Schneider ES-57 Kingfisher

Edmund Schneider · Australia · first flew 1956 · glider

The Schneider ES-57 Kingfisher is a low-cost, short-span Australian glider capable of respectable cross-country flights. It was produced in small numbers in the late 1950s.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	High-mounted, tapered
E — Engines	1 × none, embedded-mounted
F — Fuselage	Hexagonal-section plywood fuselage with a side-opening canopy
T — Tail	Conventional

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

Spot it by:

High single-spar wing, double-straight tapered in plan with 3 degrees of dihedral
Hexagonal-section plywood fuselage with a side-opening canopy
Horizontal tail raised on a short pillar, with a single unsprung semi-recessed wheel

The 10.5 m wing is wooden and covered with plywood ahead of the spar and fabric behind. Gapless upper-surface spoilers sit at 44% chord, and the narrow fin carries an angular rudder that reaches the keel.

Specifications

The Schneider ES-57 Kingfisher has a length of 5.75 m (19 ft).
It has a wingspan of 10.5 m (34 ft).
Its maximum speed is 200 km/h (124 mph).
Typical crew: 1.

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

History

Edmund Schneider designed it to meet the need of Australian pilots for a small, low-cost glider, and built it in his Australian factory. Its first flight was in 1956.

Variants

Originally the horizontal tail was mounted on top of the fuselage, but early flight tests led to it being raised out of the wing's wake on a short pillar. One amateur builder lowered the wing to a little above the mid-wing position.

Where you'll see it

Eight were built in the factory and three more by amateurs. A flight of 217 km by Harry Schneider brought it attention, and he later extended this to 300 km.

Related aircraft

AircraftIQ — the aircraft field guide: 8,606 recognition guides, live overhead identification, works offline.