 The Alcor, the first pressurized sailplane, was designed by Robert Lamson and first flown in 1973 as a research vehicle able to gain high altitudes while keeping the cockpit environment safe and comfortable. This was achieved by pressurizing the cockpit and building the ship light enough so that it could operate successfully in weak mountain wave conditions. The cockpit pressure differtial maintains two to three inches of mercury. The sole Alcor now belongs to the Museum Flight Foundation, Seattle, WA. Wing span: 20m / 65.6ft Wing area: 14.31sq.m / 154sq.ft Empty Weight: 250 kg / 550 lb Payload: 181 kg / 400 lb Gross Weight: 431 kg / 950 lb Wing Load: 30.12 kg/sq.m / 6.16 lb/sq.ft Aspect ratio: 28 Airfoil: Feifel L/DMax: 43 89 kph / 48 kt / 55 mph MinSink: 0.46 m/s / 1.5 fps / 0.89 kt Seats: 1 No. Built: 1 |
