characteristic cross tail. From factory number 5, the Cirrus was then called "Cirrus B" and was delivered with 50 liter water tanks in the wings.
use
Between 1967 and 1971 107 Cirrus were built in Germany. Production then continued under license from Vazduhoplovno Techniki Centar (VTC) until 1977 in Vrsac in Yugoslavia . A Cirrus won the German championship in 1967 and the world championship in 1968.
The Cirrus B was used by the German Aerospace Center (later renamed DLR) as a comparison aircraft and measurement aircraft. The measuring aircraft was called "Holy Cirrus".
Technical specifications
| Cirrus | |
|---|---|
| span | 17.74 m |
| length | 7.20 m |
| Wing area | 12.6 m² |
| Wing extension | 25th |
| Empty weight with minimum equipment | approx. 260 kg |
| Water ballast | 98 kg |
| Max. Take-off mass | 460 kg |
| Max. Wing loading | 36.5 kg / m² |
| slightest sinking | 0.59 m / s |
| Glide ratio | 39 at 89 km / h as measured by the DFVLR |
The successor to the Cirrus at Schempp-Hirth is the Nimbus .
See also
Web links
- Cirrus. Schempp-Hirth Flugzeugbau GmbH, accessed on August 9, 2009 .
