Weltensegler-Werke GmbH

[hesham]

Hi,

In 1921 the Segelflugwerke GmbH in Baden-Baden was founded, the first company that built
gliders in series-production. In 1922 the name changed to Weltensegler-Gesellschaft. A few
aircraft had a small engine, the first motorgliders. Between 1920 and 1922 were the types
"Weltensegler" and "Feldberg" built. Later a glider named "Bremen". In 1923 a two-seater ,
the "Frohe Welt", and a single seater, the "Nimm mich mit" were built. The aircraft were built
in different workshops in Baden-Baden, in Eichelgarten and in the buildings at the airport
Baden-Oos. Flights were made not at Baden-Oos but at Feldberg and Hornisgrine.A 16-year
old Friedrich Wenk built this glider at Blaubeuren and flew it at Allmendingen. In 1920 he
designed the Wenk-Peshkes flying wing sailplanes, and then, among many other works, the
“Weltensegler” flying wings. Later, the wings for “Moazagotl” and “Minimoa”. Dr. Wenk died
in 1966..Friedrich Wenk had been experimentingwith flying since his teen age and had discovered
that a tail-less monoplane would fly if the wings were swept back and the centre of gravity was
well forward. The outer panels of the swept wing performed the same balancing and stabilising
function as a tailplane, providing they were set or twisted to a negative angle relative to the central
mainplane. After some limited successes he found generous financial backing, launched a
company called Weltensegler GmbH, and established a workshop on the Wasserkuppe.

Hols der Teufel single seat high-wing glider
Aero-Präsident two-seat light biplane,powered by one two-stroke boxer engine
Bremen single seat glider with parasol-wing
Deutscher Aar two-seat light monoplane,powered by one engine
Schwärmer single seat monoplane,powered by one engine
V.E. 1 single seat cantilever wing motor glider
Model-21 experimental glider
Baden-Baden Stolz single seat cantilever saiplane
Feldberg single seat tailless glider
Frohe Welt single seat biplane glider
Roland Festung single seat glider
Nimm mich mit sailplane
Stockholm-Wien single seat monoplane,powered by one engine
Biplane single seat biplane,powered by one engine

Aircraft template

 

[hesham]

And;

 

[Apophenia]

Good stuff Hesham. Here's my version ... I'm a little unclear of where names were applied to designs or just to individual glider airframes (perhaps Wenk didn't concern himself too much with such distinctions?).

________________________

Friedrich Wenk

'Wenk Hängegleiter' - 1909 'soft-winged' delta hang-glider, span ?? m
- 'Wenk Hängegleiter' : Amateur Build (at age 16)
-- http://chezpeps.free.fr/0/pre-1914/im/06-251_300/im/0-274.jpg
-- https://www.j2mcl-planeurs.net/dbj2mcl/planeurs-machines/planeur-fiche_0int.php?code=3795

Wenk-Peschkes - 1920 experimental flying wing glider, span 16.00 m
-- Wenk-Peschkes: 'Weltensegler' cable-op. deformable wing, x 1
-- Wenk-Peschkes design by Friedrich Wenk & Fritz Peschkes*
-- * Pesckes piloted glider but crashed in its first turn
-- Built by the Badische Luftverkehrs-Gesellschaft (BALUG)
-- https://www.j2mcl-planeurs.net/dbj2mcl/planeurs-machines/planeur-fiche_0int.php?code=1607

Segelflugzeugwerke GmbH

Weltensegler - 1921 tailless gull-wing glider, span 16.00 m
- Weltensegler: 'Dynamic flight' experimental glider, x 1
-- Wings failed, experiments cont. w/ Weltensegler Feldberg I
-- aka 'Weltensegler-Eindecker'
-- http://histaviation.com/weltensegler_1921.html
-- https://www.j2mcl-planeurs.net/dbj2mcl/planeurs-machines/planeur-fiche_0int.php?code=3794

Feldberg I - 1921 tailless gull-wing glider, span 16.00 m
- Feldberg I: Experimental, w/ externaly-braced wings, x 1
-- Crashed at 1921 Rhön contest, killing Wilhelm Leusch
-- http://histaviation.com/weltensegler_feldberg.html
-- https://www.j2mcl-planeurs.net/dbj2mcl/planeurs-machines/planeur-fiche_0int.php?code=1995

