The Ka 6E had a low-set all-moving tailplane the same (except for the lack of trim tabs) as on the Ka 10, which did not go into production and was a modified Ka 6CR with the tailplane moved to about one-third of the way up the fin. In the spring of 1965, the Ka 10 took part in the World Championships at South Cerney.
Designed by Rudolf Kaiser, the Ka-8 was derived from the Ka-6 series as a simple single-place sailplane with dive brakes using construction techniques similar to the Ka-7, and is basically a single-seater version of the two-seater Ka 7, simplified for amateur construction from kits. The structure is wood/ fabric wings and tail, steel-tube/ fabric fuselage. Emphasis was on rugged construction, good climbing ability in thermals and good handling characteristics.
The prototype Ka 8 made its first flight in November 1957 and in its original form the Ka 8 had a very small cockpit canopy, the second version had windows in the sides of the cockpit for improved visibility, and the third version, the Ka 8B, has a larger one-piece blown Plexiglas canopy under which the pilot sits.
The cantilever high wings are single-spar structures of pine and plywood, with a plywood leading edge torsion box and fabric covering aft of the spar; their forward sweep is 1°18′ and dihedral is 3°. There are Schempp-Hirth air brakes in the upper and lower surfaces and the wooden ailerons are plywood covered. The cantilever tail unit is of similar construction to the wings, with ply-covered fixed surfaces and fabric-covered rudder and elevators, and a trim tab in the elevator is an optional fitting.
The fuselage is a welded steel tube structure, with fabric overing over spruce longerons and a glassfibre nose cone. There is a non-retractable and unsprung monowheel, with no brake, and a nose skid mounted on rubber blocks in front of it, plus a steel spur at the tail.
The Ka-8B, by far the most numerous variant, has a substantially larger canopy while the Ka-8C features a longer nose, larger main wheel located ahead to the center of gravity and deletion of the larger wooden nose skid resulting in a roomier cockpit.
Karl Striedeck of the U.S. made a 767.0 km / 476.6 miles ridge flight in a Ka-8B to win the world out and return in 1968.
A motor glider conversion of the Ka 8B was offered by LVD (the Flying Training School of the Detmold Aero Club) similar to their conversion of a Scheibe Bergfalke IV known as the BF IV-BIMO, in which a Lloyd LS-400 piston engine mounted in the fuselage drives a pair of small two blade pusher propellers rotating within cutouts in each wing near the trailing edge.
Schleicher Ka 8B Span: 15.0 m / 49 ft 2.5 in Length: 7.0 m / 23 ft 0 in Height: 1.57 m / 5 ft 1.75 in Wing area: 14.15 sq.m / 152.3 sq.ft Wing section: Gottingen 533/532 Aspect ratio: 15.9 Empty weight: 190 kg / 419 lb Max weight: 310 kg / 683 lb Water ballast: None Max wing loading: 21.9 kg/sq.m / 4.48 lb/sq ft Max speed: 124 mph / 108 kt / 200 km/h (in smooth air) Max aero-tow speed: 81 mph / 70 kt / 130 km/h Stalling speed: 29 kt / 54 km/h Min sinking speed: 2.1 ft/sec / 0.65 m/sec at 37.5 mph / 32.5 kt / 60 km/h Best glide ratio: 27:1 at 45.5 mph / 39.5 kt
This tandem two-seater training and club sailplane was designed by Rudolf Kaiser to succeed the wooden two-seater Ka 2 and Ka 2B which had proved to be popular trainers in Germany and had been Kaiser’s first design for the Alexander Schleicher firm which he had joined in 1952.
Of conventional wood and fabric construction, with a steel tube fuselage which had fabric covering over wooden formers, the Ka 7 is characterised by high cantilever wings with a forward sweep of 6° 36′ at the quarterchord line and 4° dihedral. The single-spar wings are of pine and plywood with fabric covering and a plywood-covered leading edge torsion box; there are Schempp-Hirth air brakes above and below the wings and the wooden ailerons are fabric-covered. The cantilever tail unit is of similar construction to the wings, and there is a trim tab in the starboard elevator. Landing gear consists of a non-retractable and unsprung Dunlop monowheel and a nose skid forward of it carried on rubber blocks for shock absorbtion; there is also a tailskid. The two pilots sit under a Plexiglas canopy the front portion of which hinges to starboard and the rear portion hinges rearwards.
