DFS Weihe

Design and development

Jacobs designed the Weihe to be the pre-eminent performance glider of its era and indeed it captured many championships and set many records, until its performance was surpassed at the end of the 1950s. Even today it is considered one of the "classic sailplane designs".

The Weihe is of wooden construction with fabric covering on the wing trailing edges and the control surfaces. The spar is built from Baltic Pine, with a birch leading edge D-box, the fuselage and the fixed portions of the tail surfaces. The airfoil is a modified Gö 549-M.2 section. Early versions took off from a dolly and landed on a fixed skid, while later versions has a fixed wheel and skid undercarriage. Originally fitted with DFS-style airbrakes, some were later modified for Schempp-Hirth style brakes instead. The aircraft incorporates a unique rigging system which was widely copied in later gliders.

Initially the aircraft was produced by Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug (DFS) (English: German Research Institute for Soaring Flight) and later by Jacobs-Schweyer. Post World War II it was produced by Focke-Wulf as well as in France, Spain, Sweden and Yugoslavia. Production of the Weihe totaled over 400 aircraft.

Operational history

The Weihe won the World Gliding Championships in 1948 and 1950. It was used to set many world and national records, including the world record for altitude gain in 1959 of 9,665 m (31,709 ft).

Dick Johnson won the US National Soaring Championships in 1959, flying a Weihe.

Variants

DFS Weihe

Original production version.

Jacobs-Schweyer Weihe

Second production version, before World War Two. Had a larger canopy and longer nose.

Focke-Wulf Weihe 50

Post war production version, with a blown canopy and a fixed wheel.

VMA-200 Milan

Post war French production of the Weihe, by Minie, Saint-Cyr .

AB Flygindustri Se-104

License production aircraft for the Royal Swedish Air force. 19 built.

AISA Weihe

Post war License Spanish production of the Weihe by AISA. 6 built.

Aircraft on display

Lasham Airfield Gliding Heritage Centre

Museo del Aire, Madrid, Spain

Reynolds-Alberta Museum

US Southwest Soaring Museum

Specifications (Weihe 50)

Data from Sailplane Directory and Soaring Magazine

General characteristics

Crew: 1

Length: 8.135 m (26 ft 8 in)

Wingspan: 18.0 m (59 ft 1 in)

Wing area: 18.34 m² (197.4 sq ft)

Aspect ratio: 17.7

Airfoil: modified Gö 549 - root, Gö 549 - mid, M.12 - tip

Empty weight: 215 kg (474 lb)

Max takeoff weight: 335 kg (739 lb)

Performance

Stall speed: 55 km/h (34 mph; 30 kn)

Never exceed speed: 170 km/h (106 mph; 92 kn)

Winch launch speed max: 90 km/h (55.9 mph; 48.6 kn)

Aerotow speed: 110 km/h (68.4 mph; 59.4 kn)

Maximum glide ratio: 29:1 at 70 km/h (43 mph; 38 kn))

Rate of sink: 0.58 m/s (114 ft/min) at 60 km/h (37 mph; 32 kn))

Wing loading: 18.25 kg/m² (3.74 lb/sq ft)