RLM numbering system for gliders and sailplanes

Last updated November 01, 2019

Contrary to the methods used by the Reich Air Ministry (RLM) for the allocation of aircraft designations, the designers and manufacturers of sailplanes and gliders in Germany enjoyed the freedom of choosing their own designations for their products up until 1945.

Thus a bird name like Habicht could be used, or a number combined with two or more letters, stemming from the designer's or factory's name, such as DFS, RRG or Göppingen. The RLM only assigned them for every design a separate number, which obviously served the same purposes as that used with aircraft, namely to provide a common basis for an exchange of drawings in the event of an intended production under license by other firms or by clubs, or even single persons and to secure the provision of spare parts. A rigid system of rules for the form and order of drawings was applied.

Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug 1933-1945 glider manufacturer

The Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug, or DFS, was formed in 1933 to centralise all gliding activity in Germany, under the directorship of Professor Georgii. It was formed by the nationalisation of the Rhön-Rossitten Gesellschaft (RRG) at Darmstadt.

The Rhön-Rossitten Gesellschaft (RRG) or Rhön-Rossitten Society was a German gliding organization, the first one in the world that was officially recognised. The Rhön-Rossitten Gesellschaft was mainly responsible for establishing gliding as a sport, not only in Germany but eventually throughout the world.

Schempp-Hirth Flugzeugbau GmbH is a glider manufacturer based in Kirchheim unter Teck, Germany.

Whereas RLM aircraft designations were prefixed by the number 8, glider references began with "108-", for example 108-53 referred to the DFS Habicht.

The DFS Habicht is an unlimited aerobatic sailplane that was designed in 1936 by Hans Jacobs with support provided by the Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug. Four planes were made available for the Olympic Games of 1936, where the maneuvers of the Habicht over and literally inside the Olympic stadium enthralled spectators.

In a relaxation of the regulations regarding allocation of aircraft designations, the designers and manufacturers of sailplanes and gliders in Germany enjoyed the freedom of choosing their own designations for their products up until 1945, but some of the more common aircraft were issued RLM designations in the 108 series.

108-10: Schneider Grunau 9 - primary glider (1929)

108-11: RRG Zögling 33 - primary glider (1933)

108-14: DFS Schulgleiter SG.38 - standard basic gliding trainer (1938)

108-15: RRG Zögling 12m - primary glider (1934)

108-16: Weber EW-2 - four-seat high-performance sailplane

108-21: Hirth Hi 21 - two-seat sailplane

108-22: Hirth Hi-20 MoSe - (for Motorsegler = motor glider); motorized glider

108-29: Fliege IIa - primary glider (1935)

108-30: DFS Kranich II - two-seat sailplane (1935)

108-47: Schleicher / Jacobs Rhönadler - single-seat high-performance sailplane (1932)

108-48: Dittmar Condor I - high-performance sailplane (1932)

108-49: Schneider / DFS Grunau Baby II - glider (1932)

108-50: Jacobs Rhönbussard - single-seat high-performance sailplane (1933)

108-51: Jacobs / Schweyer / DFS Rhönsperber - single-seat high-performance sailplane (1935)

108-53: DFS Habicht - single-seat acrobatics sailplane (1936)

108-56: Dittmar Condor II - single-seat high-performance sailplane (1935)

108-58: Hirth Göppingen Gö 1 Wolf - sailplane (1935)

108-59: Hirth Göppingen Gö 3 Minimoa - high-performance sailplane (1935)

108-60: Jacobs / DFS Reiher - single-seat high-performance sailplane (1937)

108-61: Hütter / Schempp-Hirth Göppingen Gö 4 - two-seat sailplane (1937)

108-62: Schwarzwald-Flugzeugbau Donaueschingen Strolch - high-performance sailplane

108-63: Akaflieg München Mü 13D Merlin - high-performance sailplane (1936)

108-64: Schwarzwald-Flugzeugbau Donaueschingen Ibis

108-65: Dittmar Condor III - single-seat high-performance sailplane (1938)

108-66: Schneider Grunau Baby III - sailplane (1938)

108-67: Hütter Hü 17 - sailplane (1937)