The Ka 7 first flew in prototype form in 1959 and was intended to provide not only basic training but continuation training without a break for pilots graduating to the more advanced high performance sailplanes. In this it was successful and a total of 370 had been built by the spring of 1964.
Ka 7s twice set new German distance records and the type also set a new German goal flight record for two-seaters over a decade after it first appeared. It once held the multi-place world record for speed around a 500 km Triangle at 84 kph/ 45 kt/ 52 mph, set in South Africa in 1964.
A modified plan exists to lower the wings to the mid position and fit a one piece canopy, which makes the modified glider (Ka-7/ 13) look very similar to its successor, the Schleicher Ka-13. The lowering of the wings greatly improves the visibility from the rear seat.
Schneider also built a few Ka 7 two-seaters under licence.
Kaiser K 7 Rhonadler Length: 23.622 ft / 7.2 m Wingspan: 57.087 ft / 17.4 m Max take off weight: 1058.4 lb / 480.0 kg Max. speed: 92 kt / 170 km/h Crew: 2
Schleicher K7 Rhonadler Wing span: 16 m / 52.5 ft Wing area: 17.56 sq.m / 188.4 sqft Length: 8.1 m / 26 ft 7 in Empty weight: 280 kg / 617 lb Max weight: 480 kg 1,058 lb Water ballast: None Max wing loading: 27.43 kg/sq.m / 5.62 lb/sq ft Max speed: 124 mph / 108 kt / 200 km/h (in smooth air) Max aero-tow speed: 81 mph / 70 kt / 130 km/h Stalling speed: 32 kt / 60 km/h L/DMax: 26 at 80 kph / 43 kt / 50 mph MinSink: 0.70 m/s / 2.3 fps / 1.36 kt at 43.5mph Water Ballast: 27.34kg/sq.m / 5.6lb/sq.ft Aspect ratio: 14.6 Airfoil: Gottingen Go 533, 16/14% Seats: 2
Designed by Rudolf Kaiser and developed by Rudolf Hesse, the Ka 6 series of single-seat Standard Class sailplanes first flew in prototype form in November 1955, with a wing span of 14m (45ft 11 in), and the type’s high performance and attractive price led to steady sales and widespread use in contest flying; more than 1,400 Ka 6s had been built when production ceased in 1968, and the type has been widely exported.
Of conventional wooden construction with ply and fabric covering, the Ka 6 has cantilever high-set single-spar wings of pine and plywood, covered with fabric; they have a forward sweep of 1° 12′ and 3° of dihedral. Schempp-Hirth air brakes are fitted and the wooden ailerons are plywood-covered. The wooden semi-monocoque fuselage is also ply-covered, and the cantilever tail unit is of similar construction to the wings, and a trim tab in the elevator is an optional fitting.
In 1956, when the Standard Class regulations were revised, the wing span was increased to 15m (49ft 2.5 in), this version being the Ka 6B with a landing skid under the fuselage, and the Ka 6BR with a non-retractable monowheel in place of the skid. The Ka-6B won the OSTIV prize for the best Standard Class design at the 1958 World Championships at Leszno, Poland.
The -6C version was a -6B with modified wing root. It has more of the wing covered with plywood and incorporates other minor improvements, and also comes in skid and wheeled (-6CR) models. The Ka 6CR has a non-retractable unsprung monowheel with a band-brake, and both the Ka 6C and CR have a tailskid. The pilot sits under a one piece blown Plexiglas canopy just ahead of the wing leading edge. All models have airbrakes for approach control. Some later -6CR models are designated as Ka-6CRPE’s, the PE standing for pendulum elevators (the all-moving tail used on the Ka-6E).
