THK-13
Turk Hava Kurumu Ucak Fabrikasi · Turkey · first flew 1948 · glider
The THK-13 was an experimental tail-less glider built by the Turkish Air League Aircraft Factory (THK) in the late 1940s.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Low-mounted, swept |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × none, embedded-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 5.04 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | No tailplane |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Tail-less glider with 20 degrees of wing sweepback
- Pilot in a faired open cockpit on the centre-line at mid-chord
- Fins at about three-quarter span with elevators outboard of them
It is built mainly of wood with fabric covering and has a mono-wheel undercarriage with outrigger wheel struts in the lower fins.
Specifications
- The THK-13 has a length of 5.04 m (17 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 20 m (66 ft).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
A 10% scale model carried on a THK-5 was used as a flying wind tunnel to validate the design. The THK-13 first flew in mid 1948, flown by Kadri Kavukcu, and the flight lasted around 30 minutes.
Variants
Only one THK-13 was built. It was initially planned to have a small piston engine or turbojet but was completed as a glider.
Where you'll see it
It was aero-towed behind a Focke-Wulf Fw 44. Flight tests revealed poor yaw stability, and it was shown at the 1949 Paris Air Show before development was abandoned.
Related aircraft
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