| Schleicher Ka-8 |
|
This training and club sailplane is basically a single-seater version of the tandem two-seater Ka7; designed by Rudolf Kaiser, it also owes something to the Ka 6 series but has a simpler structure, very similar to that of the Ka 7, which makes it suitable for amateur construction. It has good flying characteristics and is useful in weak thermal conditions making it ideal for club use. The prototype Ka 8 made its first flight in November 1957 and over 1,100 have now been built in three main versions; in its original form the Ka 8 had a very small cockpit canopy, the second version had windows in the sides of the cockpit for improved visibility, and the third version, the Ka 8B, has a larger one-piece blown Plexiglas canopy under which the pilot sits.
The cantilever high wings are single-spar structures of pine and plywood, with a plywood leading edge torsion box and fabric covering aft of the spar; their forward sweep is 1ø 18' and dihedral is 3ø. There are Schempp-Hirth air brakes in the upper and lower surfaces and the wooden ailerons are plywood covered. The cantilever tail unit is of similar construction to the wings, with ply-covered fixed surfaces and fabric-covered rudder and elevators, and a trim tab in the elevator is an optional fitting. The fuselage is a welded steel tube structure, with fabric overing over spruce longerons and a glassfibre nose cone. There is a non-retractable and unsprung monowheel, with no brake, and a nose skid mounted on rubber blocks in front of it, plus a steel spur at the tail.
A motor glider conversion of the Ka 8B is being offered by LVD (the Flying Training School of the Detmold Aero Club) similar to their conversion of a Scheibe Bergfalke IV known as the BF IV-BIMO, in which a Lloyd LS-400 piston engine mounted in the fuselage drives a pair of small two-blade pusher propellers rotating within cutouts in each wing near the trailing edge.
| Span | 15 | m |
| Length | 7.0 | m |
| Height | 1.57 | m |
| Wing Area | 14.15 | m² |
| Wing Section | Göttingen 533/532 | |
| Aspect Ratio | 15.9 | |
| Empty Glider Mass | 190 | kg |
| All-Up Mass | 310 | kg |
| Water Ballast | 0 | kg |
| Load Factors | ? | |
| Maximum L/D | 27 | |
| Stalling Speed | 29 | kt |
| Minimum Sinking Speed | 0.65 | m/s |
| Max. Rough Air Speed | 70 | kt |
| Never Exceed Speed | 108 | kt |
| Three Axis View Schleicher Ka-8 |
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GMA has been purchased by a syndicate of two members for refurbishment. It is currently grounded while undergoing a thirty year inspection.
Geelong Gliding Club Inc. ©1997-2006
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