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Aviation History
1985
1985 - 1982.PDF
PRIVATE FLIGHT Swedes fly self- launching glider STOCKHOLM Many enquiries were being received at the Paris Show last week for the WinDex 1100, a new self-launching sailplane designed and built in Sweden. The first aircraft had been flown—albeit unpowered —for just llhr before being taken to Le Bourget. The WinDex 1100 has been designed by Prof Sven-Olaf Ridder, head of the wind- tunnel department at Stock holm's Royal Institute of Technology, where he is involved in low-speed aero dynamics work. Manufacture has been carried out by Radab, which adopted the name WinDex from the range of sailboard wind vanes which it produces. The "1100" desig nation signifies the machine's 11m wingspan. This is the first of Prof Ridder's many designs to have been built. It is being produced under the aerobatic category of Joint Air worthiness Regulation 22, which covers sailplanes and powered sailplanes. Managing director Harald Unden tells Flight that the performance envelope is still being explored. Moulds are being produced for the pro duction of the pre-preg glass- fibre machine. The first 20 kits for construction in Sweden should be available for about $12,000. Kits will consist of wing panels and spar, fuselage, tail, engine, propeller, "and all other materials to finish the aircraft". Following the initial flights, Unden says that it is not for competition, "nor is it a begin ner's aircraft". Handling is described as agile, but not nervous. The aerofoil, a 17-per-cent forward-loaded laminar-flow section, has been designed at the Royal Institute of Tech nology. Tailplane section is a symmetrical 14-per-cent laminar-flow design. Power is provided by an The WinDex 1100 has been flown unpowered for some llhr in Sweden engine mounted at the junc tion of the fin and tailplane, where it is expected to be rela tively quiet while producing good airflow over the elevator. An aircooled two-cylinder, two-stroke Limbach 275E unit of some 22 h.p. is to be fitted in due course. The propeller will be manually controlled for pitch and feathering. A single rotation control- one turn for 10°—operates the flaps, which may be set between 10° up and 90° down. At the maximum drag setting, the WinDex 1100 is said to "come down like a piano". Basic design performance includes a 100m grass take-off run, 790ft/min climb rate, 32kt flaps-down stall, and 150kt "redline" speed. Maxi mum L/D is given as 30 (propeller feathered). More details and information from AB Radab, Box 81054, S-104 Stockholm, Sweden; tel 844-0610/telex 12443 Fotex S Windexradab. Datwyler approaches certification BLEIENBACH Swiss manufacturer Max Datwyler expects to certifi cate its MD.3-160 Swiss Trainer in about five months' time. The aircraft has now flown some 300hr and all airframe structural testing has been completed. Remain- The Datwyler MD.3-160 is approaching certification ing to be done are the nose- wheel drop test and vibration testing of the wing. The manufacturer reports a great deal of interest in the aircraft at the Paris Show. It was being exhibited for only the second time, having been seen previously at Farn- borough. Discussions with a South American country have not yet borne fruit. A major source of enquiries this year have been Singapore aero space interests who want to market and manufacture the aircraft in SE Asia. MD.3-160 has been designed for production, says Datwyler, which has devel oped the type following its previous MD.l and MD.2 designs. These did not proceed beyond the model stage. The company has been Piper distributor for Switzer land and other countries, and has also manufactured parts for the Swiss and French Air Forces, including items in titanium. Its mainstream bread-and-butter business is the manufacture of equipment for the gravure printing industry. Datwyler says that "there is not enough space or people in Switzerland for the aircraft to be produced there". Labour costs are also very high, and a unit price of $65,000 for aero batic or utility work has been computed. For South Ameri can manufacture is said that it should be possible to reduce this by some $15,000. 36 FLIGHT International, 15 June 1985
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