108-68: Jacobs / Schweyer / DFS Weihe - high-performance single-seat sailplane (1938)

108-70: Jacobs / DFS Olympia Meise - high-performance single-seat sailplane (1939)

108-72: Akaflieg München Mü 17 Merle - high-performance sailplane (1939)

108-74: FVA Aachen / Schmetz FVA 10b Rheinland - high-performance sailplane

Gliders with unknown or not issued RLM designator

The Akaflieg Darmstadt D-30 Cirrus was an aerodynamically advanced single seat sailplane with a very high aspect ratio wing and a pod and boom fuselage. Built in Germany just before World War II, it was intended as a record breaker and duly set a new world out-and-return distance record in 1938.

The Akaflieg München Mü10 Milan is a two-seat glider aircraft that was designed in Germany in 1934. Only one copy of the design was built.

The Horten H.II Habicht (Hawk) was a German flying wing glider built in Germany in 1935. Four, including one flown mostly as a motorglider, were built. One of the gliders was used to test the aerodynamics of a prototype World War II Horten jet fighter-bomber.

After the Second World War, gliding was prohibited in Germany, but when the sport began again in 1951, glider types were allocated a Geräte-Nummer (Type Approval number). New designs were given numbers from 101, but the following older types used their RLM designation as the Geräte-Nummer:^[1]

Related Research Articles

The Göppingen Gö 1 Wolf was a single-seat glider produced in Germany from 1935.

Flugwissenschaftliche Vereinigung Aachen is a non-profit organization, founded in 1920, which is closely associated to RWTH Aachen University, with members consisting of RWTH Aachen students, which have included Felix Kracht. FVA supports and organizes various training courses for flight training, handling of composites and other aircraft materials including steel and aluminum.

The Schneider Grunau Baby was a single-seat sailplane first built in Germany in 1931, with some 6,000 examples constructed in some 20 countries. It was relatively easy to build from plans, it flew well, and the aircraft was strong enough to handle mild aerobatics and the occasional hard landing. When the Baby first appeared, it was accepted wisdom that the pilot should feel as much unimpeded airflow as possible, to better sense rising and falling currents of air and temperature changes etc.

The Slingsby T.3 Primary was a single-seat training glider produced in the 1930s by Fred Slingsby in Kirbymoorside, Yorkshire.

The DFS Kranich is a type of German glider. It was developed by Hans Jacobs for the Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug (DFS).

The DFS Weihe is a German single-seat, high-wing, 18 metre wingspan, high-performance glider that was designed by Hans Jacobs in 1937-38.

The Zögling is a German high-wing, cable-braced, single seat primary glider that was designed by Alexander Lippisch in 1926 and produced with many variations by a variety of manufacturers.

The Schneider DFS 108-14 SG-38 Schulgleiter is a German high-wing, cable-braced, single-seat primary glider that was designed by Schneider, Rehberg and Hofmann at Edmund Schneider's factory at Grunau in 1938, hence the designation. It was produced by several builders, including Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug (DFS).

The Hütter Hü 17, is a German high-wing, strut-braced, single-seat, utility training glider that was designed by brothers Ulrich Hütter and Wolfgang Hütter in the 1930s.

The DFS Rhönsperber, otherwise known as the Schweyer Rhönsperber or Jacobs Rhönsperber was a single seat competition glider designed in Germany by Hans Jacobs and first flown in 1935. For several years it was regarded as the best German sailplane and about one hundred were built.

The Schleicher Rhönbussard, otherwise known as the DFS Rhönbussard was intended as an intermediate glider trainer which could also fly competitively. It was designed by Hans Jacobs in Germany in the early 1930s. More than 200 were built.

German Gliding Museum Aviation Museum in km east of Fulda, Germany

The Deutsches Segelflugmuseum mit Modellflug, situated on the Wasserkuppe in the German state of Hesse is the national gliding museum, opened in 1987.

References

↑ Luftfahrt-Bundesamt list of gliders Archived February 13, 2006, at the Wayback Machine

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] Luftfahrt-Bundesamt list of gliders Archived February 13, 2006, at the Wayback Machine