M.Hardy. Gliders & Sailplanes of the world

Schleicher AS-K 14

  This single-seater motor glider was originally known as the Ka 12 and was designed by Ing Rudolf Kaiser but, to avoid confusion with the AS-W 12 high performance sailplane which was also built by Schleicher, it was redesignated ДальшеMore>>> AS-K 14. The prototype made its first flight on 25 April 1967, and the type took second, third and fourth places in the first German Motor Glider Competition, which was held in 1970; in the sixth of these competitions, in 1976, the AS-K 14 was still good enough to take second and third places. Of conventional wooden construction, it has what is basically a Ka 6E's semi-monocoque fuselage with plywood covering married to low-set cantilever wood and fabric wings with 5° dihedral, similar to the Ka 6E's and with the same aerofoil section; the single-spar wings have spoilers in the upper surfaces and plywood-covered ailerons. The pilot sits under a large one-piece blown Plexiglas canopy that hinges sideways to starboard, and the landing gear consists of a manually-retracted monowheel on a leg tall enough to give adequate ground clearance for the propeller, plus a tailskid. Powerplant is a 26hp Hirth F10 K19 'flat four' two-stroke engine in a conventional tractor installation driving a two-blade Hoffman feathering propeller; starting is manually. The tail unit is of wood/plywood/fabric construction, with a low-set all-moving tailplane.


Span: 46 ft 11 in
Length: 21 ft 8 in
Height: 5 ft 3 in
Wing area: 136.49 sqft
Aspect ratio: 16.2
Empty weight: 540 lb
Max weight: 793 lb
Max speed: 124 mph (in smooth air)
Min sinking speed: 2.46 ft/sec at 45 mph
Best glide ratio: 28:1 at 52 mph
Take-off run: 393 ft



Schleicher AS-K 16

  The AS-K 16 is a two-seater motor glider directly comparable with the Scheibe SF-25 Falke series, with the same basic powerplant and side-by-side seating; with dual controls provided it is suitable for basic and advanced training. It first flew in prototype form on 2 February 1971 and first appeared in public at the second German Motor Glider Competition at Burg Feuerstein in June that year, but it did not compete. An AS-K 16 flown by Hans Werner Grosse and Ing R. Kaiser took third place in the First International Motor Glider Competition in 1974. By January 1976 38 AS-K 16s had been built, but it is now out of production. The type is of mixed construction similar to the SF-25 Falke, with a welded steel tube fuselage covered in fabric, plywood and glassfibre. The cantilever single-spar low-set wooden wings are fabric-covered with glassfibre tips and spoilers in the upper surfaces. The tail unit is of wooden construction with fabric covering, with combined trim and anti-balance tabs in the port elevator. Unlike the SF-25 Falke's monowheel and under-wing balancing wheels, the AS-K 16 has main wheels retracting inwards into the bottom of the fuselage, and a fixed tailwheel; the main wheels have rubber shock absorbers and Tost drum brakes. The pilots sit under a one-piece blown canopy that hinges sideways to open. Powerplant is a 72hp Limbach SL 1700EB1 modified Volkswagen 'flat four' engine driving a Hoffman HO-V 62 two-blade variable-pitch propeller.


Span: 52 ft 6 in
Length: 24 ft 0 1/4 in
Height: 6 ft 10 3/4 in
Wing area: 204.5 sq ft
Aspect ratio: 13.5
Empty weight: 1,036 lb
Max weight: 1,543 lb
Max speed: 124 mph
Min sinking speed: 3.28 ft/sec at 46 mph
Best glide ratio: 25:1 at 58.5 mph
Take-off run: 755 ft
Range: 310 miles