Schleicher ASH 26

Schleicher ASH 26
Type:	Glider
Design country:	BR Germany
Manufacturer:	Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co
First flight:	1993
Production time:	1993 until today
Number of pieces:	8 ASH 26 and 249 ASH 26E

The Schleicher ASH 26 is a single-seat glider in FRP construction with a wingspan of 18 meters. It has flaps and a retractable landing gear and is designed for fast performance gliding. Almost all of the Schleicher ASH 26s that have been delivered since the first flight in 1993 have a retractable engine . The gliding index was 120 and was lowered to 117 in 2012.

history

With the BL and CL versions of the Schleicher ASW 20 in the 1980s, it became clear to the aircraft manufacturer Alexander Schleicher that there was great demand for aircraft with a wingspan of around 18 meters, as a compromise between only 15 meters in the 15- m-class and spans of over 20 meters in the open class , which make handling on the ground difficult. That is why the ASH 26 was developed by the designers Martin Heide and Gerhard Waibel . Since there was (and still is) a great demand for gliders with retractable engines , an AE-50R Wankel engine from Mid-West was incorporated directly into the design. The trend towards 18-meter aircraft had become so entrenched that in 1997 the FAI introduced the 18-meter class as a new competitive class , for which the Schleicher ASH 26 has been built ever since.

construction

The cockpit is designed as a safety cockpit, which means that in the event of an accident it is destroyed in such a way that it absorbs most of the energy and thus protects the pilot, similar to the crumple zone in cars.

The Schleicher ASH 26 is a middle- wing aircraft and has flaps , air brakes that extend upwards and water ballast tanks in the wings. The DU 89-134 / 14 profile is a laminar profile, the laminar running distance of which is increased to approx. 97% by blow turbulators on the underside of the wing. This achieves very good high-speed flight characteristics. Optionally, 0.45 m high winglets are available.

The spring-loaded main wheel can be retracted mechanically via a lever on the right cockpit wall and is equipped with a hydraulically operated disc brake; a directionally fixed or steerable tail wheel is located under the tail unit .

The T-tail consists of a fixed horizontal stabilizer , which by means of a spring trim trimmable elevator and rudder .

The drive unit of the Schleicher ASH 26E (E for engine) consists of a single-disc rotary engine from Mid-West with an output of 37 kW (50 PS) at 7500 rpm with a chamber volume of 294 cm³. This engine was actually developed for a Norton motorcycle. This means that the Schleicher ASH 26E can start itself. The first flight took place on June 27, 1996. The propeller is manufactured by the Schleicher company itself and folded into the fuselage in glider operations. In contrast to other gliders (for example the DG-500M ), the engine remains in the fuselage, which in the event of an engine failure leads to significantly less self-sinking than with engines that fold out with the propeller. This is made possible by a foldable toothed belt .

Technical specifications

Parameter	ASH 26E	ASH 26
crew	1
span	18 m
Wing area	11.68 m²
Wing extension	27.74
Hull length	7.05 m
Height of the fuselage at the cockpit	0.877 m
Cockpit width	0.66 m
Tail height from top edge of the fuselage	1.25 m
Wing profile	DU89-134 / 14
Empty weight with minimum equipment	approx. 360 kg	approx. 270 kg
Max. Take-off mass	525 kg
min. Wing loading	37 kg / m²	30 kg / m²
Max. Wing loading	45 kg / m²
Cockpit load max.	110 kg
Top speed	270 km / h
Minimum speed	71 km / h	65 km / h
Dive brakes exit	up to 270 km / h
slightest sinking	0.48 m / s	0.44 m / s
Glide ratio	> 47 at 85 km / h

drive

Parameter	Mid-West (I) AE 50R
Type	1-disc rotary engine
power	37 kW (50 PS) at 7500 rpm
Chamber volume	294 cc
Consumption cruise	12.8 l / h
Propeller diameter	1.53 m
Cruising speed	approx. 135 km / h
best climb	3 m / s at 95 km / h
Take-off run	approx. 160 m
Range	approx. 680 km

literature

Peter F. Selinger: Rhön-Adler: 75 years of Alexander Schleicher glider construction. 2nd edition, Fischer, Frankfurt 2003, ISBN 978-3830105541 .

Web links

Commons : Schleicher ASH 26 - Collection of images, videos and audio files