The Akaflieg Darmstadt D-39 was a single-seat motor glider derived from the D-38 sailplane. Built in Germany in the late 1970s, it was not intended for production and only one was constructed.
| D-39 | |
|---|---|
| Role | Motor glider Type of aircraft |
| National origin | Germany |
| Manufacturer | Akaflieg Darmstadt |
| First flight | 28 June 1979 |
| Number built | 1 |
| Developed from | Akaflieg Darmstadt D-38 |
The D-39 was a motorised version of the D-38 sailplane, with wings moved down from the latter's shoulder-wing position to the bottom of the fuselage. A Limbach SL 1700 flat four engine was conventionally mounted in the nose; the propeller could be removed but not folded away in flight. The wings, with 4° of dihedral, tail and monocoque fuselage were formed from glass fibre balsa sandwiches and the ailerons from glass fibre/Klégécel foam sandwiches. The D-38 had an all moving T-tailplane, fitted with a Flettner tab. It landed on a retractable monowheel, fitted with a drum brake and assisted by a small, fixed tailwheel.[1]
The D-39 was first flown on 28 June 1979.[1] By July 1982 it had been modified into the D-39b, with a greater span, revised wing roots and fitted with a three-bladed Hoffmann Propeller airscrew with three blades and three pitch positions. The D-39 was not further developed nor put into production.[2]
Data from Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1981/2[1]
General characteristics
Performance
Akaflieg Darmstadt aircraft | |
|---|---|
| Unpowered | |
| Powered | |