Valentin Taifun

Design and development

The Taifun is an all glass-fibre low-wing cantilever monoplane with a T-tail and side-by-side seating for two occupants. It has a manually operated retractable tricycle landing gear. The Taifun is powered originally by an 80 hp (60 kW) Limbach L2000EB (Volkswagen) engine with later production aircraft being fitted with 90 hp (67 kW) Limbach L2400EB engine. The wings fold back along the fuselage sides for transportation and storage. The prototype, registered D-KONO, first flew on the 28 February 1981. The main production aircraft had a 17-metre wingspan and was designated the Taifun 17E. Two examples of aircraft with a 12-metre wingspan were built as the Taifun 12E which were classed as light-aircraft rather than a motor glider. An improved four-seat Taifun 11S was studied with a 115 hp (86 kW) Lycoming O-235 engine and fixed landing gear but the design was abandoned.

Variants

Taifun 17E

Main production variant with a 17 metre wingspan and a Limbach flat-four engine.

Taifun 17E II

Later production variant with a 17 metre wingspan and a Limbach flat-four engine or can be retrofitted with a Rotax 914, hydraulically operated landing gear, double panel Schempp-Hirth type airbrakes on the upper wing surface. aka WI Taifun 17 EII

Taifun 12E

Variant with a 12 metre wingspan, two built.

Taifun 11S

Planned variant with four-seats, not built.

Specifications (17E)

Data from Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1985–86, Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1988-89

General characteristics

Crew: 2

Length: 7.782 m (25 ft 6 in)

Wingspan: 17 m (55 ft 9 in)

Height: 2.48 m (8 ft 2 in)

Wing area: 17.6 m² (189 sq ft)

Aspect ratio: 16.4

Airfoil: Wortmann FX-67-K-170/17

Empty weight: 610 kg (1,345 lb)

Max takeoff weight: 850 kg (1,874 lb)

Fuel capacity: 90 l (24 US gal; 20 imp gal)

Powerplant: 1 × Limbach L.2000EB 4-cyl. air-cooled horizontally-opposed piston engine, 60 kW (80 hp)

Propellers: 2-bladed Mühlbauer MTV-1-A variable-pitch feathering propeller, 1.6 m (5 ft 3 in) diameter

Performance

Cruise speed: 220 km/h (137 mph; 119 kn) max

Stall speed: 72 km/h (45 mph; 39 kn) un-powered

Never exceed speed: 250 km/h (155 mph; 135 kn) in smooth air

Range: 1,250 km (777 mi; 675 nmi) with maximum fuel

Service ceiling: 5,000 m (16,000 ft)

g limits: +5.3 -2.65

Maximum glide ratio: 30 at 105 km/h (57 kn; 65 mph)

Rate of climb: 192 m/s (37,800 ft/min) max at Sea level

Rate of sink: 0.95 m/s (187 ft/min) at 75 km/h (40 kn; 47 mph)

Wing loading: 48.3 kg/m² (9.9 lb/sq ft)

Power/mass: 12.67 kg/kW (20.82 lb/hp)