Akaflieg Stuttgart fs33 Gavilán
Akaflieg Stuttgart · Germany · first flew 1998 · glider
The Akaflieg Stuttgart fs33 Gavilán (Spanish for hawk) is a high-performance two-seat sailplane designed and built by the Akaflieg Stuttgart student group.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Mid-mounted, tapered |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × none, embedded-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 8.98 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | T-tail |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Mid-mounted triple-trapezoidal wing of 20 m span
- Two pilots in tandem under a long single-piece canopy ahead of the wing
- Three flaperons on each wing along the whole span, with optional winglets
A tandem two-seat glider with a carbon-fibre structure, a Nimbus-4D tailplane on a Nimbus-3D fin, and wings designed to break off in a crash landing.
Specifications
- The Akaflieg Stuttgart fs33 Gavilán has a length of 8.98 m (29 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 20 m (66 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 280 km/h (174 mph).
- Typical crew: 2.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Development began in 1990 in response to the 1989 redefinition of the FAI two-seater Competition Class. The design reused the fs31 fuselage molds and the fs32 wing molds, extended inwards by 2.5 m, and it first flew on 28 May 1998.
Variants
There were no variants: it was a one-off prototype.
Where you'll see it
The fs33 does not have slotted flaps, using flaperons instead. After the aircraft crashed, its carbon-fibre undercarriage was replaced with a steel one, and new winglets were built in 2016.
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