M.Hardy. Gliders & Sailplanes of the world

Blessing Rebell

  Designed and built by Herr Gerhard Blessing of Hamburg, this single-seat homebuilt motor glider has provision for carrying a second occupant, and the wings can, at the choice of the builder, be made in two, three or four parts. To assist the amateur constructor further, no component of the aircraft is more than 3.5m (11ft 5 3/4 in) long, and the fuel tank and several other components are standard car items obtainable from the motor industry. The prototype Rebell, registered D-KEBO, first flew on 3 June 1973 powered by a 54hp Hirth M28 two-cylinder engine driving a Hoffman two-blade pusher propeller that could be feathered for soaring flight. In 1975 a modified Volkswagen engine was fitted which had a slightly larger air intake. The Rebell is a mid-wing monoplane of basically steel tube construction with wood covering; the wings can be folded for storage and the vertical tail surfaces are swept back, with a dorsal fin. Landing gear consists of a non-retractable semi-recessed monowheel supplemented by a balancer wheel under each wing about halfway along the semi-span, plus a tailwheel. The fuselage has been redesigned to take a 62hp Limbach SL 1700 engine in the nose, and the Rebell was expected to fly again in this form early in 1980.


Data: With Hirth M28 engine
Span: 49 ft 21/2 in
Length: 24 ft 7 1/4 in
Wing area: 182.0 sqft
Aspect ratio: 13.2
Empty weight: 926 lb
Max weight: 1,366 lb
Max speed: 124 mph
Economical cruising speed: 93 mph
Best glide ratio: 24:1