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DFS Olympia Meise

The DFS Olympia Meise (German: "Olympic Titmouse") was a German sailplane designed by the Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug (DFS) for Olympic competition, based on the DFS Meise.

DFS Olympia Meise
DFS Olympia Meise
Role Sailplane
Manufacturer DFS
Designer Hans Jacobs
Number built >952
Variants Zlin Z-25 Šohaj, EoN Olympia

Design and development edit

After the Olympic games in Berlin in 1936 introduced gliding as an Olympic sport, plans were made to fly the 1940 Olympic championships with a standard design of sailplane to give each pilot the same chances. The Meise was redesigned to fit into the new Olympic class specifications. The new 'Olympia' Meise had the prescribed wingspan of 15 m (49 ft 2 in), spoilers, but no flaps, and an undercarriage consisting of a skid and a non-retractable wheel. The pilot sat all-enclosed in an aerodynamically clean fuselage made of laminated wood and topped by an acrylic glass hood. The plane could be launched by winch as well by towplane. Its wood-and-fabric construction made it easy for flying clubs to maintain, to repair and even to build the gliders from kits.

A design contest to select the single Olympic glider was run by testing the prototypes of the entered and accepted designs at Sezze airfield in Italy between 20 and 26 February 1939. There were six evaluation pilots of different nationalities. They chose Hans Jacobs’ design, the DFS Meise.

Both the Meise as well as the Olympic class gained immediate enthusiastic support, and the 1940 Olympic gliding championship would probably have ended up as an all-Meise contest — if the Second World War had not intervened and the 1940 Olympics had not been cancelled. Nevertheless, 626 Olympia Meises were built in Germany during the war by Flugzeugbau Ferdinand Schmetz Herzogenrath (601 built) and Flugzeugbau Schleicher (25). Most of the German production were among the 15,000 German gliders destroyed in 1945. 17 were also built at the time in Sweden.

The design of the Olympia Meise survived the war and was taken up by a small British firm called Chilton Aircraft Ltd. The German drawings were not detailed and so entirely new drawings were made that retained the Olympia Meise's aerodynamic shape but otherwise it was a stronger and heavier aircraft. After building one prototype, which flew in 1946, the rights and drawings of the Chilton aircraft were taken up by another British company, Elliotts of Newbury (EoN). Their first EoN Olympia flew in 1947. Later variants by Elliotts continued to be produced as gliders suitable for the World Gliding Championships into the late 1950s. The Olympia was also built after the war in Germany, where series production restarted in 1956, in France as the Nord 2000 (100 built), in the Netherlands, Switzerland (12), Hungary (35) with a further twenty modified as the Cinke, Australia (3), Austria, in Czechoslovakia as the Zlin Z-25 Šohaj, Brazil (7).

Variants edit

DFS Olympia Meise
The original design for the 1940 Olympic gliding competition; built in large numbers during and after World War II, in Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Hungary, Austria and Brazil.
Chilton Olympia 2
A single prototype built in England by Chilton Aircraft in 1946.
Elliotts of Newbury EoN Olympia
Further production in the UK after Elliotts acquired the rights to the design from Chilton.
EoN Type 5 Olympia 1: Improved Olympia-Meise. Landing skid.
EoN Type 5 Olympia 2: Fixed monowheel.
EoN Type 5 Olympia 3: Jettisonable dolly wheels and skid.
EoN Type 5 Olympia 4: New wing section, NACA 643618 at root, NACA 643421 at tip.
Nord 2000
Production in France post-war.
Zlin Z-25 Šohaj
Production in Czechoslovakia post-war.
Cinke
A modified version built in Hungary post-war.

