Schleicher ASK 18

The Schleicher ASK 18 is a single-seat sailplane that was built by the German manufacturer Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co. It was designed to be a sturdy aircraft for inexperienced solo pilots and so uses a simple and rugged construction and has docile handling characteristics.

ASK 18
ASK18 at Camphill, Derbyshire 2011
Role Club class sailplane
National origin Germany
Manufacturer Schleicher
Designer Rudolf Kaiser
First flight October 1974
Number built 56
Developed from Schleicher K 8

Design

The ASK 18 was designed by Rudolf Kaiser and was the last Schleicher glider to use the traditional construction method, at a time when contemporary aircraft of the same class, such as the Grob G-102 Astir, were made of glass-fibre. The fuselage was derived from the Ka 8 and used welded steel tube and spruce longerons. It is covered in fabric. The wings are from the Ka 6E but with 16-metre span. They have a single wooden spar. The rear part of the wing is fabric-covered and the ailerons are plywood-covered. The tailplane came from the K 10; the fin and tailplane are plywood-covered and the rudder and elevators are fabric covered. A Flettner trim tab is fitted to the elevator. Only the nose cone is glass-fibre. The main-wheel is fixed and has a brake. There is a tail-skid but no nose-skid. The Schempp-Hirth airbrakes extend above and below the wing. First flight was in October 1974.

A variation was the ASK 18B which had a span reduced to 15m. At the end of production in 1977 38 K18s and 9 K18Bs had been built by Schleicher and one unknown variant built from a kit. A further 8 K18-ARs were produced in Argentina.

Specifications
ASK 18 launching at Camphill

General characteristics

  • Crew: One
  • Length: 6.00 m (19 ft 8 in)
  • Wingspan: 16.00 m (52 ft 6 in)
  • Height: 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)
  • Wing area: 13.0 m2 (140 sq ft)
  • Aspect ratio: 19.7
  • Airfoil: Root: NACA 633-618 Mid: NACA 633-614 (with Wortmann leading edge modification)
  • Empty weight: 215 kg (473 lb)
  • Gross weight: 335 kg (737 lb)

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 200 km/h (125 mph, 109 kn)
  • Maximum glide ratio: 34
  • Rate of sink: 0.62 m/s (122 ft/min)

See also

Related lists

References

Gliders and Sailplanes of the World by Michael Hardy Ian Allan Ltd 1982 ISBN 0-7110-1152-4

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