- Comfort in the safety cockpit.
- Performance potential in the Standard class
The ASW 28 is Schleicher’s high performance glider for the FAI-Standard Class with 15m span. Moreover, this glider will be type-certified for cloud flying and semi-aerobatics.
Fuselage and Cockpit
The roomy safety cockpit of the ASW 28, designed to latest research results in the field of safety and crashworthiness, offers all modern comforts and ease of operation, even for tall pilots.
The rubber-shock-mounted, retractable landing gear using a big 350 x 125 tire and hydraulic disc brake, and with “crush zone” in the steel struts (in case of overload), the adjustable back rest, the upwards hinging instrument panel and the speed trim, are only some of the many available conveniences.
Wing
The high performance wing airfoil with boundary layer control by means of turbulator holes, combined with an outstanding construction quality, imparts to the ASW 28 flight performances that are superior to those of the former “Racing Class” gliders.
Due to the high construction quality of the wing and of the control surface gap sealing it has been possible to build a production wing with a laminar airflow of 85% along the profile underside. The sophisticated control linkage system gives high maneuverability and docile flight characteristics, even in landing approach.
Tailplane
The low-drag airfoil of the T-tail (elevator with stabilizer) was developed by the Delft University of Technology. Elevator and rudder are new-technology sandwiches of Aramid fiber / plastics with a hard foam core. All control surface hinges of the wing and of the horizontal tail unit use needle bearings or low-maintenance plastic bearings.
The actuating levers and bellcranks are fitted with either ball bearings, precise uniball-joints, or very-low-friction-type, plastic coated sliding bearings. While the desirable feedback from the air loads at the control surfaces can still just be felt at the stick, the hand forces for the pilot are comfortable, – a pre-condition for non-fatiguing flying.