Aircraft on display edit

Specifications (Olympia Meise 51) edit

Data from The World's Sailplanes:Die Segelflugzeuge der Welt:Les Planeurs du Monde [3]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 1
  • Length: 7.3 m (23 ft 11 in)
  • Wingspan: 15 m (49 ft 3 in)
  • Width: 0.58 m (1 ft 11 in) maximum fuselage width
  • Wing area: 15 m2 (160 sq ft)
  • Aspect ratio: 15
  • Empty weight: 165 kg (364 lb) equipped
  • Max takeoff weight: 290 kg (639 lb)

Performance

  • Never exceed speed: 220 km/h (140 mph, 120 kn)
  • Aerotow speed: 100 km/h (62 mph; 54 kn)
  • Winch launch speed: 80 km/h (50 mph; 43 kn)
  • Maximum glide ratio: 25 at 70 km/h (43 mph; 38 kn)
  • Rate of sink: 0.67 m/s (132 ft/min) at 60 km/h (37 mph; 32 kn)
  • Wing loading: 17 kg/m2 (3.5 lb/sq ft)

See also edit

Related development

  • DFS Meise
  • EoN Olympia
  • Nord 1300
  • Zlin 25 Sohaj

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Related lists

Notes edit

  1. ^ US Southwest Soaring Museum (2010). "Sailplanes, Hang Gliders & Motor Gliders". Retrieved 26 May 2011.
  2. ^ . Archived from the original on May 16, 2011. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  3. ^ Shenstone, B.S.; K.G. Wilkinson; Peter Brooks (1958). The World's Sailplanes:Die Segelflugzeuge der Welt:Les Planeurs dans Le Monde (in English, French, and German) (1st ed.). Zurich: Organisation Scientifique et Technique Internationale du Vol a Voile (OSTIV) and Schweizer Aero-Revue. pp. 57–60.

References edit

  • Shenstone, B.S.; K.G. Wilkinson; Peter Brooks (1958). The World's Sailplanes:Die Segelflugzeuge der Welt:Les Planeurs dans Le Monde (in English, French, and German) (1st ed.). Zurich: Organisation Scientifique et Technique Internationale du Vol a Voile (OSTIV) and Schweizer Aero-Revue. pp. 57–60.
  • . Archived from the original on May 16, 2011. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  • US Southwest Soaring Museum (2010). "Sailplanes, Hang Gliders & Motor Gliders". Retrieved 26 May 2011.

Further reading edit

  • Hardy, Michael (1982). Gliders and Sailplanes of the World. London: Ian Allan. ISBN 0-7110-1152-4.

