A CNC portal milling machine for milling the molds of our future projects. This was our dream three years ago when we started the project of acquiring a milling machine. The molds are assembled from large plastic blocks with dimensions of 2.5x1x0.2 meters. In addition, they are machined on a steel frame to prevent the…
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In this article, we will describe the final steps to completing the main part of the wing test piece, the fin. By now, a large part of the work has been done and the goal of a small wing with a moveable flap and actuator-driven flaperon seems to be within reach. While producing the small…
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As hinted in the last article, the time consuming construction of small parts was just around the corner. From a production standpoint, the flap had to be completely built along with its bearing before we could continue with the test piece. The reason for this was the placing of the flap guide rails in the…
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At the end of the last article, the largest parts of the mold had been completed, and now it was time to start building the structure. Even though it would have been best to start building after the detail design had been completely finished, the tight schedule did not allow it. The wing skins in…
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A new dimension of Performance and Safety! With this in mind, a new glider prototype is being built at Akaflieg Stuttgart. The most important feature can already be recognized in its name – FlyByWire: For the first time we want to do without the usual mechanical flight controls used in small aircraft construction. Instead, the…
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Every glider has an altimeter and a variometer. We need these instruments in our gliders to be able to assess our situation in flight. The airspeed indicator shows us the speed, the altimeter our altitude and the variometer how much you climb or sink per second. But unfortunately very few pilots actually know what is…
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On Thursday, we tested the propeller settings of the fs35. And it worked! A motor glider must glide as well as possible with the engine shut off. In the normal position the propeller causes a lot of drag. That’s why most motor gliders have a gliding position for the propeller. With our hydraulic variable pitch…
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In our two-week beginner’s course, interested students are able to start flight training. Our prototype fs31 is especially busy with the flight students. Also the testing of our new winch, which our very own Fidde has built, was resumed. The Swabian Alb surprised us with sunny days and strong thermals, which are not usual at…
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A great moment everyone’s been waiting for: The fs35 was able to get a glimpse of the runway for the first time – in the midst of fellow aircraft. At our rollout event a few weeks ago, the prototype was assembled and displayed on the university campus. The event was complete with a presentation of…
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Last week we assembled the fs35 at the airfield and performed the first slow taxi tests. The roll behavior and handling on the ground has been promising so far. In addition, the last verification documents, such as the flutter statement for the first flight area, were completed and turned in. Now we are eagerly awaiting…
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