Whigham GW-7

GW-7
General information
Type	Glider
National origin	United States
Designer	Gene Whigham
Status	No longer in production
Number built	one
History
First flight	1987

The Whigham GW-7 is an American mid-wing, single-seat, 15 metre class glider that was designed and constructed by Gene Whigham, a retired Convair flight test engineer. ^{[1] [2]}

Design and development

Whigham's last glider design was the GW-7. The aircraft was completed and first flew in 1987. ^{[1] [2]}

The GW-7 is of all metal construction, has a 15 m (49.2 ft) wing span and employs a NASA NLF(1)-0215F airfoil. The flaps and ailerons are interconnected. The flaps travel +/-10° in normal flight in concert with the ailerons and then can be deployed to 60° for glidepath control on landing. ^{[1] [3]}

Only one GW-7 was constructed and it was registered with the Federal Aviation Administration as an Experimental - Amateur-built . ^[2]

Operational history

In July 2011 the sole GW-7 built was still on the FAA registry and owned by Donald Macey of Fallon, Nevada. ^[2]

Specifications (GW-7)

Data from Sailplane Directory ^[1]

General characteristics

• Crew: one
• Wingspan: 49 ft 3 in (15.0 m)
• Wing area: 92 sq ft (8.5 m²)
• Aspect ratio: 27:1
• Airfoil: NASA NLF(1)-0215F
• Empty weight: 333 lb (151 kg)
• Gross weight: 532 lb (241 kg)

Performance

• Maximum glide ratio: 39:1 at 48 mph (77 km/h)
• Rate of sink: 110 ft/min (0.56 m/s)
• Wing loading: 5.78 lb/sq ft (28.2 kg/m²)

See also

Related lists

• List of gliders

References

1. Activate Media (2006). "GW-7 Whigham" . Retrieved July 5, 2011.
2. Federal Aviation Administration (July 2011). "Make / Model Inquiry Results N6198" . Retrieved July 5, 2011.
3. Lednicer, David (2010). "The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage". Archived from the original on April 20, 2010. Retrieved July 1, 2011.