RRG Professor
Rhön-Rossitten Gesellschaft · Germany · first flew 1928 · glider
The RRG Professor was a very early soaring glider and the first to use a variometer for finding thermals. It was designed by Alexander Lippisch in Germany and first flew in 1928.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, tapered |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × none, embedded-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Braced three-piece wing carried above the fuselage on a tall streamlined pedestal |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Braced three-piece wing carried above the fuselage on a tall streamlined pedestal
- Rectangular centre section with strongly tapered outer panels
- Hexagonal deep flat-sided fuselage with a skid running from nose to trailing edge
The wing is built around a single spar and is braced to the lower fuselage by a V-form lift strut on each side. The all-moving tailplane has a short triangular fin and a taller rudder.
Specifications
- The RRG Professor has a length of 7 m (23 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 16.1 m (53 ft).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
In early 1928 Professor Walter Georgii, head of the Rhön-Rossitten Gesellschaft, began studies of thermals, and Lippisch was considering fitting variometers to gliders. The two produced the Professor, first flown in May 1928, intended to be built in numbers by clubs under licence from RRG plans. The prototype was christened Rhöngeist.
Variants
The prototype was named Rhöngeist after Lippisch's nickname from the Wasserkuppe.
Where you'll see it
The Professor was widely built by both flying clubs and factories.
Related aircraft
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