| Hols der Teufel | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Role | Club glider |
| National origin | Germany |
| Manufacturer | Plans from Hans Jacobs, complete from Alexander Schleicher |
| Designer | Hans Jacobs, Alexander Lippisch and Alexander Schleicher |
| First flight | c.1928 |
The Jacobs Hols der Teufel (English: Devil take it) was a single seat trainer glider produced in complete and plan forms in Germany from 1928. It was built and used worldwide.
The first glider to be named the Hols der Teufel was the influential Djävaler Anamma, designed by Alexander Lippisch in 1923. The name was associated with the cursing of two Swedish students in the Wasserkuppe workshops whose favourite phrase it was. It translates into German as Hols der Teufel. Its key structural feature was an A-frame which carried wire braced wings and linked to a flat girder rear fuselage. It later evolved through the Schneider Grunau 9 into the very popular Zögling, which avoided the controversial "skullsplitter" forward member of the A-frame with a vertical strut behind the pilot, and was related to the secondary RRG Prüfling glider that replaced wire bracing with rigid lift struts. [1]
The next machine to be named Hols der Teufel was designed by Lippisch and Hans Jacobs in 1928, possibly with the assistance of Alexander Schleicher. It had the Zögling girder frame and the strut braced wings, making it very different from its previous namesake. [2] It was built (and named) by Alexander Schleicher in his factory in the valley below the Wasserkuppe. Detailed plans of it for amateur use were included in a book on glider building published by Jacobs in 1932 and led to its widespread construction. The complete Schleicher version differed somewhat from the plans in several details, for example more rounded wing tips and span, different girder frame cross bracing and a wire, rather than strut braced tailplane. [2]
The Jacobs plans show the Hols der Teufel had a simple, constant chord wing much like that of the Zögling though of greater span, built around two spars and fabric covered except at the leading edge which was plywood skinned. Its broad, constant chord ailerons were longer than those of the Zögling and its round cornered, tapered tips were less angular. As before, the wing was supported by the forward members of its girder fuselage; a vertical strut near the leading edge and an inverted V-strut behind. As the wing was strut rather than wire braced there was no longer a need to extend these struts above the wing into a pylon. The two faired, parallel lift struts on each side ran from the lower forward fuselage to the wing at about mid-span. [2]
Like some Zöglings, the Hols der Teufel had a light nacelle, ending under the wing at a forward leaning vertical knife edge around the aft central wing strut, enclosing both the pilot's seat and the other supporting struts. Aft, the cross braced girder had a horizontal upper beam onto which the tailplane was mounted, strut braced from below. Its leading edge was straight and strongly swept; the cropped, parallel chord elevators had a central cut out for rudder movement. The fin was under the tailplane, formed by fabric covering between the last two vertical fuselage fames. Its upright, near rectangular rudder was hinged on the extended, final vertical frame member. The Hols der Teufel landed on a rubber sprung skid which ran from the nose to a little beyond the aft lift struts. [2]
The ready availability of detailed plans and the fact that with its low wing loading the Hols der Teufel was one of only a few training gliders with the soaring capability to take a pilot to a C-badge resulted in widespread amateur construction worldwide, though overall numbers are hard to establish, not least in Germany. [2] [3] Twelve were registered in Hungary, one imported in 1929 and the rest locally built between 1931 and 1938. [4] Seven appear in the UK on the BGA register, including one at least that flew with the London Gliding Club for several years. [5] [6] During World War II some served with the ATC. [7] Two were built by a Swiss immigrant in Brazil, [8] one of which is on display in the Museu Aeroespacial in Rio de Janeiro, the only recorded surviving original example [9] One was built in the 1950s in Australia. [10]
In 1990 a reproduction Hols der Teufel, built from Jacobs' plans was flown from Dunstable; it is now in the Gliding Museum on the Wasserkuppe. [2]
The Slingsby Kadet was the result of a conscious "crossing" of the low wing loading soaring performance of the Hols der Teufel with the better handling of the Prüfling, particularly by improving the former's poor lateral control with better ailerons. [3]
Data from Sailplanes 1920-1945 (2006) [2]
General characteristics
The Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug, or DFS, was formed in 1933 to centralise all gliding activity in Germany, under the directorship of Professor Walter Georgii. It was formed by the nationalisation of the Rhön-Rossitten Gesellschaft (RRG) at Darmstadt.
The ESG Grunau 9, later known as the ESG 29 and post-1933 as the DFS 108-10, was one of the first primary gliders, built in Germany from the late 1920s. It was widely sold.
The Addyman STG was a single seat primary glider, amateur designed and built in the United Kingdom in the mid-1930s.
The Cloudcraft Dickson Primary was a single-seat primary glider designed in the United Kingdom in 1930 to be constructed from plans. Many glider clubs in the UK and the British Empire flew them in the 1930s.
The Manuel VI Primary was a wire-braced monoplane primary glider designed and built by W L. (Bill) Manuel whilst serving in the RAF in 1930. It flew successfully but only one was built.
The Payne I.C.1 was a primary glider built by members of a University gliding club in 1930. It was finished and prepared for flight but was damaged by wind and repairs were never completed.
The Reynard R.4 Primary was an open seat primary glider with an open girder fuselage and a high, wire braced wing. It was designed and built in the UK in 1930 and a few served Gliding Clubs in England and Ireland.
The Schleicher Rhönadler, DFS Rhönadler or Jacobs Rhönadler is a high performance, single seat competition sailplane built in Germany in the 1930s. More than 65 were built.
The Bonomi BS.11 Milano and BS.12 Roma were primary gliders designed and built in Italy in the 1930s. Only about six were produced.
The Bonomi BS.16 Allievo Bonomi was a single seat primary glider, designed and built in Italy in 1930 and widely used by flying clubs.
The CAT 15 was a single-seat primary glider built in Italy just before the Second World War. Only one was constructed.
The Teichfuss Allievo Pavullo was an Italian single seat open frame primary glider, designed by Luigi Teichfuss of Pavullo and first flown in 1940. It was sold in two versions, strut and cable braced. A single two seat variant was also built.
The RRG Professor was a very early soaring glider and the first to use a variometer for finding thermals. It was designed by Alexander Lippisch in Germany, first flying in 1928. The Professor was widely built by both flying clubs and factories.
The RRG Falke of 1930 was a secondary training glider designed by Alexander Lippisch in Germany and intended to provide better performance than his earlier RRG Prüfling whilst being easier to fly because of its inherent stability. It was sold as plans for both club and commercial production and was built in Germany and abroad.
The 1926 German RRG Prüfling of 1926 was a secondary training glider designed for club use. Plans were sold and it was built in Germany and across the world.
The Grüne Post was a secondary trainer glider designed by Alexander Lippisch at the request of a German newspaper, the Grüne Post, who distributed plans. Many were built by amateur groups.
The Schleicher Poppenhausen named after the town of Poppenhausen was a two-seat glider, available as a dual control advanced trainer, produced in Germany from 1928.
The Schneider ES49 is a two-seat glider trainer, designed, first flown in late August 1951 and commercially produced in Germany but later built from plans by gliding clubs in Australia. A major redesign there led to the ES49B Kangaroo.
The Deutsches Segelflugmuseum mit Modellflug, situated on the Wasserkuppe in the German state of Hesse is the national gliding museum, opened in 1987.
The MSrE M-20 was a Hungarian primary glider with a better performance than the first generation of such aircraft. One of its designers was Ernő Rubik and the MSrE M-20 was his first major contribution. Only one was built.