Schneider-Hofmann-Rehberg SG 38

As Germany prepared for war during the late 1930s, the need arose for a simple, safe, elementary training glider and Edmund Schneider, Ludwig Hofmann, and a flight instructor named Rehberg, answered the call.

They designed the SG 38 (SG for Schulgleiter, 38 for the year the aircraft first flew). Exact figures are not known but at factories and shops in several countries, teams of craftsmen and pilots built as many as 9,200 SG 38s.

Although it was possible to launch the glider using an automobile or winch to tow pilot and glider aloft, Schneider, Hofmann, and Rehberg designed the SG 38 primarily for launching by bungee cord. This type of takeoff required about 60 m (200 ft) of heavy rubber band hooked to the glider and pulled by 12 or so healthy individuals. Most flights did not last more than a few minutes.

Wingspan: 10.4 m (34 ft 2 in)

Length 6.3 m (20 ft 7 in)

Weights: Empty, 104 kg (228 lb)

Gross, 210 kg (464 lb)

After the First World War, the victorious Allied nations crafted the Treaty of Versailles. By signing this accord, Germany agreed to sweeping restrictions on the development and operation of powered aircraft. During the early 1920, an enthusiastic interest in aeronautics swept the world and compelled Germans to continue to develop sport glider aircraft and soon precocious pilots and enthusiasts led the world in motor less flight. They plied the steady, lifting air on the windward side of mountain ridgelines, setting numerous world records. The German pilot, Robert Kronfeld, discovered bubbles of warm, rising air called thermals that pilots could use to free themselves from the mountain ridge and sail hundreds of miles across the country by soaring from thermal to thermal. Germany also developed a flight training system that included many hours of gliding and soaring as a prerequisite to flying powered aircraft. As the country prepared for war during the late 1930s, the need arose for a simple and safe training glider and Edmund Schneider, Ludwig Hofmann, and a flight instructor named Rehberg, answered the call.

They designed the SG 38 (SG for Schulgleiter or 'school glider' and 38 for the year the aircraft first flew). Exact figures are not known but at factories and shops in several countries, teams built as many as 9,200 SG 38s. The SG 38 had a conventional cruciform tail with a vertical stabilizer and a rudder, and a horizontal stabilizer with elevators. Elevator travel was limited to make the glider nearly impossible for clumsy student pilots to stall the aircraft. Wires braced the single wing and supported the empennage. The pilot sat atop the simple fuselage in the open or enclosed in an optional wooden pod. A simple wooden landing skid was built into the lower fuselage.

Although it was possible to launch the glider using an automobile or winch to tow pilot and glider aloft, Schneider, Hofmann, and Rehberg designed the SG 38 primarily for launching by bungee cord. This type of takeoff required about 60 m (200 ft) of heavy rubber band hooked to the glider and pulled by 12 or so healthy individuals. Most flights did not last more than a few minutes. The National Air and Space Museum acquired the SG 38 from the United States Air Force in 1954. Air Force intelligence specialists had obtained the glider in Germany sometime after World War II ended. Crafts persons at the Paul E. Garber Facility preserved and restored the glider in 2000.

Wingspan: 10.4 m (34 ft 2 in)

Length 6.3 m (20 ft 7 in)

Weights: Empty, 104 kg (228 lb)

Gross, 210 kg (464 lb)

References for Further Reading:

Barringer, Lewin B. "Flight Without Power," Pitman Publishing Corp.: New York, 1940.

Gunter Brinkmann and Hans Zacher, "Die Evolution der Segelflugzeuge," Bonn: Bernard & Graefe Verlag, 1992.

Jochen Ewald, Rainer Niedree, and Peter F. Selinger, "Oldtimer-Segelflugzeuge,"

Oberhaching, Germany: Aviatic Verlag, 2000.

Frank Carr, Russ Lee, 9-3-04