Ka 6CR
An Australian-built version of the Ka 6CR was produced by Edmund Schneider Pty Ltd, the makers of the prewar Grunau Baby, who had transferred their operations to Australia after the war. Known as the ES Ka 6, this licence-built Australian version first flew in December 1961, and had many changes to suit Australian conditions. The keefer main spar was retained, but the rest of the structure was changed to spruce. The monowheel was enlarged to allow interchangeability with that of the ES 52 Kookaburra, and a new sideways-hinging metal-framed Perspex canopy was introduced. Lifting handles were also provided at the nose and tail. Schneider built seven ES Ka 6s, and was planning to start a further batch of four late in 1964, but production was ended apparently before the latter were built.
At the 1958 World Championships at Leszno in Poland, a Ka 6 flown by Heinz Huth of Germany came 3rd in the Standard Class, and Rudolf Kaiser was awarded the prize for the best sailplane design in this class for the Ka6. Heinz Huth of Germany won in the Standard Class at the 1960 Koln-Butzwelerhof, Germany and 1963 Junin, Argentina World Championships in Ka-6’s; 16 of the 35 Standard Class entries in 1960 were Ka 6s, which took 2nd, 4th, 5th and 6th places, and in 1963 22 out of 38 Standard Class entries were also Ka 6s, the best position gained by a Ka 6CR was 6th place, taken by W. Scott of the USA. In 1963 two Ka-6’s were flown 876.0 km / 544.3 miles by Karl Betzler and Otto Schauble from Germany to France, setting a world distance record, and in 1964, Wally Scott of the U.S. flew his Ka-6CR to a world goal of 837.7 km / 520.55 miles.
Ka-6CR ZK-GFD
ZK-GFD piloted by Ann Johnson achieved a number of New Zealand local and national women’s records including a maximum height of 28,000 ft.
The Ka-6E was produced concurrently with the Ka-6CR for three years. The Ka 6E Standard Class single-seater differs from the Ka 6CR in having a revised wing with modified leading edge profile and mounted just a little bit lower on the fuselage, a slightly different fuselage profile of 10% less cross-sectional area, a slightly longer cockpit canopy lowered by three inches and a redesigned tail unit, with a taller fin and rudder and a low-set all-moving tailplane; the latter is the same (except for the lack of trim tabs) as on the Ka 10, which did not go into production and was a modified Ka 6CR with the tailplane moved to about one-third of the way up the fin. Like the CR, the Ka 6E has Schempp-Hirth air brakes, and tailpiane stability and trimming are controlled by a single lever which adjusts the spring tension on the control column; glassfibre wing tips are featured. The Ka 6E first flew in the spring of 1965, and the E version took part in many national championships and other contests. It is of the same wooden construction with ply and fabric covering as the Ka 6CR, and the landing gear is the same except that the monowheel is now retractable.
Ka-6E
Hans Werner Grosse of Germany, flying a Ka-6E as a guest, was the highest scoring pilot at the 1965 U.S. Nationals. Wally Scott won the 1967 Barringer Trophy by flying 888 km / 552 miles in a Ka-6E. One belongs to the National Soaring Museum.
