Lippisch Wien
Rhon-Rossitten-Gesellschaft · Germany · first flew 1929 · glider
The Lippisch Wien was a high-performance glider designed by Alexander Lippisch in Germany in 1929. Owned and flown by Robert Kronfeld, it was one of the first sailplanes intended to exploit thermals.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, tapered |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × none, embedded-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Pylon-mounted single-spar wing braced with faired V-form struts to the lower fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Pylon-mounted single-spar wing braced with faired V-form struts to the lower fuselage
- Parallel-chord inner panels with double straight-tapered outer panels ending in rounded tips
- Open cockpit ahead of the wing leading edge with no windscreen, and a single enclosed skid
Instruments, including the novel variometer, were set horizontally into the fuselage in front of the pilot. The rear fixed surfaces are very narrow, with the fin root carefully faired into the fuselage.
Specifications
- The Lippisch Wien has a length of 7.95 m (26 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 19.1 m (63 ft).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Kronfeld won the 1928 Rhon competition in the RRG Professor and asked Lippisch for an improved version. The Wien kept the Professor layout but with the span increased by 3.0 m, and it flew in 1929.
Variants
Only one Wien was built, for Kronfeld.
Where you'll see it
On 15 May 1929 Kronfeld made the first glider flight of more than 100 km, and he later set at least three world distance records, the last of 164 km on 24 August 1930. He also set two altitude records, and in 1931 toured England, winning a 1,000 pound Daily Mail prize for a cross-Channel flight.
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