Bölkow Phoebus

Bölkow · Germany · first flew 1964 · glider

The Bölkow Phoebus was a high-performance single-seat fibreglass sailplane developed in West Germany in the mid-1960s. It was one of the first production gliders to exploit glass-fibre composite construction extensively.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Mid-mounted, tapered
E — Engines	1 × none, embedded-mounted
F — Fuselage	Slim fuselage with T-style cockpit canopy
T — Tail	Conventional

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

Unpowered sailplane — no engine
GRP (fibreglass) construction for high performance
Slim fuselage with T-style cockpit canopy

Slim, highly polished GRP fuselage with a bubble canopy, a slender tapered wing, and the clean, uncluttered lines typical of early composite sailplanes identify the Phoebus. The absence of any engine installation distinguishes it from powered types.

Specifications

The Bölkow Phoebus has a length of 6.4 m (21 ft).
It has a wingspan of 15 m (49 ft).
Its maximum speed is 220 km/h (137 mph).
Typical crew: 1.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

First flown in 1964, the Phoebus was developed by Bölkow to compete in the Standard Class and Open Class soaring competitions. Its GRP structure offered smooth laminar-flow surfaces unavailable with traditional wood or metal construction. It achieved notable competition success in the late 1960s.

Variants

The Phoebus A was the Standard Class version; the Phoebus B had a longer wingspan for Open Class; the Phoebus C was an intermediate 17-metre variant. All shared the same basic GRP fuselage.

Where you'll see it

Used by soaring clubs and competition pilots across Europe and further afield through the 1960s and 1970s. A number of examples remain active in private ownership and at gliding clubs today.

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