DFS Sperber Junior
Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug · Germany · first flew 1936 · glider
The DFS Sperber Junior was a competition sailplane designed for Hanna Reitsch and built in Germany in 1936. Its name means Hawk Junior.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, tapered |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × none, embedded-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Narrow ovoid, completely ply-covered fuselage with a cockpit fairing just ahead of the wing |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Shoulder-mounted double straight tapered gull wing with a pronounced bend
- Narrow ovoid, completely ply-covered fuselage with a cockpit fairing just ahead of the wing
- Tapered horizontal tail mounted on top of the fuselage, with a rudder extending below the fuselage
It had a shoulder-mounted gull wing with airbrakes on the inner wing and a more pronounced gull bend than the Rhönsperber. The best glide ratio was 24.3:1.
Specifications
- The DFS Sperber Junior has a length of 6.512 m (21 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 15.6 m (51 ft).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Hans Jacobs designed it as a development of the Rhönsperber, sharing much with the Sperber Senior, which was intended for larger pilots. Reitsch's small frame allowed a narrower cockpit in a more slender forward fuselage.
Variants
Only one example of this sailplane was built.
Where you'll see it
Reitsch took fifth place in the 1936 national competitions on the Wasserkuppe. In May 1937 she was one of five pilots who soared from Salzburg across the Alps for 100 miles into Italy, and the Junior was lost in the Second World War.
Related aircraft
- DFS Sperber Senior
- DFS 331
- DFS DFS 194
- RRG Fafnir
- Akaflieg Darmstadt D-29
- Antonov A-2
- Avia 60-MP
- Bazzocchi EB.2
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