Akaflieg Stuttgart fs18
Akaflieg Stuttgart · Germany · first flew 1938 · glider
The Akaflieg Stuttgart fs18 was a glider designed and built in Germany from 1938, characterised by a gull wing, and the first glider to have a retractable undercarriage.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, tapered |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × none, embedded-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 7.1 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- High-wing cantilever monoplane with a gulled centre section
- Rectangular midsection and tapered outer wing panels
- Manually retractable main undercarriage
A high-wing glider with a gulled centre section so that the wings meet the fuselage at 90 degrees. The cockpit pod narrows smoothly into a boom-like rear fuselage carrying the tail unit.
Specifications
- The Akaflieg Stuttgart fs18 has a length of 7.1 m (23 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 18 m (59 ft).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Students of the Akaflieg Stuttgart designed it over six months before the next Rhön competition at the Wasserkuppe, aiming for a glider that could turn tightly in thermals with a low sink rate. It first flew on 21 July 1938.
Variants
Only one example of the design was built, as the fs18a.
Where you'll see it
Testing continued until 7 December 1938, when the fs18 crashed, killing the pilot Ernst Scheible.
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