Schleicher Ka 6 Rhönsegler Length: 21.982 ft / 6.7 m Wingspan: 49.213 ft / 15.0 m Max take off weight: 661.5 lb / 300.0 kg Max. speed: 108 kt / 200 km/h Crew: 1
Schleicher Ka 6b Rhönsegler Length: 21.916 ft / 6.68 m Wingspan: 49.213 ft / 15.0 m Max take off weight: 661.5 lb / 300.0 kg Max speed: 108 kt / 200 km/h Crew: 1
Ka-6CR Wing span: 15m / 49.2ft Wing area: 12.45sq.m / 134sq.ft Length: 6.66 m / 21 ft 10 in Height: 5 ft 1.5 in Empty Weight: 190kg / 420lb Payload: 114kg / 250lb Gross Weight: 304kg / 670lb Water ballast: None Max wing loading: 24.2 kg/sq.m / 4.95 lb/sq ft Max speed: 124 mph / 108 kt / 200 km/h Max aero-tow speed: 87 mph / 76 kt / 140 km/h Stalling speed: 33.5 kt / 62 km/h L/DMax: 31 80 kph / 43 kt / 50 mph MinSink: 0.61 m/s / 2.0 fps / 1.18 kt at 42 mph / 36.5 kt / 68 km/h Wing Load: 24.41kg/sq.m / 5lb/sq.ft Aspect ratio: 18.1 Airfoil: NACA 63-618/63-615 Seats: 1
Ka-6E Wing span: 15 m / 49.2 ft Wing area: 12.41 sq.m / 133.6sq.ft Aspect ratio: 18.1 Airfoil: NACA 63-618/63615/Joukowsky 12% Length: 6.66 m / 21 ft 10 in Height: 1.6 m / 5 ft 3 in Empty Weight: 190 kg / 420 lb Payload: 110 kg / 243 lb Gross Weight: 300 kg / 663 lb Water ballast: None Max speed: 124 mph / 108 kt / 200 km/h (in smooth air) Max aero-tow speed: 87 mph Stalling speed: 32 kt / 59 km/h L/DMax: 33 80 kph / 43 kt / 50 mph MinSink: 0.62 m/s / 2.03 fps / 1.20 kt at 38 kt / 70 km/h Wing Load: 24.17 kg/sq.m / 4.97 lb/sq.ft Seats: 1
Designed by Rudolf Kaiser, the Rhonlerche is a small, strut-braced, 2-seat trainer which first flew in 1955. It features a steel-tube, fabric-covered fuselage, a wooden fabric-covered wing with top-surface spoilers, a fixed wheel and nose skid, and tandem seating.
The type’s comparatively steep glide slope of 19:1 combined with relatively ineffective airbrakes and very restricted visibility from the back seat seem mediocre compared to modern sailplanes.
The Rudolf Kaiser designed Ka-3, which first flew in 1956, was a development of the earlier Ka-1 with a steel fuselage instead of wood. The wood and fabric wing, steel tube and fabric fuselage Ka-3 has top surface spoilers for approach control and main skid, but no wheel.
Schleicher also offered the Ka-3 in kit form.
Wing span: 10 m / 32.8 ft Wing area: 9.9 sq.m / 106.6 sq.ft Empty Weight: 95 kg / 210 lb Payload: 100 kg / 220 lb Gross Weight: 195 kg / 430 lb Wing Load: 19.7 kg/sq.m / 4.03 lb/sq.ft L/DMax: 18 75 kph / 40 kt / 47 mph MinSink: 0.95 m/s / 3.12 fps / 1.85 kt No. of Seats: 1 Aspect ratio: 10.1 Airfoil: Go 549
The 1955 Ka-2 was designed as a two-place advanced trainer. The later Ka-2B had the wingspan inceased to 16 m. Approach control is effected by top and bottom surface Schempp-Hirth type airbrake.
Ka-2 Wing span: 15 m / 49.2 ft Wing area: 16.8 sq.m / 180.8 sq.ft Aspect ratio: 13.4 Airfoil: Go 533 Empty Weight: 254 kg / 560 lb Payload: 208 kg / 454 lb Gross Weight: 460 kg / 1014 lb Wing Load: 27.38 kg/sq.m / 5.61 lb/sq.ft L/DMax: 24 87 kph / 47 kt / 54 mph MinSink: 0.96 m/s / 3.15 fps / 1.87 kt Seats: 2
KA2b Rhonschwalbe Wingspan: 52.493 ft / 16.0 m Wing area: 17.5 sq.m / 188.4 sq.ft Aspect ratio: 14.63 Airfoil: Go 533 Length: 26.739 ft / 8.15 m Empty Weight: 278 kg / 613 lb Gross Weight: 480 kg / 1058 lb Payload: 202 kg / 445 lb Wing Load: 27.43 kg/sq.m / 5.62 lb/sq.ft Max. speed: 92 kt / 170 km/h Crew: 2
Designed by Rudolf Kaiser, the prototype Ka-1, which first flew in 1952, was constructed in Kaiser’s attic. The model was later produced by Schleicher. The Ka-1 has top surface spoilers for approach control. No landing wheel is fitted, takeoff normally being made with the glider sitting on its mainskid.
