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The Glaser-Dirks DG-500, and later the DG-505, is a two-seat gliderofglass-reinforced plastic and carbon fiber reinforced plastic construction, manufactured in the DG Flugzeugbau GmbH in Bruchsal, Germany. It first flew in 1987.
| DG-500 | |
|---|---|
| |
| Glaser-Dirks DG-505 | |
| Role | Two Seater Class sailplane |
| National origin | Germany |
| Manufacturer | Glaser-Dirks |
| First flight | 19 March 1987 |
The glider is a trainer with an 18-metre wingspan or a high-performance glider with 20 or 22 m span. There are also trailing edge flaps with the exception of the Trainer and Orion variants. The 20m version also has winglets. The fuselage has a single wheel main landing gear which retracts into the lower fuselage.
The DG-500/18 is mainly intended for flight training, and is fully aerobatic with +7/-5 g rating. There is also a motorglider version, the DG-500M.[1] The DG-500/22 can carry up to 160 kg of water ballast which is not possible on the trainer version. Since 2004, the latest version of the DG-500 has been built as the "DG-505 Orion" in Slovenia.
The DG-500 once held the all-time altitude record for manned gliders, at 15,460 m (50,720 ft), set on 29 August 2006 by Steve Fossett and Einar Enevoldson, breaking the previous record by 1,713 ft (522 m).[2] It was a standard DG-500M but the engine had been removed and replaced with liquid oxygen tanks. Additional instruments were installed powered by non-rechargeable batteries. The canopy had double-wall glazing and there was a drogue parachute for an emergency descent from high altitude. Pressure suits were worn.[3] The glider is on display at the Seattle Museum of Flight.[4] A new altitude record of 52,172 ft (15,902 m)[5] was set by the Windward Performance Perlan II on September 3, 2017.
Data from Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1988-89,[6][7]
General characteristics
Performance
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
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