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A DG-300WL at Évora, Portugal |
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| Type designation | DG-300 |
| Competition class | Club (formerly Standard) |
| Number built | 511 |
| Crew | 1 |
| Length | 6.80 m (22.31 ft) |
| Height | 1.39 m (4.56 ft) |
| Cockpit width | 0.63 m (2.07 ft) |
| Cockpit height | 0.81 m (2.66 ft) |
| Wingspan | 15 m (49.21 ft) |
| Wing area | 10.27 m² (110.5 ft²) |
| Aspect ratio | 21.9 |
| Wing profile | Horst & Quast HQ21/II |
| Empty weight | ca. 245 kg (540 lb) |
| Water ballast | 190 kg (419 lb) or 130 kg (287 lb) |
| Tail water ballast | 5.5 kg (12 lb) optional |
| Gross weight | 450 kg (992 lb) |
| Wing loading | 43.8 kg/m² 9.0 lb/ft²) |
| Maximum speed | 250 km/h (135 knots) |
| Maneuvering speed | 175 km/h (94 knots) |
| Stall speed | 65 km/h (35 knots) at 32 kg/m² |
| Minimum sink rate | 0.59 m/s at 78 km/h (116 ft/min at 42 knots) |
| Best glide ratio | 41 at 100 km/h (54 knots) 42 for DG-300WL |
| Roll rate (−45 to +45 bank) |
4 seconds at 95 km/h (51 knots) |
The DG-300 is a Standard Class single-seat high-performance glider built of glass-reinforced plastic. The DG-300 was designed by Wilhelm Dirks and manufactured by Glaser-Dirks Flugzeugbau's Slovenian partner company Elan (company). A total of 511 of all versions were built since production started in 1983. Representative contemporary types from competing manufacturers are the Rolladen-Schneider LS4 and the Schempp-Hirth Discus.
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The DG-300 has a flapless wing with triple taper based on the Falcon designed by Hansjörg Streifeneder, and employs the HQ 21/II, a relatively thick profile (ca. 17.5%). This wing is 'blown' on the underside by 900 small holes to achieve a controlled transition from laminar to turbulent flow. As with any racing glider, the thickness of the wing makes it relatively sensitive to performance degradation due to contamination by insect impacts or rain drops.
It is agile and a good climber, but slightly underperforms compared to its competitors in cruising flight, especially at higher speeds. The later DG-303 version with a new wing profile and winglets was developed that delivers higher performance at low to medium speeds plus increased aileron response. A fully aerobatic version (the Acro) was also sold, stressed for +7/-5g.
The DG-300 has typical DG features, which improve comfort and safety if at a performance cost. It has the large cockpit typical of DG giving excellent comfort, especially in high-altitude flight where the full-length canopy allows the feet to be warmed by sunlight. The view from the cockpit is superb, adding to the pleasure and safety of flight.
After the bankruptcy of Glaser-Dirks the newly founded DG Flugzeugbau GmbH took over the servicing of these gliders.
The operational limits were changed on April 2007 after a defect was detected on the main spar. Aerobatic flight since then is not permitted, even for the Acro versions.
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