CIL Reghin Albatros

RG-9 Albatros
Role	Tandem seat glider
National origin	Romania
Manufacturer	Complexu Industrializare Lemnului - Reghin
Designer	Vladimir Novitchi
First flight	1 June 1958
Number built	25

The CIL Reghin RG-9 Albatros was a tandem seat, all wood glider designed and produced in small numbers at the CIL (Complexu Industrializare Lemnului - Reghin) in Romania in the 1950s.

Design and development

The Albatros was a wooden glider with a cantilever mid-set wing. The wings had a root chord of 1.60 m (5ft 3 in), tapering to 0.66 m (2 ft 2 in) at the tip and carried 1.50° of dihedral. They were built around a single spar with a plywood covered leading edge torsion box in front of it and fabric covered behind. The wing carried wooden, fabric covered ailerons and airbrakes.^[1]

The fuselage of the Albatros was a plywood monocoque and the empennage was also wooden and fabric covered, with the tailplane set at the top of the fuselage. The occupants sat in tandem under a continuous canopy with two separately sideways opening sections. It had a fixed undercarriage with two wheels on a short axle under the fuselage and an integral nose skid. At rest, it sat on its wheels and tail.^[1]

The Albatros first flew on 1 June 1958. In all, 25 were built.^[1]

Specifications

Data from Jane's all the World's Aircraft 1966/7^[1]

General characteristics

• Crew: 2
• Length: 7.98 m (26 ft 2 in)
• Wingspan: 16.45 m (54 ft 0 in)
• Wing area: 20 m² (220 sq ft)
• Aspect ratio: 13.5
• Airfoil: Göttingen 535/539
• Empty weight: 290 kg (639 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 470 kg (1,036 lb)

Performance

• Stall speed: 55 km/h (34 mph; 30 kn)
• Maximum glide ratio: best 25:1 at 79 km/h (49 mph)
• Rate of sink: 0.85 m/s (167 ft/min) best, at 55 km/h (34 mph)

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} Taylor, John W R (1966). Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1966-67. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Co. Ltd. p. 399.