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Creation of the World Class
A Summary History
by David S. Habercom
The International Gliding
Commission, under auspices of the Federation Aeronautique Internationale,
began discussing creation of a new glider class in the mid-1980s. IGC
members, an international group representing soaring worldwide, recognized
a need for a glider satisfying several general requirements:
- substantially lower
costs than then-current new gliders
- easy & safe handling
in the air and on the ground
- a single design,
stabilized for a period of years
- performance sufficient
for badges & challenging competition
- simple construction
- suitable for clubs,
private owners & early solo pilots.
Overall, the IGC planned
to announce a design competitionto all, followed by a prototype test
competition, and then to declare one ship the World Class glider. The owner
of the design would make the engineering drawings and specifications available
to any individual or company in the world in exchange for a one-time design
fee and a royalty on each glider manufactured. The IGC would guarantee that
the World Class would not allow changes from original specs for fifteen
years.
To meet these general aims and after much debate, the IGC agreed to certain
design objectives, including the following:
- compliance with JAR-22,
Category U, including cloud flying
- max stall 65 km/h
at max mass, most unfavorable cg, airbrakesd or closed
- airbrakes for speed
limiting & glidepath control required
- sideslip possible
with brakesd or closed
- effective wheel brake
- automatic elevator
hookup
- a "crash-friendly"
panel
- ddtwo-handed canopy
jettison actuating releases on both sides
- seat & harness good
to 15g’s forward
- battery, oxygen,
equipment restraint good to 20g’s
- adequate cockpit
ventilation
- fixed landing gear
- no flaps or camber-changing
devices
- no water or in-flight
adjustable ballast
- no wingtip extensions
of more than 10cm up or down
- no blowing or sucking
of boundary layer
- maximum L/D: 30 or
greater
- minimum sink: 0.75
m/s or less at max mass max roll rate at 1.4 Vs = b w 3.5 sec (b=span
in meters)
- accommodate pilots
to 6"4"
- provision for non-disposable
ballast
- panel to hold ASI,
altimeter, compass, 2 varios, T&S ind
- space for radio,
O2, battery, barograph, fixed cameras
- winch, aero & auto
launches possible & safe
- rigged easily by
two average people
- easily moved on ground.
In November 1989, the IGC
issued a worldwide call for proposals. By February 1990, it had received
84 requests for design specifications from 25 countries.
By August 1990, the IGC had received 42 design proposals from 20 countries.
In September 1990, after reviewing the proposals, many of which came with
models, the IGC recommended that 11 designs from 9 countries proceed to
the prototype competition.
In October 1992, the IGC inspected and tested 6 prototypes from 5 countries
at Oerlinghausen Germany. After further review and collecting manufacturing
data, in spring 1993 the IGC declared the PW-5, designed by a faculty/student
team at Warsaw University of Technology, the first World Class glider. |
