Wingspan 12 m | Length 2.48 m | |
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The Marske XM-1 was an American mid-wing, single-seat, experimental tailless glider that was designed and built by Jim Marske in 1957.
Contents
Experimentation with the XM-1 lead to the final configuration of the later Marske Pioneer.
Design and development
The first of Marske's flying wings was the XM-1, a design inspired by the flying wing designs of Charles Fauvel and Al Backstrom. He built the XM-1 when he was 19 years old. The aircraft went though several versions, each a modification of the same basic airframe as Marske experimented with configurations. The aircraft started off with fins on the wing tips and was later converted to a single fin at the rear of the short fuselage in its "XM-1D" configuration.
The XM-1 was built with a welded steel tube fuselage covered in fiberglass. The 40 ft (12.2 m) wing was fabricated from wood and covered with doped aircraft fabric. The wing employed a 14% Fauvel airfoil. The landing gear was a fixed monowheel.
Only one XM-1 was built. It was registered with the US Federal Aviation Administration in the Experimental - Amateur-built category.
Operational history
The XM-1 was described by Soaring Magazine as "easy to fly". The aircraft was stall and spin proof. Marske sold the aircraft and it went though a series of owners. The XM-1 was later removed from the FAA register and likely no longer exists.
Variants
Specifications (XM-1B)
Data from The World's Sailplanes:Die Segelflugzeuge der Welt:Les Planeurs du Monde Volume II
General characteristics
Performance