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The Schneider ES-60 ''Boomerang'' is a single-seat
glider that was designed and manufactured in
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
in the 1960s. It is constructed of wood and
fabric
Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, and different types of fabric. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is no ...
. It was designed and manufactured by
Edmund Schneider Pty of
Adelaide
Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...
,
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...
. It has a fixed main wheel and a tail skid. The ''Boomerang'' has an all-moving, swept
tailplane
A tailplane, also known as a horizontal stabilizer, is a small lift (force), lifting surface located on the tail (empennage) behind the main lifting surfaces of a fixed-wing aircraft as well as other non-fixed-wing aircraft such as helicopters ...
that resembles a
boomerang
A boomerang () is a thrown tool typically constructed with airfoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight, designed to return to the thrower. The origin of the word is from Australian Aborigin ...
and hence the name given to the ES-60. A version with a conventional straight stabiliser and moving elevator was also manufactured, called the ES-60B ''Super Arrow''.
In the 1950s Edmund Schneider Pty Ltd manufactured a number of
Schleicher Ka 6
The Schleicher Ka 6 is a single-seat Glider aircraft, glider designed by Rudolf Kaiser, built by Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co, Germany and is constructed of spruce and plywood with fabric covering. The design initially featured a conventional t ...
gliders, under licence from
Alexander Schleicher
Alexander Schleicher (May 22, 1901 – April 26, 1968) was a German pioneer of sailplane design. The company that he founded and which bears his name - Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co - is today one of the world's leading sailplane manufactur ...
of Germany. However, the Ka 6 with its low
wing loading
In aerodynamics, wing loading is the total weight of an aircraft or flying animal divided by the area of its wing. The stalling speed, takeoff speed and landing speed of an aircraft are partly determined by its wing loading.
The faster an airc ...
proved to be unsuited as a competition glider in Australia's strong summer thermal conditions. The
Gliding Federation of Australia
Gliding Federation of Australia, also known as Gliding Australia, is the governing body for the sport of gliding in Australia. It was founded in 1949. Gliding Australia is responsible to Civil Aviation Safety Authority for the conduct of safe ...
asked
Edmund Schneider to design and manufacture a competition sailplane better suited to Australian conditions. The result was the ES-60 ''Boomerang''.
Specifications
See also
Notes
References
Sailplane Directory. Schneider. Online. October 7, 2007.*
ES-60 ''Boomerang'' in Sailplane Directory{{Edmund Schneider aircraft
1960s Australian sailplanes
Glider aircraft
Edmund Schneider aircraft