The K 8 was the first sailplane from Poppenhausen that did not get a name assigned to it. While In hindsight it looks somewhat obvious, in 1957 it was a risky business to bring an intermediate sailplane to the market to ease the transition from a two-seat trainer to high performance single-seat sailplanes.
Also worth noting is Karl Striedieck’s world record with his K 8 B. On 3 March 1968 he made an out and return flight from his home airport Eagle Field, Pennsylvania, USA, over a distance of 767 km at an average speed of 71 km/hr.
Technical Data
| Muster / Type | Ka 8 / B / C |
| Klasse / Class | Einsitzer / Single seater |
| Erstflug / Maiden flight | 05.11.1957 |
| Herstellungszeitraum / Production period | 1957 – 1976 |
| Stückzahl / Number of pieces | 875 |
| Konstrukteuer / Designer | Rudolf Kaiser |
| Spannweite / Span | 15.0 m |
| Rumpflänge / Fuselage length | 7.0 m |
| Höhe / Height | 1.58 m |
| Flügelfläche / Wing area | 14.15 m² |
| Flügelstreckung / Wing aspect ratio | 15.9 |
| Flügelprofil / Airfoil | Gö 533 mod. / Gö 532 mod. |
| Leermasse / Empty weight | 191 kg |
| Höchstflugmasse / Max. weight | 310 kg |
| Max. Flächenbelastung / Max. wing load | 21.9 kg/m² |
| Geringstes Sinken / Min. sink | 0.67 m/s |
| Gleitzahl / Best glide ratio | 25 |












