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Aachen FVA 10 a ‘Theodor Bienen’ Aachen FVA 10 B Rhineland
FVA 10a
After the success with the FVA-9 "Blaue Maus II", in 1935, Benno Sann , Walter Trapp, Artur ghetto and August Schulte began a development with a view of flight performance with the construction of the FVA-10.
A cantilever gull wing was designed for a mid-wing position. The installation was simple with each surface mounted separately to the canopy. On each side three bolts were screwed in from the outside, while the aileron and spoiler automatically joined. It was believed it chould be assembled by three persons, unloaded and ready unassisted in five minutes.
The wing had trapezoidal plan and is, from root to tip, Jukowski 433 , Göttingen 532 and US M 3 profiles. The wings had torsionally stiff wing leading edge, an I-section, spar caps and all other locally stressed components made of hardened wood. The brakes were only on the upper wing surface within the ailerons.
The forward fuselage was built as an open, double-walled shell. The fuselage in steel tube and fabric covered.The tail boom was a rigid tube without frames, with slight stiffening rings. The elevator was fastened with three externally accessible bolts. As the fuselage was extremely tight, it was decided to incorporate an unconventional handwheel control.
The FVA - 10 was completed in late summer 1936 and given the name "Theodor bees". The first flight took place in Merzbrück still without a canopy.
Immediately after the first test flights, conducted by Felix Kracht , it was taken to the first Alpine gliding Try to Prien (Chiemsee). There, the canopy was completed. The first longer flights in the foothills of the Alps showed that the performance and handling characteristics were excellent.
Further development of the FVA-10a with improvements to the fuselage and wings were completed 1937. In the fall of 1936, the design of the FVA-10b started with a new fuselage and some improvements on the wings. In addition, some new details such as airbrakes on the top and bottom, retractable landing gear with low-pressure tires, brakes and shock absorbers were fitted. A normal joystick control was provided instead of the handwheel control. The goal was to design a new hull shape to allow easy landing at minimum speed with or without brakes.
This work was carried out in 1936/37 in Merzbrück and at the same time the new aircraft built in the workshop. This machine received the type designation FVA-10b and the name "Rhineland".
FVA 10b
The first flight of the "Rhineland" was in Merzbrück on May 13, 1937. Immediately after the first flights, the FVA-10a and the "b" were loaded into the transport vehicle shipped first to Prien and then to Salzburg.
It was here in 1937 an international gliding competition was held at the Felix Kracht ND the Rhineland participated. From Salzburg also on 30 May 1937 he succeeded the first alpine crossing in the glider, which he finished at Udine.
Here is an excerpt from the report of Felix Kracht to his crossing of the Alps:
"Even in the Progress Report on the last year's test flying I had proposed to fly the Mölltal Ainring or Salzburg on the Lattengebirge or watzmann because I was there better thermal conditions suspected as the area south Prien. This assumption has definitely confirmed. In particular, it is there much easier to come from the foothills terrain in the mountains.
So I latched on 29/05/37 in only about 450m from Salzburg airport and flew from there on the west side of the mountain over the Lattengebirge.
About the Ramsau it went between Reiteralpe and hochkalter into Salachtal. The cloud base was at the Alpe rider at 1900 to 2000m, but rose to the central ridge towards continuing.
On this day there was light northerly flow so that stood on the north side of the high Tauem a closed cloud cover, while in the Southern Alps, there was wonderful soaring weather.
Since I was aware of these conditions, I flew because of low cloud base first pass at the lowest (Mallnitzer col) to get there through the Mölltal further south. But this pass was in clouds. Since I wanted to reach the south side of the Tauern because of the good weather, I flew westward in turn, each Tauern passes (Hochtor, Emperor Tauern, Felbertauernstraße) and west of the Great Venice the Birnlücke, so flew 80 km in length, the Tauem along without However, to find a cloud free pass. Since it had become 16h, I broke here from the flight and flew back to the airport customs am See (flight time 5 h 13 min).
The following day was almost the same conditions, but without traffic jams Cloudiness and much higher cloud base (3200 to 4000 m). After trying the morning to fly from 350 m height of release into the mountains, an attempt that I would have paid almost forced landing, I started to 13.30 clock a second time and unlatched tender pursuant out at 800 m above Salzburg on the lower mountain and reached stretched the glide Reiteralpe 3000 m above the valley. There I brought the interaction of sunlight and wind slope with over 6 meters per second up to the cloud base , is 300 meters away.
Then I flew to the south side of the High Cold and from there via Saalfelden fast gliding inches at the lake.
There I reached over Schmittenhöhebahn again the cloud base at 3200 m and flew from here under a cloud street with around 100 km/h southeast to Wörth and flew over 3700 m in the Tauern Hochtor. There I reached a Cloud series, which stood above the Mölltal, almost without curves along which I flew to the Dolomites. (Average altitude 3500 m).
From then on it was in a stretched Gleitlug about Koetschach, Cervicento, Tolmezzo Tolmezzo into Tagliamemotal I flew in 2800 m and came here in the foothills of the Alps standing before storm. In order not to have to fly blind, I gave away my level up to 1100 m (800 m above sea level. Basic and tried to reach the 25 kilometers distant airfield (Udine).
This, however, did not succeed and I ended up in the river Tagliamento (flight time 3 hours 56 minutes)."
Subsequently, the FVA-10b went in July 1937 to the Rhön competition, and Felix Kracht was second behind Ludwig Karch (Section Munich) on Mü 10 Milan. However, the FVA-10b won the award for advanced design.
FVA 10B Rhineland |
