Schleicher ASK 23

Last updated
ASK 23
ASK-23.JPG
Role Club class sailplane
National originGermany
Manufacturer Schleicher
Designer Rudolf Kaiser
First flightOctober 1983
Number built153

The Schleicher ASK 23 is a single-seat Club Class sailplane that was built by the German manufacturer Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co.

Contents

Design

The ASK 23 was the last glider to be designed by Rudolf Kaiser. It is an early-solo sailplane with docile handling, and was a successor to the Schleicher Ka 8 and ASK 18. It is also the single-seat counterpart of the two-seat Schleicher ASK 21 with a similar cockpit layout. It uses glass-fibre reinforced plastic and 'honeycomb' as its main construction materials. It has no flaps, a nose wheel and a fixed main-wheel with a tail-skid or optional tail-wheel.

First flown in October 1983, the initial version allowed for heavy pilots, with a maximum cockpit weight of 140 kg (310 lb), reduced to 120 kg (260 lb) in the later ASK23B version. 51 gliders of the original version were built, and 102 of the 'B' version.

Specifications (ASK 23)

Data fromJane's All the World's Aircraft 1988–89 [1]

General characteristics

Performance

148 km/h (80 kn; 92 mph) in rough air
148 km/h (80 kn; 92 mph) on aero-tow
125 km/h (67 kn; 78 mph) on winch launch

See also

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Related lists

References

  1. John W.R. Taylor, ed. (1988). Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1988-89. London: Jane's Information Group. pp. 633–634. ISBN   0-7106-0867-5.

Further reading