Wolf Lemke

Last updated August 14, 2024

Wolf Lemke (August 11, 1938- December 1, 2018) was a designer of gliders who worked for Rolladen Schneider ^[1] and after it was taken over in 2003, for DG Flugzeugbau GmbH.

Life

He was one of the student members of the Akaflieg Darmstadt who designed the revolutionary D-36 "Circe" in the period 1962 to 1964. This team also included Heiko Fries, Klaus Holighaus and Gerhard Waibel.^[1] While the members of the Akaflieg built the D-36 (V1), a common friend of the students – Walter Schneider – built a second D-36 (V2) in his shutters factory. Walter Schneider almost killed himself in it when he took a winch launch with a disconnected elevator but he parachuted to safety. Soon after the success of the D-36 Walter Schneider asked Wolf Lemke to design and build gliders professionally in his shutters factory – which then became a glider manufacturer as well.

His most significant design was the LS 1 which he first flew in May 1967. It was built by Walter Schneider, at first under the name Segelflugzeugbau Schneider OHG, but later as Rolladen Schneider Flugzeugbau GmbH.

Two LS 1 prototypes flew in the German Championships in 1968: Helmut Reichmann and Walter Schneider placed first and second out of 44 competitors in the Standard Class.^[2] All gliders designed by Wolf Lemke to date have the designation LS (Lemke and Schneider), including the LS-11 built by the Akaflieg Köln.

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References

1 2 Schwarz, Ernst. "Hessischer Luftsportbund e.V.: Nachruf für Walter Schneider". segelfliegen. http://hlb-info.de/presse/pdf/25-09-2007.pdf . Retrieved 30 Mar 2008.
↑ excerpt dealing with the LS 1 from Georg Brütting (1986): "Die berühmtesten Segelflugzeuge" (Famous Sailplanes), Motorbuch Verlag, ISBN 3-87943-171-X

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[hlb-1] 1 2 Schwarz, Ernst. "Hessischer Luftsportbund e.V.: Nachruf für Walter Schneider". segelfliegen. http://hlb-info.de/presse/pdf/25-09-2007.pdf . Retrieved 30 Mar 2008.

[famousgliders-2] xcerpt dealing with the LS 1 from Georg Brütting (1986): "Die berühmtesten Segelflugzeuge" (Famous Sailplanes), Motorbuch Verlag, ISBN 3-87943-171-X

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