External links edit

  • Olympia test pilots image
  • at scalesoaring.co.uk

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The DFS Olympia Meise German Olympic Titmouse was a German sailplane designed by the Deutsche Forschungsanstalt fur Segelflug DFS for Olympic competition based on the DFS Meise DFS Olympia Meise DFS Olympia Meise Role Sailplane Manufacturer DFS Designer Hans Jacobs Number built gt 952 Variants Zlin Z 25 Sohaj EoN Olympia Contents 1 Design and development 2 Variants 3 Aircraft on display 4 Specifications Olympia Meise 51 5 See also 6 Notes 7 References 8 Further reading 9 External linksDesign and development editAfter the Olympic games in Berlin in 1936 introduced gliding as an Olympic sport plans were made to fly the 1940 Olympic championships with a standard design of sailplane to give each pilot the same chances The Meise was redesigned to fit into the new Olympic class specifications The new Olympia Meise had the prescribed wingspan of 15 m 49 ft 2 in spoilers but no flaps and an undercarriage consisting of a skid and a non retractable wheel The pilot sat all enclosed in an aerodynamically clean fuselage made of laminated wood and topped by an acrylic glass hood The plane could be launched by winch as well by towplane Its wood and fabric construction made it easy for flying clubs to maintain to repair and even to build the gliders from kits A design contest to select the single Olympic glider was run by testing the prototypes of the entered and accepted designs at Sezze airfield in Italy between 20 and 26 February 1939 There were six evaluation pilots of different nationalities They chose Hans Jacobs design the DFS Meise Both the Meise as well as the Olympic class gained immediate enthusiastic support and the 1940 Olympic gliding championship would probably have ended up as an all Meise contest if the Second World War had not intervened and the 1940 Olympics had not been cancelled Nevertheless 626 Olympia Meises were built in Germany during the war by Flugzeugbau Ferdinand Schmetz Herzogenrath 601 built and Flugzeugbau Schleicher 25 Most of the German production were among the 15 000 German gliders destroyed in 1945 17 were also built at the time in Sweden The design of the Olympia Meise survived the war and was taken up by a small British firm called Chilton Aircraft Ltd The German drawings were not detailed and so entirely new drawings were made that retained the Olympia Meise s aerodynamic shape but otherwise it was a stronger and heavier aircraft After building one prototype which flew in 1946 the rights and drawings of the Chilton aircraft were taken up by another British company Elliotts of Newbury EoN Their first EoN Olympia flew in 1947 Later variants by Elliotts continued to be produced as gliders suitable for the World Gliding Championships into the late 1950s The Olympia was also built after the war in Germany where series production restarted in 1956 in France as the Nord 2000 100 built in the Netherlands Switzerland 12 Hungary 35 with a further twenty modified as the Cinke Australia 3 Austria in Czechoslovakia as the Zlin Z 25 Sohaj Brazil 7 Variants editDFS Olympia Meise The original design for the 1940 Olympic gliding competition built in large numbers during and after World War II in Germany Sweden the Netherlands Switzerland Hungary Austria and Brazil Chilton Olympia 2 A single prototype built in England by Chilton Aircraft in 1946 Elliotts of Newbury EoN Olympia Further production in the UK after Elliotts acquired the rights to the design from Chilton EoN Type 5 Olympia 1 Improved Olympia Meise Landing skid EoN Type 5 Olympia 2 Fixed monowheel EoN Type 5 Olympia 3 Jettisonable dolly wheels and skid EoN Type 5 Olympia 4 New wing section NACA 643618 at root NACA 643421 at tip dd Nord 2000 Production in France post war Zlin Z 25 Sohaj Production in Czechoslovakia post war Cinke A modified version built in Hungary post war Aircraft on display editUS Southwest Soaring Museum 1 National Soaring Museum 2 Deutsches Technikmuseum BerlinSpecifications Olympia Meise 51 editData from The World s Sailplanes Die Segelflugzeuge der Welt Les Planeurs du Monde 3 General characteristicsCrew 1 Length 7 3 m 23 ft 11 in Wingspan 15 m 49 ft 3 in Width 0 58 m 1 ft 11 in maximum fuselage width Wing area 15 m2 160 sq ft Aspect ratio 15 Empty weight 165 kg 364 lb equipped Max takeoff weight 290 kg 639 lb Performance Never exceed speed 220 km h 140 mph 120 kn Aerotow speed 100 km h 62 mph 54 kn Winch launch speed 80 km h 50 mph 43 kn Maximum glide ratio 25 at 70 km h 43 mph 38 kn Rate of sink 0 67 m s 132 ft min at 60 km h 37 mph 32 kn Wing loading 17 kg m2 3 5 lb sq ft See also editRelated development DFS Meise EoN Olympia Nord 1300 Zlin 25 Sohaj Aircraft of comparable role configuration and era Slingsby T 26 Kite 2 Related lists List of glidersNotes edit US Southwest Soaring Museum 2010 Sailplanes Hang Gliders amp Motor Gliders Retrieved 26 May 2011 Collection Archived from the original on May 16 2011 Retrieved 13 October 2011 Shenstone B S K G Wilkinson Peter Brooks 1958 The World s Sailplanes Die Segelflugzeuge der Welt Les Planeurs dans Le Monde in English French and German 1st ed Zurich Organisation Scientifique et Technique Internationale du Vol a Voile OSTIV and Schweizer Aero Revue pp 57 60 References editShenstone B S K G Wilkinson Peter Brooks 1958 The World s Sailplanes Die Segelflugzeuge der Welt Les Planeurs dans Le Monde in English French and German 1st ed Zurich Organisation Scientifique et Technique Internationale du Vol a Voile OSTIV and Schweizer Aero Revue pp 57 60 Collection Archived from the original on May 16 2011 Retrieved 13 October 2011 US Southwest Soaring Museum 2010 Sailplanes Hang Gliders amp Motor Gliders Retrieved 26 May 2011 Further reading editHardy Michael 1982 Gliders and Sailplanes of the World London Ian Allan ISBN 0 7110 1152 4 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to DFS Olympia Meise Olympia test pilots image Detailed history at scalesoaring co uk Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title DFS Olympia Meise amp oldid 1191324311, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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