Glasflügel H-201
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| Type designation | H-201 Standard Libelle |
| Competition class | Standard |
| Number built | 601 |
| Crew | 1 |
| Length | 6.19 m |
| Height | 1.25 m |
| Cockpit width | 0.59 m |
| Cockpit height | 0.85 m |
| Wingspan | 15 m |
| Wing area | 9.80 m² |
| Aspect ratio | 23 |
| Empty mass | ca. 185 kg |
| Water ballast | 50 kg (H201B only) |
| Maximum mass | 290 kg (H201) 350 kg (H201B) |
| Wing loading | ca. 30 - 36 kg/m² |
| Maximum speed | 220 km/h (H201) 250 km/h (H201B) |
| Rough air speed | 220 km/h (H201) 250 km/h (H201B) |
| Maneuver speed | 150 km/h (H201B) |
| Minimum sink rate | ca. 0.57 m/s at 75 km/h |
| Glide ratio | ca. 34.5 at 85 km/h |
| Roll rate | -45º to +45º bank |
The Glasflügel H-201 Standard Libelle is an early composite Standard Class single-seat sailplane produced by Glasflügel from 1967.
[edit] History
The H-201 Standard Libelle was a follow-on Standard Class sailplane to the successful H-301 Libelle Open Class glider. It was similar to the H-301, with modifications to meet the Standard Class requirements. The prototype made its first flight in October 1967, with a total of 601 being built. The type soon made its mark in contest flying; one flown by Per-Axel Persson of Sweden, winner of the 1948 World Championships, came second in the Standard Class at the 1968 World Championships at Leszno in Poland.
The Libelle and Standard Libelle were very popular and influential designs. Their very light wings and extremely easy rigging set a new benchmark. Their handling is generally easy except that they are quite sensitive to sideslipping and have relatively ineffective airbrakes that make short landings tricky for inexperienced pilots.
The Standard Libelle had some variants:
- the Glasflügel 202 of which only one in total was built,
- the Glasflügel 203 of which only two in total were built,
- the Glasflügel 204 of which only one in total was built,
- the Glasflügel 205 Club Libelle with a high-set wing and fixed undercarriage intended for less experienced pilots, of which 176 were produced,
- the Glasflügel 101 Salto aerobatic glider, developed from the Standard Libelle by Frau Ursula Hänle, widow of Eugen Hänle, former Director of Glasflügel. The Salto (German for loop), produced by Start + Flug GmbH, differs from the Standard Libelle in having a V-tail, which it also showed the ancestry of the V-tailed Hütter H-30 GFK. Four flush-fitting air brakes repositioned on the wing trailing edges replaced the more conventionally-sited air brakes of the Standard Libelle. The Salto's air brakes are hinged at their mid-points so that half the surface projects above the wing and half below. The Salto prototype first flew in March 1970 and 60 had been delivered by the spring of 1977.
The Standard Libelle was superseded by the Hornet.
[edit] General description
The Standard Libelle is of similar glassfibre construction to the H 301 Libelle. The changes required to consisted of removing the flaps and tail braking parachute, fitting a fixed instead of retractable monowheel and raising the height of the canopy. A new Wortmann wing section was featured and terminal velocity dive brakes were fitted.
With a change in the Standard Class rules, the H-201B of 1969 introduced a retractable gear and a water ballast system as an option, with one 25 litre bag per wing located before the spar, with valve and dumping orifice on the fuselage underside. Other improvements in the B variant were larger upper surface dive brakes, a larger stabilizer for better low-speed handling, PVC foam sandwich core for the wing (instead of balsa) to increase durability and profile accuracy, increased gross weight and higher operating speeds.
The canopy is unusual in having a catch that enables the front to be raised by 25mm in flight to provide a blast of ventilating air if required, instead of the more conventional small sliding panel used for this purpose.
The connections for airbrakes and elevator are automatic. The aileron connections are manually connected.
[edit] Sources
- Thomas F, Fundamentals of Sailplane Design, College Park Press, 1999
- Simons M, Segelflugzeuge 1965-2000, Eqip, 2004
- Sailplane Directory
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