Glider Planes (Segelflugzeug)

|Introduction:

Flying an aircraft is something that only a pilot is allowed to do. A person completes an expensive course and learns flying for several months and complete many hours as a co-pilot and certification trainings and then finally is allowed to fly as a Pilot. Not everyone does this, and definitely no one does this as a hobby.

Or do they?

Basic plot:

There is this stream of aircraft called glider planes (segelflugzeug in German). Before getting into this topic let’s talk about hobby’s in Germany. 

Everywhere you go you will find clubs (Verein in German), verein for sports, verein for parades, verein for even indoor games. 

Germans are crazy about Verein, and that is for a good reason. 

This helps people interact with new people and learn more stuff from one another. I was also in a Verein in Braunschweig, the city where I live. This was an aircraft club, where we built and repaired Glider planes in winter and fly them in Summer. 

Operation of Verein:

Basic outline was, one needs to complete couple hundred hours in the winterwarung (repair and maintenance work) and if the hours are enough they could fly next season. 

During the winters season, one learns how the basic flight instruments work and what is the basic principle of Glider and what is thermal column. 

Also how we can use it to extend our range. Then we work on basic things like polishing aircraft bodies, repairing dents to checking the proper functioning of electronic system to water ballast- this is a system where we load the wings with water to increase its weight which has a positive effect on its speed at the same sink rate. 

And also counter weighting through Tail ballast.

How does a glider work? 

Let’s start with engine. Glider planes generally does not have an engine. Gliders are designed with high aspect ratio that means they have long and thin wings. The aspect ratio of a wing is the wingspan squared divided by the area of the wing. The glider has a much larger aspect ratio than a conventional plane. This design produces less drag- which governs sink rate- lesser sink rate is good for better range and more stability. However other things like maneuverability increases. 

Launch

So how does an aircraft without engine fly?

1. Winch launch

Glider winch helps to winch launch the gliders at a certain altitude. Winch- A winch is a mechanical device that is used to pull in or let out or otherwise adjust the tension of a rope or wire rope.

This is a truck placed at a far distance to the direction of flight end of runway. (runways are not pavement but a grass field. There is a control station at the start point where the controller always has a verbal communication with the winch operator at the other end. A rope from the winch is pulled to the start position spanning across the launch field (runway). And the rope is attached to a detachable latch on the glider usually on the nose section. 

When the controller says ready and pull. The operator in the winch truck triggers a go button in the truck which rapidly rolls on the rope pulling the rope towards itself and hence starts pulling the aircraft by the nose. As the aircraft is accelerated the wing design is so designed that the AOA is always positive at horizontal pull. So just like a kite it takes off and starts gaining altitude and at certain altitude detaches the latch and sets the rope free, the rope parachutes down and lands safely on the ground, while the glider fly freely and the pilot looks out for a thermal column or suitable wind and gains altitude. As the aircraft has no engine. Ultimately it has to land within the given sink rate and range. However, there are some variants of gliders which use motors during flight to increase the range.

2. Aero tow launch

However, there is another kind of launch which is an Aero tow launch, where a motored aircraft pulls the glider and takes it to a desired altitude and glider releases the latch attached to a rope from the motored aircraft at its will.

Cruse:

The glider has a basic flight control system which includes:

• Altimeter (to indicate your altitude)
• Air-speed indicator (to tell how fast you are going)

• Vario-meter- vertical speed indicator (to tell what the air around you is doing)
• Radio (to contact other planes or someone on the ground)

• Control stick (located between pilot’s legs)
• Tow rope release knob (to disengage the tow rope)
  

Landing

During landing the aircraft has to approach at a predefined path and speed and needs to land on its belly, as it only has 2 wheels: one in the belly and one in the tail. the view of landing a glider is something to enjoy as it has to balance itself and stay upright.

And when the aircraft lands and stops, a team of retrievers shall be deployed, who come up with a car and toe the aircraft back the start position. And a minimum of 1 person is required to grab one wing to maintain upright position of the glider during towing.

Resolution

On my first flight I was off course with an experienced pilot and he let me handle the aircraft only at certain altitude for small period of time. I was still amazed on my first flight. But the fact that a normal person like me could actually learn to fly and operate aircraft not as a profession but as a hobby was something very new to me. With little investment. 

Learning to fly is my next milestone I have set. I think learning to fly would definitely make sense as my direction has always been aircraft. But I must say, I never imagined I would fly an aircraft, even if it is not one with an engine. But being able to fly just for a hobby has relieved me and opened my mind to many possibilities. Though I am not an active member of the Verein but I would definitely thank the team there for this experience and eye opening experience.

"My first flight in a Glider plane in Braunschweig. In this video i explain about how a Glider plane works and share my experience flying it. I am thankful to Akaflieg for this oppurtunity. :) (ep7)" 

Glider plane/ Segelflugzeug: my 1st flight || Anything Aero