Alexander Schleicher ASK 13

ASK 13
Role	Sailplane
National origin	Germany
Manufacturer	Schleicher
Designer	Rudolf Kaiser
First flight	July 1966
Number built	700+

The ASK 13 is a two-seater glider that was built by Alexander Schleicher. It was and still is widely used for ab-initio training of glider pilots.

In 1965 Rudolf Kaiser continued development of the two-seat Ka 2 and Schleicher Ka 7 by introducing the ASK 13, using a mixture of materials including metal, wood and glassfibre. It has swept-forward single-spar wings, positioned lower than in the Ka 7, which allows for a large blown canopy providing a good all-round view for both pilots.

The 6 degree forward sweep of the wing allows the rear pilot to be seated near the centres of gravity and lift. The glider therefore maintains the same trim whether flown single seated or dual seated. The D-type leading edge torsion box is of plywood and the whole wing is fabric-covered. There are metal Schempp-Hirth air brakes above and below the wing, and the wooden ailerons are fabric-covered. The fuselage is a welded steel tube structure with spruce stringers and fabric-covered overall, except for the nose, which is glassfibre. The tail unit is plywood-covered, except for the rear part of the rudder and elevators, which are fabric-covered, and there is a Flettner trim tab in the starboard elevator.

Landing gear consists of a non-retractable sprung wheel, mounted aft of the centre of gravity. Originally there was a skid under the forward fuselage but many K13s now have a nose wheel, although a nose skid can still be seen on some K13s.

It first flew in prototype form in July 1966 and by January 1978 a total of approximately 700 ASK 13s had been built by Schleicher. They are superb training gliders because they stall and spin well but these manoeuvres are easy to recover from. Their construction also gives them great strength and yet they are easily repairable.

The aircraft was succeeded by the ASK 21.

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