Schmutzhart SCH-1
| SCH-1 | |
|---|---|
| Role | Glider |
| National origin | United States |
| Designer | Berthold Schmutzhart |
| Introduction | 1977 |
| Status | No longer in production |
| Primary user | Berthold Schmutzhart |
| Number built | One |
The Schmutzhart SCH-1 is an American high-wing, single-seat, T-tailed glider that was designed and built by Berthold Schmutzhart.[1][2][3]
Design and development
[edit]Schmutzhart had already built one glider when he lived in his native Austria. When he moved to the United States in 1958 he decided to design and build a new glider, but was constrained by the dimensions of his small Washington, DC townhouse. As a result, he built a small aircraft that still achieved good performance for its size.[1][2]
The SCH-1 has a 44 ft (13.4 m) wingspan and employs a Nickel 17% airfoil, with flaps for glidepath control. The flaps can be set to 0, +4, +45 and +70 °. The basic structure of the SCH-1 is aluminium with some fiberglass fairings. The leading edge wing ribs are made from dense Styrofoam cut with a bandsaw, with the ribs aft of the spar fabricated from cold-formed sheet aluminum. The fuselage was constructed by bending the outside skin onto a jig and then riveting the bulkheads and stringers to the skin from the inside. The wings were built in a similar manner in a jig that held the wing skins, with the ribs then fitted to the skins. Schmutzhart says that the wing skins were formed by being "pressed between the floor, a long board, two lawyers, one architect, a federal bureaucrat and a White House aid". The wing spar is a 6061-T6 aluminum milled I-beam, with the outer spar sections built up from bent flat aluminum stock. The aircraft was originally fitted with an all-flying tail, but this was later modified to a conventional tailplane and elevator.[1][2][4]
The aircraft is registered with the Federal Aviation Administration in the Experimental - Amateur-Built category. Only one SCH-1 was built.[1][2][3]
Operational history
[edit]In June 2011 the SCH-1 was still registered to Schmutzhart, some 34 years after its completion.[3]
Specifications (SCH-1)
[edit]Data from Sailplane Directory and Soaring[1][2]
General characteristics
- Crew: one
- Wingspan: 44 ft 0 in (13.41 m)
- Wing area: 100 sq ft (9.3 m2)
- Aspect ratio: 18:1
- Airfoil: Nickel 17%
- Empty weight: 398 lb (181 kg)
- Gross weight: 573 lb (260 kg)
Performance
- Maximum glide ratio: 30:1 at 50 mph (80 km/h)
- Rate of sink: 111 ft/min (0.56 m/s) at 40 mph (64 km/h)
- Wing loading: 5.73 lb/sq ft (28.0 kg/m2)
See also
[edit]Related lists
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e Activate Media (2006). "SCH-1 Schmutzhart". Archived from the original on May 5, 2002. Retrieved June 22, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e Said, Bob: 1983 Sailplane Directory, Soaring Magazine, page 61, Soaring Society of America November 1983. USPS 499-920
- ^ a b c Federal Aviation Administration (June 2011). "Make / Model Inquiry Results N15BS". Retrieved June 22, 2011.
- ^ Lednicer, David (2010). "The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage". Archived from the original on April 20, 2010. Retrieved June 15, 2011.