Schleicher ASW 28

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

**Schleicher ASW 28**

Type designation	ASW 28
Competition class	Standard
Crew	1
Length	6.585 m
Height	1.30 m
Cockpit width	0.64 m
Cockpit height	0.80 m
Wingspan	15 / 18 m
Wing area	10.50 m² (15 m) 11.88 m² (18 m)
Aspect ratio	21.43 (15 m) 27.27 (18 m)
Wing profile	DU 99-147 and DU 99-125
Empty mass	240 kg (ASW 28) 258 kg (ASW 28-18 at 15m) 270 kg (ASW 28-18)
Water ballast	200 kg (ASW 28) 190 kg (ASW 28-18)
Maximum mass	525 kg (15 m) 575 kg (18 m)
Wing loading	30 – 50 kg/m² (ASW 28) 32 – 50 kg/m² (ASW 28-18) 29 - 48.4 kg/m² (18 m)
Maximum speed	270 km/h
Rough air speed	200 km/h
Stall speed	72 km/h
Minimum sink rate	ca. 0.56 / 0.48 m/s
Best glide ratio	45 at 100 km/h (15 m) 48 at 90 km/h (18 m)

**Schleicher ASW 28 E**

Engine type	Solo 2350 2-stroke
Engine power	13.5 kW (18 hp) at 4200 rpm
Climb rate in powered flight
Range in 'saw-tooth' operation

The ASW 28 is a Standard Class glider with a fifteen metre span built of modern fibre reinforced composites. The manufacturer of the ASW-28 is Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co. The 'W' indicates this is a design of the influential and prolific German designer Gerhard Waibel. Serial production started in 2000.

As all Standard Class sailplanes, the ASW-28 does not have flaps or other lift-enhancing devices. It has tall winglets, a retractable undercarriage and a water ballast system. The structure is a complex composite of carbon, aramid and polyethylene fibre reinforced plastic. This permits a light structure with the strength to carry large amounts of water ballast, thus permitting the widest possible range of wing loadings for weak and strong soaring weather.

The ASW-28 supersedes the ASW 24 in the manufacturer's production line. It has - like its competitors Rolladen-Schneider LS8 and Schempp-Hirth Discus-2 - a version with wing extensions for the increasingly popular 18 metre Class, the ASW 28-18. The sustainer (non-self-launching) variant of the 18 metre version is the ASW 28-18 E.