DEVELOPMENT and DESCRIPTION

Rudolf Kaiser, designer of the Ka 7, realised a boyhood dream when, as a young man, he built his first glider, the 10-metre Ka 1, and later flew it to gain his Silver 'C' badge. In 1952 he joined Alexander Schleicher at Poppenhausen and designed the wooden two-seat Ka 2 and its development, the Ka 2B, which became a very popular trainer in Germany.

This tandem two-seater training and club sailplane was designed to succeed the wooden two-seater Ka 2 and Ka 2B. The aim of the Ka 7 design was to produce a two-seat sailplane which would not only provide basic training but would enable pilots to continue without a break their training for flying the high performance sailplanes of that time.

The Ka 7 first flew in prototype form in 1959 and was intended to provide not only basic training but continuation training without a break for pilots graduating to the more advanced high performance sailplanes. In this it was successful and a total of 370 had been built by the spring of 1964; Ka 7s twice set new German distance records and the type also set a new German goal flight record for two-seaters over a decade after it first appeared.

Of conventional wood and fabric construction, with a steel tube fuselage which had fabric covering over wooden formers, the Ka 7 is characterised by high cantilever wings with a forward sweep of 6° 36' at the quarter-chord line and 4° dihedral. The single-spar wings are of pine and plywood with fabric covering and a plywood-covered leading edge torsion box; there are Schempp-Hirth air brakes above and below the wings and the wooden ailerons are fabric-covered.

The cantilever tail unit is of similar construction to the wings, and there is a trim tab in the starboard elevator. Landing gear consists of a non-retractable and unsprung Dunlop monowheel and a nose skid forward of it carried on rubber blocks for shock absorption; there is also a tailskid. The two pilots sit under a Plexiglas canopy the front portion of which hinges to starboard and the rear portion hinges rearwards.

The Ka 7 was always a popular club glider and is still flying in several clubs today.

PERFORMANCE DATA

 

Three Axis View Schleicher Ka7

GGC's Ka 7 – VH-GFR

The aircraft was obtained from the Wimmera Soaring Club in December, 1994, though it had been hired by the club previously for short periods during maintenance of the clubs trainers. It was bought as a backup trainer having similar flight characteristics to the ASK-13. It has filled that role since, as well as being used for air experience flights, proving to be a rugged and reliable aircraft.

With the move to FRP trainers this aircraft will no longer be required, and is currently offered for sale complete with trailer and instruments. (UPDATE: This aircraft was sold on the 28th September,1997).

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