Further to the discussion on the noisiness of metal sailplanes, here is the first all-fiberglass sailplane. It was designed by students at the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich under direction of a Professor Rauscher. The prototype first flew in 1964. It was manufactured by Flug and Fahrezeugwerk of Switzerland, formerly part of Dornier, which was split off in 1948. The aircraft was in production till 1970 and according to Wikipedia about 86 were built. More here.
TIL who built the first all fiberglass sailplane! Thanks Mr. G!
ReplyDeleteMore specifically, all fibreglass, no balsa or foam blocks to make sandwiches for added strength. I'm still contemplating why- when balsa or foam works quite well.
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