Schleicher ASK 18

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The Schleicher ASK 18 is a single-seat sailplane that was built by the German manufacturer Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co. It was designed to be a sturdy aircraft for inexperienced solo pilots and so uses a simple and rugged construction and has docile handling characteristics.

It was designed by Rudolf Kaiser and was the last Schleicher glider to use the traditional construction method. It was built when aircraft of the same class, such as the Grob G-102 Astir, were made of glass-fibre. The fuselage was derived from the Ka 8 and use welded steel tube and spruce longerons. It is covered in fabric. The wings are from the Ka 6E but with 16-metre span. They have a single wooden spar. The rear part of the wing is fabric-covered and the ailerons are plywood-covered. The tailplane came from the K 10; the fin and tailplane are plywood-covered and the rudder and elevators are fabric covered. A Flettner trim tab is fitted to the elevator. Only the nose cone is glass-fibre. The main-wheel is fixed and has a brake. There is a tail-skid but no nose-skid. The Schempp-Hirth airbrakes extend above and below the wing. First flight was in October 1974.

A variation was the ASK 18B which had a span reduced to 15m; At the end of production in 1977 38 K18s were built, 9 K18Bs and one unknown variant from a kit. A further 8 K18-ARs were produced in Argentina.

pecifications

aerospecs
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met or eng?= met
crew=One
capacity=
length m=6.00
length ft=19
length in=8
span m=16.00
span ft=52
span in=6
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height m=1.68
height ft=5
height in=6
wing area sqm=13.0
wing area sqft=140
swept area sqm=
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volume m3=
volume ft3=
aspect ratio= 19.7
wing profile= Root: NACA 633-618 Mid: NACA 633-614 (with Wortmann leading edge modification)
empty weight kg=215
empty weight lb=473
gross weight kg=335
gross weight lb=737
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max speed kmh=200
max speed mph=125
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ceiling ft=
glide ratio= 34
climb rate ms=
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sink rate ms= 0.62
sink rate ftmin= 122
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References

"Gliders and Sailplanes of the World" by Michael Hardy Ian Allen Ltd 1982 ISBN 0711011524

External links

* [http://www.sailplanedirectory.com/PlaneDetails.cfm?planeID=18 Sailplane directory]