Schleicher ASW 12
The ASW 12 is a single-seat glider in plastic construction. The wing is designed as a shoulder wing and the tail as a T-tail. The ASW 12 is a production version and derived from the developed of the Akaflieg Darmstadt D 36
History
1965 changed the designer Gerhard Waibel of the TU Darmstadt for glider manufacturer Alexander Schleicher in Poppenhausen / Rhön. His first design for the new employer is the ASW 12 The ASW 12 has won numerous titles and placings in national and international competitions. Legendary is its use with Hans- Werner Grosse, as they set up a world record for the free distance of 1461 kilometers on April 25, 1972 by Lübeck to Biarritz.
The Protoptyp the ASW 12, AS 12, is now on display in the museum gliding on the water dome. The AS 12 was rediscovered by accident in the United States.
Construction
The hull of the ASW 12 is very slim and has a retractable landing gear and a two-piece hood that is pulled deeper than the D 36 Every single hull was prepared as in D 36 in the positive construction on a core in two halves and consists of a GRP balsa sandwich. This is a very unusual procedure in a series glider. The wing is designed with a double trapezoid shape. The profile is a modified Wortmann FX 62- K -131 at the root and a Wortmann FX 60-126 in the wing tips. In contrast to the body of the two-piece wing was made in negative. Even when a wing GfK balsa sandwich was used. The wing has no possibility of carrying ballast. When landing aids the ASW 12 has only a drogue chute. Individual ASW 12 were retrofitted under the fuselage to improve the landing behavior with a second braking parachute.