Wing span: 10 m / 32.8 ft Wing area: 9.9 sq.m / 106.6 sq.ft Empty Weight: 95 kg / 209 lb Payload: 100 kg / 221 lb Gross Weight: 195 kg / 430 lb L/DMax: 18 75 kph / 40 kt / 47 mph MinSink: 0.95 m/s / 3.12 fps / 1.85 kt Wing Load: 19.7 kg/sq.m / 4.04 lb/sq.ft Aspect ratio: 10.1 Airfoil: Go 549 mod. Seats: 1
The Condor was designed by Heini Dittmar with the advice and help of Atexander Lippisch and Dipl-lng Fritz Kramer; the Condor owed something to an earlier sailplane, the 19m (62ft 3.5in) span Fafnir. Dittmar built the prototype Condor in a workshop at Wasserkuppe in his spare time and it made its debut in the 1932 Rhon gliding contest, which it won; its very clean lines aroused considerable interest, and it went into series production.
Introduced in its original form in 1932, the single-seat Condor 1, the high-set gull wings were braced with V-struts and had strengthened leading edges. The Condor series was built from wood, with the wooden-framed wing covered in doped aircraft fabric. The landing gear was originally a dolly for take-off, with the aircraft landing on a fixed skid, although at least one was modified to use a fixed monowheel. The wings have balanced DFS-style dive brakes for glidepath control. The horizontal stabilizer is of an all-flying tail design.
Designed by Heini Dittmar at the end of 1931 as a performance glider using the Fafnir hull drawings and was built by him for 2000 working hours using materials from the RRG aeronautics department. The flight was performed by his brother Edgar just before the Rhön competition in 1932, where Heini Dittmar and Condor won the junior class in the practice competition.
Condor I
The Condor 2 and the IIA, developed in 1935, replaced strut bracing with a cantilever wing with a new wing section of reduced thickness/chord ratio on the outer parts of the wings, living an improved glide angle and lower rate of sink at higher speeds. This version set a new world distance record of 303 miles in 1935 and was a well-known type at prewar gliding contests. The Condor itself was of conventional wood and fabric construction, with very long span ailerons and a landing skid under the fuselage; no monowheel was fitted.
In February 1934 a Condor was taken to South America and, flown by Heini Dittmar, set a new world altitude record of 14,272ft for sailplanes, breaking the previous record by nearly 6,000ft. In 1935 one was flown to a new world distance record of 504 km (313 mi).
The Condor 3, which appeared in 1938 and was built by Schleicher, had a longer, slimmer fuselage and strengthened cantilever wings which now incorporated DFS air brakes.
After the war Heini Dittmar formed his own company, Mowe-Flugzeugbau Heini Dittmar, and there developed a tandem two-seater version, the Condor 4, which first flew in 1953 and was very similar to the Mk 3 apart from the second seat. The two-seat Condor IV was put into series production by Schleicher. The Condor IV has a 18.0 m (59.1 ft) span wing that employs a Goettingen 532 airfoil at the wing root, changing to a NACA 0012 section at the wing tip.
Condor IVs were flown in the 1952 World Gliding Championships held in Madrid, Spain. During that contest Ernst-Günther Haase set a new world record in the multi-place category for speed over a 100 km (62 mi) triangle of 80.9 km/h (50 mph).
Condor IV
Hans Luenger imported one Condor IV-2 to the United States in 1952. After the wooden fuselage was damaged, he and Merritt Zimmerman built a new design replacement from welded steel tube and covered it with doped fabric. The new fuselage included a fixed wheel for landing gear. This aircraft was removed from the US Federal Aviation Administration registry in 2007.
The Condor, also referred to as the Dittmar Condor, single and two-seat gliders were produced in small quantities before the Second World War, produced again between 1952 and 1955 by Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co and also by Ferdinand Schmetz.
Some sources state that there were a total of 18 Condors constructed, while one other says that the total number is unknown, but includes at least 18 Condor IVs built under licence in Argentina.
