Schleicher ASH 26

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

History

With the BL and CL versions of the Schleicher ASW 20 had shown in the 1980s for the aircraft manufacturer Alexander Schleicher that a large demand for aircraft with about 18 meters Wingspan was, as a compromise between only 15 yards in the 15 - m class and spans of over 20 meters in the open class, which complicate the handling on the ground. Why was developed by the designers Martin Heide and Gerhard Waibel ASH 26. Since there was also a great demand for gliders with retractable engine (and still is ) an AE -50R rotary engine of the company Mid-West was involved in the construction directly. The trend towards 18-meter aircraft had become so firmly entrenched that the FAI in 1997, which introduced 18- m class as a new competition class for which the Schleicher ASH 26 is built since then.

Construction

The cockpit is configured as a cockpit, i.e., an accident, it is so damaged that it thereby takes up the most of the energy thereby protecting the pilot, similar to the crumple zone on cars.

The Schleicher ASH 26 is a mid-wing and has flaps, according to top deploying air brakes and water ballast tanks in the wings. The DU 89-134/14 profile is a laminar, the laminar running distance is increased by blow turbulators on the lower wing surface to about 97%. This excellent high-speed flight characteristics are achieved. Optional are 0.45 m high winglets available.

The spring-loaded retractable main wheel is mechanically via a lever on the right cockpit wall and is equipped with a hydraulic disc brake, under the tail, there is a directional steerable tail wheel or solid.

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

The drive unit of the Schleicher ASH 26E (E for engine) consists of a single-rotor Wankel engine by Mid-West with an output of 37 kW (50 PS) at 7500 rpm ³ with a chamber volume of 294 cm. This engine was actually designed for a Norton motorcycle. Thus, the Schleicher ASH 26E is self bootable. The first flight took place on 27 June 1996. Propeller is manufactured by Schleicher and even worked in a glider operation in the hull. The engine remains in contrast to other gliders (eg DG- 500M ) in the fuselage, which in an engine failure at a much lower sink rate as leads for motors that unfold with the propeller. This is enabled by a foldable timing belt.

Specifications

Drive