Akaflieg Berlin

[Apophenia]

Akaflieg Berlin Aircraft Designations - 1922-Present
(Akademische Fliegergruppe Berlin e.V. - Academic Aviator Group Berlin)

The presentation style of Akaflieg Berlin designations varies - being shown with hyphens, without hyphens (in typical German style), with a period, and with no space at all between the 'B' and the following numeral. I have adopted the latter style since Akaflieg Berlin, itself, does not use a space.

One designation anomoly appears - the A.B.4 FF light aircraft. I suspect this 'A.B.' to be a journalistic assumption. Doubtless, within Akaflieg Berlin, this aircraft was simply designated B4.

From 1934-1945, Akaflieg Berlin was known as the Flugtechnische Fachgruppe. I am assuming that the 'FF' in B4 FF anticipated this name change - although the acronym for the group was usually given as 'FFG'.*
____________________________

* In full, 'FFG' was for Flugtechnische Fachgruppe an der TH Berlin bei der Deutschen Versuchsanstalt für Luftfahrt e.V or the Flight Technical Group at the Technical School (Technischen Hochschule) Berlin eV for the German Aviation Research Institute (e.V being for eingetragener Verein or registered association).
____________________________

Akaflieg Berlin Designations

B1 - Charlotte, 1922 single-seat tailless high-wing glider
- B1: two skids, all-wood, twin skids, span 15.20 m
-- 'Charlotte' after Berlin-Charlottenburg location
-- Photos: http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,20237.msg197633.html#msg197633
-- https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a8/Akaflieg_Berlin_Charlotte_Rhoen_1922.tif/lossy-page1-300px-Akaflieg_Berlin_Charlotte_Rhoen_1922.tif.jpg

B2 - Teufelchen, 1923 single-seat high-wing glider
- B2: Cantilever wing, all-wood, wingtip ailerons*
-- * Based on tubular spar, span 11.5 m (or 12.6 m)
-- https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/95/Akaflieg_Berlin_Teufelchen_Start_Rossitten_1923.jpg/800px-Akaflieg_Berlin_Teufelchen_Start_Rossitten_1923.jpg

B3 - Charlotte II, 1923 single-seater high-wing glider
- B3: B1-derived glider, single skid, fitted with air brakes

B4 - FF, 1931 single-engine parasol monoplane light a/c
- B4 FF: Cloth-covered wooden wing, aka A.B.4 FF
-- 1 x 20 hp Daimler F 7502a HO2, span 9.00 m
-- D-2229 (c/n AB 4) standard homebuild type for DVL*
-- 3 view: http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,6694.msg268573.html#msg268573
-- https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fc/Akaflieg_Berlin_AB4_ueber_Berlin-Johannisthal.jpg
-- http://aviadejavu.ru/Images6/FT/FT1932/02/156-1.jpg
-- http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1932/1932%20-%200156.html
-- * The other was the Mayer MM1 (or Mayer-Aachen MM 1)
-- http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1932/1932%20-%200157.html

Note: From 1934-1945 Akaflieg Berlin was dubbed FFG

B5 - 1937, single-seat cantilevered gull-wing sailplane
- B5: Wooden const., retr. u/c, airbrakes, span 15.00 m
-- Photo : http://www.luftarchiv.de/segel/b5.jpg
-- 3 view: http://www.luftarchiv.de/segel/b5_drei.gif

B6 - 1938, single-seat shoulder-wing sailplane, span 16,00 m
- B6: Wood/steel tube const., Junkers flaps, x 1 (D-4-635)
-- https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akaflieg_Berlin_B6
-- Photo : http://www.luftarchiv.de/segel/berlin2.jpg
-- 3 view: http://www.luftarchiv.de/segel/b6_drei.gif
-- Design: Friedrich Lange, Gotthold Peter, Ernst-Günther Friedrichs

B7 - [Project] 1939 2-seat shoulder-winged sailplane
- B7: Project aborted, priority given to B8 design instead
-- B7 described as similar to postwar Scheibe Bergfalke

B8 - 1939 single-seat sailplane, span 15.00 m, x 2
-- B8 intended for display at 1940 Tokyo Olympics
- B8 V1: D-4-660, jettisonable dolly/landing skid
- B8 V2: D-4-694, fixed u/c, Variable-inc. wing*
-- B8 V2 wing ground adjustable to 0°, 2.5°, 5°
-- https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/34/Akaflieg_Berlin_B8V2_Johannisthal.jpg

B9 - 1943 high-g experimental aircraft, span 9.40 m, x 1*
- B9: Prone pilot, cantilever low-wing, retr. u/c (Bf 108)
-- * D-ECAY, RLM 8-341, 2 x 105 hp Hirth HM-500A 4-cyl
-- Design: Theodor Goedicke, Leo Schmidt, Martin G Winter

B10 - [Project] 1944-1945 2-seat twin-engined amphibian
- B10: Side-by-side seat, tip floats, pod-boom, V tail
-- B10 power: 2 x 50 hp Zündapp 9–092 4-cyl on wing top
-- http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,6694.msg56435.html#msg56435

B11 - [Project] 1963 single-seat FWS tailless sailplane
- B11: Forward sweep wing, faulty design, not flown
-- GRP-covered steel-tube fuselage, GRP/balsa wings
-- http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,26316.0.html

B12 - 1977 2-seat tandem performance glider, span 18.2m*
-- * Wings are shortened Schemp-Hirth Janus B panels
- B12: GFRP monocoque constr'n,** single retr. wheel
-- ** Original cruciform tail later replaced by a T-tail
- B12 optimized fuselage aerodynamics at high speed
-- http://akaflieg-berlin.de/flugzeuge/forschung_prototyp-b12/

B13 - 1991 side-by-side 2-seat motor sailplane,* span 23.20 m
-- * Retractable propeller, 1 x 33 hp Rotax engine
-- http://akaflieg-berlin.de/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2007/10/20130519_194717-e1422742798411.jpg
- B13: [Project] Elektro motorglider development**
-- ** 1 x 22 kW Enstroj EMRAX 207 LV electric motor
-- Undesignated launch winch, devel. 1984-1994 ***
-- *** For B13, 1 x 320 hp Mercedes-Benz OM 403 V10

B14 - [Project] various post-B13 glider concepts
-- 1st concept: Single-seat, span 18m, flaps
-- 2nd concept: 2-seat training aircraft
-- 3rd concept: 2-seat research aircraft (below)
- B14: 2-seat research a/c (Forschungsflugzeug)
-- http://akaflieg-berlin.de/forschung_projekte/b14/
-- B14: Span 20 m, retractable engine (below)
- B14 Klapptriebwerk: [Project] retr. engine*
-- * BMW G450X motorcycle engine for B14 glider
-- http://akaflieg-berlin.de/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2012/10/klapptriebwerk.jpg
-- http://akaflieg-berlin.de/forschung_projekte/forschung_b14-klapptriebwerk/

__________________________