RLM numbering system for gliders and sailplanes
Encyclopedia
Contrary to the methods used by the Reich Air Ministry
(RLM) for the allocation of aircraft designations, the designers and manufacturers of sailplanes and gliders in Germany enjoyed the freedom of choosing their own designations for their products up until 1945.
Thus a bird name like Habicht could be used, or a number combined with two or more letters, stemming from the designer's or factory's name, such as DFS
, RRG
or Göppingen
. The RLM only assigned them for every design a separate number, which obviously served the same purposes as that used with aircraft, namely to provide a common basis for an exchange of drawings in the event of an intended production under license by other firms or by clubs, or even single persons and to secure the provision of spare parts. A rigid system of rules for the form and order of drawings was applied.
Whereas RLM aircraft designations were prefixed by the number 8, glider references began with "108-", for example 108-53 referred to the DFS Habicht
.
The following list of gliders is from the Flugzeug-Typenbuch of 1939/40. Unlike the list of aeroplanes in the same book, none of the glider designations include the RLM number, although post-1945 publications often refer to the Grunau Baby, for example, as the "DFS 108-49 Grunau Baby":
After the Second World War, gliding was prohibited in Germany, but when the sport began again in 1951, glider types were allocated a Geräte-Nummer (Type Approval number).
New designs were given numbers from 101, but the following older types used their RLM designation as the Geräte-Nummer:
Reich Air Ministry
thumb|300px|The Ministry of Aviation, December 1938The Ministry of Aviation was a government department during the period of Nazi Germany...
(RLM) for the allocation of aircraft designations, the designers and manufacturers of sailplanes and gliders in Germany enjoyed the freedom of choosing their own designations for their products up until 1945.
Thus a bird name like Habicht could be used, or a number combined with two or more letters, stemming from the designer's or factory's name, such as DFS
Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug
The Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug, or DFS was formed in 1933 to centralise all gliding activity in Germany...
, RRG
Rhön-Rossitten Gesellschaft
The Rhön-Rossitten Gesellschaft or Rhön-Rossitten Society was a German gliding organization, the first one in the world that was officially recognised...
or Göppingen
Schempp-Hirth
Schempp-Hirth Flugzeugbau GmbH is a glider manufacturer based in Kirchheim unter Teck, Germany.-History:Martin Schempp founded his own company in Göppingen in 1935, with the assistance of Wolf Hirth. The company was initially called "Sportflugzeugbau Göppingen Martin Schempp"...
. The RLM only assigned them for every design a separate number, which obviously served the same purposes as that used with aircraft, namely to provide a common basis for an exchange of drawings in the event of an intended production under license by other firms or by clubs, or even single persons and to secure the provision of spare parts. A rigid system of rules for the form and order of drawings was applied.
Whereas RLM aircraft designations were prefixed by the number 8, glider references began with "108-", for example 108-53 referred to the DFS Habicht
DFS Habicht
-External links:**...
.
The following list of gliders is from the Flugzeug-Typenbuch of 1939/40. Unlike the list of aeroplanes in the same book, none of the glider designations include the RLM number, although post-1945 publications often refer to the Grunau Baby, for example, as the "DFS 108-49 Grunau Baby":
- Akaflieg Darmstadt D28b Windspiel
- Akaflieg Darmstadt D30 Darmstadt
- Akaflieg Darmstadt D31
- Akaflieg München Mü10 Milan
- Akaflieg München Mü13 Merlin/Atlante/D/E
- Akaflieg München Mü17 Merle
- Blessing Kolibri-B
- DFS Fafnir II
- DFS HabichtDFS Habicht-External links:**...
- DFS KranichDFS KranichThe DFS Kranich is a German glider. It was developed by Hans Jacobs for the Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug .- History :Series production of the Kranich took place in the aircraft division of Karl Schweyer AG in Mannheim. The two-seater was in its version 2, the most widely built glider in...
- DFS OlympiaDFS Olympia Meise|-General characteristics:*Crew: one, pilot*Length: 7.27 m *Wingspan: 15.00 m *Height: m *Wing area: 15 m² *Aspect ratio: 15:1*Empty: 205 kg...
- DFS Präsident
- DFS Reiher
- Dittmar Condor HD II
- Dittmar Condor III
- FAG Chemnitz C 11
- FAG Esslingen E 3
- FV Aachen FVA 10b Rheinland
- FV Aachen FVA 11 Eifel
- FV Aachen FVA 9
- Akaflieg Berlin B 5
- Akaflieg Berlin B 6
- Akaflieg Berlin B 8
- Akaflieg Hannover AFH 4
- Akaflieg Stuttgart FS-16
- Akaflieg Stuttgart FS-18
- Grunau 7 Moazagotl
- Grunau 8
- Schneider Grunau BabySchneider Grunau Baby-See also:* Schneider Kookaburra* Schneider Arrow* Schneider Boomerang* Schneider Platypus...
- Grunau Commodore
- Gumpert Schwalbe II
- Horten H.II
- Horten H.IIIHorten H.IIIThe Horten H.III was a flying wing sailplane built by Walter and Reimar Horten in Germany from 1937 to 1944.-Design:The H.III series was a incremental development of the Horten H.II with reduced sweepback of 23o, span increased to 20 m and modified lateral controls...
- Hütter 17
- Hütter H 28 III
- Jacobs Schweyer Weihe
- NSFK SG 38DFS SG 38 Schulgleiter|-See also:...
- Raab R 2
- Göppingen Gö 1 Wolf
- Göppingen Gö 3 Minimoa
- Schleicher Rhönadler
- Schleicher Rhönbussard
- Schweyer Rhönsperber
After the Second World War, gliding was prohibited in Germany, but when the sport began again in 1951, glider types were allocated a Geräte-Nummer (Type Approval number).
New designs were given numbers from 101, but the following older types used their RLM designation as the Geräte-Nummer:
- 14 SG 38DFS SG 38 Schulgleiter|-See also:...
- 30 Kranich II
- 49 Grunau Baby IIb
- 50 Rhönbussard
- 51 Rhönsperber
- 53 HabichtHabichtHabicht is a mountain in the Stubai Alps of Austria. For a long time, the locals believed it to be the highest mountain in Tyrol, due to its prominence above the surrounding mountains. Despite what they thought, the highest peak in the Stubai Alps is Zuckerhütl which is 230 metres higher than...
- 59 Gö 3 Minimoa
- 63 Mü 13D
- 66 Baby III
- 68 WeiheDFS Weihe|-See also:-External links:**...
- 70 Olympia-Meise
- 72 Mü 17