Akaflieg Darmstadt D-38
# Akaflieg Darmstadt D-38

The Akaflieg Darmstadt D-38 is a German, single-seat, Standard Class sailplane that was designed and built by the Fliegergruppe of Darmstadt University.

## Design

The D-38 is a cantilever, shoulder-wing monoplane with a glassfibre/balsa sandwich shell structure fuselage and wing, the wing has no flaps and has a T-tail. The pilot has a semi-reclining seat in an enclosed cockpit with a transparent canopy and the landing gear is a manual retracting monowheel gear with a tailskid. The D-38 was, in effect, the prototype of the successful Glaser-Dirks DG-100 competition Standard class glider.

## Specifications

Data from Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1973-74

General characteristics

* Crew: 1
* Length: 6.96 m (22 ft 10 in)
* Wingspan: 15.00 m (49 ft 2.5 in)
* Height: 1.49 m (4 ft 7 in)
* Wing area: 11.00 $m^2$ (118.4 sq ft)
* Empty weight: 207 kg (456 lb)
* Gross weight: 363 kg (800 lb)

Performance

* Maximum speed: 250 km/h (115 mph, 100 kn)
* Stall speed: 66 km/h (41 mph, 36 kn)
* g limits: ±6.3
* Maximum glide ratio: 39
* Rate of sink: 0.6 m/s (120 ft/min)
