M.Hardy. Gliders & Sailplanes of the world

VSO 10

  This Czech high performance single-seater was created by the Vyvojova Skupina Orlican - VSO group, whose chief designer is Dipl-Ing Jan Janovec and which was formed by members of the former VSB (the Aircraft Faculty of Brno Military ДальшеMore>>> Academy) and some of the design staff of the Orlican National Works, which had built the VT-16 Orlik; VSB had produced the VSB-66-S Orlice V-tailed single-seat Standard Class design which first flew on 17 September 1970. The VSO 10 is the VSO group's first design and is of mixed construction, employing wood, glassfibre and metal. Design work began in March 1972 and construction of three prototypes, one a static test airframe, began in 1975; the first flight took place on 26 October 1976 and series production began in December 1978. The VSO-10G took first and second places at the first International Club Class competition held in Sweden in the summer of 1979. To comply with Club Class rules the retractable monowheel was locked down and covered with a glassfibre fairing, this variant being known as the VSO-1OC. The cantilever single-spar shoulder wings have slight forward sweep and are all-wood structures with a sandwich skin; the slotted ailerons are also of wood and there are metal DFS air brakes in the upper surfaces. The front and centre fuselage sections are glassfibre monocoque structures, the centre portion being reinforced by a steel tube frame on which the wings are mounted. The rear fuselage is a monocoque made of aluminium alloy sheet. The metal T-tail has a fixed-incidence tailplane and fabric-covered rudder and elevators. There is a retractable rubber-sprung monowheel with a drum brake, and a semi-recessed unsprung tailwheel. The pilot sits under a detachable canopy.


Span: 49 ft 2 1/2 in
Length: 22 ft 11 3/4 in
Height: 3 ft 11 1/4 in
Wing area: 129.2 sqft
Aspect ratio: 18.75
Empty weight: 516 3/4 lb
Max weight: 837 lb
Max speed: 161 mph (in smooth air)
Max aero-tow speed: 99 mph
Min sinking speed: 2.07 ft/sec at 45 mph
Best glide ratio: 36.2:1 at 58.5 mph