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The RRG Storch V was the only member of
Alexander Lippisch
Alexander Martin Lippisch (2 November 1894 – 11 February 1976) was a German aeronautical engineer, a pioneer of aerodynamics who made important contributions to the understanding of tailless aircraft, delta wings and the ground effect in aircra ...
's Storch series of tailless aircraft
In aeronautics, a tailless aircraft is a fixed-wing aircraft with no other horizontal aerodynamic surface besides its main wing. It may still have a fuselage, vertical tail fin (vertical stabilizer), and/or vertical rudder.
Theoretical advanta ...
to be powered. It flew successfully in the year 1929.
Design and development
Before the Storch V, Lippisch had designed only gliders, many of them tailless. The first of these, the Espenlaub E.2, was built by Espenlaub in 1922 but Lippisch, at RRG from 1925, did not return to the tailless layout until 1927. Development progressed with a series of the Storch models; with the Storch IV he achieved a fully controllable aircraft which flew well. The Storch V was essentially the Storch IV with a smallpusher configuration
In aeronautical and naval engineering, pusher configuration is the term used to describe a drivetrain of air- or watercraft with propulsion device(s) after the engine(s). This is in contrast to the more conventional tractor configuration, wh ...
engine added behind the pilot.
The Storch V had a straight edged wing with about 17° of sweep on the leading edge
The leading edge is the part of the wing that first contacts the air;Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', page 305. Aviation Supplies & Academics, 1997. alternatively it is the foremost edge of an airfoil sectio ...
and with only slight taper and dihedral. It was built around a plywood
Plywood is a composite material manufactured from thin layers, or "plies", of wood veneer that have been stacked and glued together. It is an engineered wood from the family of manufactured boards, which include plywood, medium-density fibreboa ...
skinned D-box leading edge spar and a second spar near mid- chord and was fabric covered. Broad, lobate aileron
An aileron (French for "little wing" or "fin") is a hinged flight control surface usually forming part of the trailing edge of each wing of a fixed-wing aircraft. Ailerons are used in pairs to control the aircraft in roll (or movement aroun ...
s were hinged at right angles to the line of flight, protruding beyond the trailing edge
The trailing edge of an aerodynamic surface such as a wing is its rear edge, where the airflow separated by the leading edge meets.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', page 521. Aviation Supplies & Academics, 1997. ...
s and carrying small trim tabs not fitted to the Storch IV. Broad, low endplate fin
A fin is a thin component or appendage attached to a larger body or structure. Fins typically function as foils that produce lift or thrust, or provide the ability to steer or stabilize motion while traveling in water, air, or other fluids. F ...
s and rudder
A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, airship, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (usually air or water). On an airplane, the rudder is used primarily to counter adverse yaw ...
s of about equal area, cambered on their inner surfaces provided directional stability and control. Their profiles were lower and simpler than those on the Storch IV. The rudders could work together for steering and in opposition for braking.
Each wing was braced from a single point on the lower fuselage
The fuselage (; from the French language, French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds Aircrew, crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an Aircraft engine, engine as wel ...
pod longeron
In engineering, a longeron or stringer is a load-bearing component of a framework.
The term is commonly used in connection with aircraft fuselages and automobile chassis. Longerons are used in conjunction with stringers to form structural fram ...
to nose and rear spars at about 40% span by a faired V-strut
A strut is a structural component commonly found in engineering, aeronautics, architecture and anatomy. Struts generally work by resisting longitudinal compression, but they may also serve in tension.
A stay is sometimes used as a synonym for ...
. There were a pair of sturdy, faired, vertical struts between the upper pod and the wing centre. The pod was flat sided, with angled upper and lower surfaces and on the Storch IV projected back almost to a line between the aileron trailing edges to provide some yaw stability. On the Storch V this provided a place to mount a small DKW air-cooled two-stroke engine
A two-stroke (or two-stroke cycle) engine is a type of internal combustion engine that completes a Thermodynamic power cycle, power cycle with two strokes of the piston, one up and one down, in one revolution of the crankshaft in contrast to a f ...
in pusher configuration with its output shaft just lower than the wing. Enclosed within a humped, metal cowling, it proved difficult to cool, so it was generally run at less than full power. There was a landing skid under the pod which extended back past the end of the pod to protect the propeller.
The date of the first flight of the Storch V is not known but it was active during 1929 and flew well despite its low engine power. It finally crashed whilst demonstrating at Darmstadt
Darmstadt () is a city in the States of Germany, state of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Frankfurt Rhine Main Area, Rhine-Main-Area (Frankfurt Metropolitan Region). Darmstadt has around 160,000 inhabitants, making it the ...
in gusty conditions.
Specifications
See also
* List of tailless aircraftReferences
{{Lippisch aircraft Lippisch aircraft Tailless aircraft 1930s German experimental aircraft Glider aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1929 High-wing aircraft