Condor IV in the Deutsches Museum Flugwerft Schleissheim
Peter Reidel’s Condor La Falda was modified to have a strut-mounted power-egg, containing a Kroeber M4 driving a pusher propeller, attached to the centre-section. The intention was for the power-egg to be carried to the glider by the retrieve crew, fitted to the glider and the pilot to fly the glider back to home base without the need to de-rig and transport by trailer. In practice it was found to be impractical due to the complexity of the mounting, as well as time and effort required to mount the power-egg.
A small series was created by licensees Ferdinand Schmetz in Herzogenrath (five Condor IV / 2 with DFS brake tabs) and Alexander Schleicher (seven Condor IV / 3 with Schempp – Hirth brake tabs that extend up and down). Schleicher successfully received type certification from the Test Center for Aviation Equipment (PfL). Replicas were made in Argentina as Condor IV / 4.
However, some copies of the Condor IV were also used as test vehicles for new development; For example, flaps were attached to an example and tested by Hanna Reitsch. This copy is owned by Luftsportverein Wipperfürth. A Condor IV is located at the airport in Osnabrück Aviation Association in Achmer. More Condor IVs are on display at Schleissheim’s Airport and the German Glider Museum at Wasserkuppe. A Condor IV also flies in Anklam, it comes from an Argentine production (license Schleicher).
Condor I Initial strut-braced, single-seat version introduced in 1932. Span: 17.26 m Wing area: 16.20 m² Wing extension: 18.4 Length: 7.65 m Empty weight: 310 kg Wing load: 19.12 kg / m Glide ratio: 26 Crew: 1
Condor IA
Condor II Germany, 1932 Wingspan: 56.562 ft / 17.24 m Wing profile: Gö 532 Wing area: 16.20 m² Wing extension: 18.4 Length: 25.525 ft / 7.78 m Empty weight: 330 kg Wing load: 19.75 kg / m² Min descent: 0.65 m / s Glide ratio: 26 Crew: 1
Condor IIB Improved cantilever wing Seats: 1
Condor 3 Span: 56 ft 6.25 in / 17.24 m Length: 24 ft 11.25 in / 7.6 m Wing area: 174.4 sq.ft / 16.2 sq.m Aspect ratio: 15.0 Wing section: Gottingen 532 Wing extension: 15 Empty weight: 507 lb / 230 kg Max weight: 717 lb / 325 kg Water ballast: None Max wing loading: 20.06 kg/sq.m / 4.11 lb/sq.ft Max speed: 112 mph / 97 kt / 180 km/h Stalling speed: 27 kt / 50 km/h Min sinking speed: 2 ft/sec / 0.6 m/sec Best glide ratio: 28:1 Crew: 1
Condor IV Wing span: 18 m / 59.2 ft Wing area: 21.2 sq.m / 230 sq.ft Aspect ratio: 15.2 Airfoil: Go 532, NACA 0012 Empty Weight: 358 kg / 789 lb Payload: 202 kg / 445 lb Gross Weight: 560 kg / 1234 lb Wing Load: 26.4 kg/sq.m / 5.37 lb/sq.ft L/DMax: 31 80 kph / 43 kt / 50 mph MinSink: 0.70 m/s / 2.3 fps / 1.36 kt Seats: 2
Condor IV-2 Wingspan: 18.0 m (59 ft 1 in) Wing area: 21.2 m2 (228 sq ft) Aspect ratio: 15.2:1 Airfoil: Root: Goettingen 532, tip: NACA 0012 Empty weight: 440 kg (970 lb) Gross weight: 590 kg (1,300 lb) Maximum glide ratio: 30:1 at 80 km/h (50 mph) Rate of sink: 0.70 m/s (138 ft/min) at 69 km/h (43 mph) Wing loading: 28 kg/m2 (5.7 lb/sq ft) Crew: one Capacity: one passenger
Condor IV-3 Wingspan: 18.0 m Wing profile: Gö 532 (inside) / NACA 0012 (outside) Wing area: 21.2 m² Wing extension: 15.3 Length: 8.44 m Empty weight: 358 kg MTOW: 520 kg Wing load: 24.5 kg / m² Maximum speed: 60 km / h Min descent: 0.7 m / s Glide ratio: 31 at 80 km / h Crew: 2