Frohe Welt - 1922 Biplane Hanggleiter (hang glider), span 8.00 m
- Frohe Welt: Fritz Stamer open-frame school glider design, x 1
- By the Segelflugvereinigung Techniche Hochschule, Vienna, x 2*
-- * S1 built in 1922, S2 in 1923 (under Prof. Richard Knoller)
-- Author Alfried Gymnich confuses Welt with Roland Festung **
-- ** In Der Gleit- und Segelflugzeugbau, Berlin, 1925 ??
-- http://histaviation.com/weltensegler_frohe_welt.html
-- https://www.j2mcl-planeurs.net/dbj2mcl/planeurs-machines/planeur-fiche_0int.php?code=2984

Baden-Baden Stolz - 1922 tailless gull-wing glider, span 15.00 m
- Baden-Baden Stolz: 'Pride of Baden-Baden', may not have flown
-- http://histaviation.com/weltensegler_baden_baden_stolz.html
-- https://www.j2mcl-planeurs.net/dbj2mcl/planeurs-machines/planeur-fiche_0int.php?code=1994

Roland Festung - 1922 parasol primary training glider, span 11.00 m
- Roland Festung: Named after its designer, Roland Eisenlohr, x 1
-- http://histaviation.com/weltensegler_roland_festung.html
-- https://www.j2mcl-planeurs.net/dbj2mcl/planeurs-machines/planeur-fiche_0int.php?code=2273

Weltensegler-Gesellschaft

Nimm mich mit - 1923 single-seat sailplane, span 20.00 m
- Nimm mich mit: 'Take me with you' (from German folk song)
-- http://www.luftfahrt-bibliothek.de/zeitschrift-flugsport-oskar-ursinus-luftsport-luftfahrt-luftverkehr/luftsport-luftfahrt-luftverkehr-flugsport-1923/zeitschrift-flugsport-1923-luftsport-luftverkehr-luftfahrt.htm

Hol's der Teufel - 1923 single-seat glider, span 13.00 m
- Hol's der Teufel: Cockpit pod, open-frame fuselage
-- Design by Alexander Lippisch & Fritz Stamer
-- After Swedish 'Djävlar Annama' ('Devil take it')
-- Hol's der Teufel had wide infl. on German gliders
-- https://www.schulgleiter.de/images/zeitleiste.gif
-- Hans Jacobs' 1928 version was heavily reworked
-- 1927 Alexander Schleicher version also differed
-- http://histaviation.com/weltensegler_hols_der_teufel.html
-- https://www.j2mcl-planeurs.net/dbj2mcl/planeurs-machines/planeur-fiche_0int.php?code=2323

Bremen - 1923 experimental performance glider, span 13.00 m, x 1
- Bremen: Parasol wing, enclosed fuselage structure sailplane
-- Design by Alexander Lippisch and Fritz Stamer
-- http://histaviation.com/weltensegler_bremen.html
-- https://www.j2mcl-planeurs.net/dbj2mcl/planeurs-machines/planeur-fiche_0int.php?code=2272

Aero-Präsident - 1924 2-seat ultralight biplane, span 12.60 m
- Aero-Präsident: 1 x (?? Douglas ??) HO2 tractor, x 1
-- Aero-Präsident partic. in 1924 Rhön-Leichtflugzeug-Wettbewerb
-- http://aviadejavu.ru/Images6/FT/FT1924/09/567-2.jpg
-- http://aviadejavu.ru/Site/Crafts/Craft33499.htm
-- http://histaviation.com/weltensegler_aero_president.html
-- https://www.flightglobal.com/FlightPDFArchive/1924/1924%20-%200542.PDF

Weltensegler biplane - 1924 single-seat light biplane, span 12.60 m
- ?? : 1 x ?? hp ??, took part in 1924 Rhön-Leichtflugzeug-Wettbewerb
-- 'Excellenz-Fliegergeist', 'Minister Brandenburg', 'Professor Leibfuchs'
-- NB: Anglicized names are taken from Flight, 28 August 1924, pg.542
-- https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1924/1924%20-%200542.html

'Stockholm-Wien' - 1924 single-seat light monoplane, span 12.60 m
- 'Stockholm-Wien': 1 x ?? hp ??, 1924 Rhön-Leichtflugzeug-Wettbewerb
-- Same span as biplanes (above) but with a reduced wing area*
-- * 19.97 m2 (215 square feet) versus 27.03 m2 (291 sq ft)
-- http://histaviation.com/weltensegler_stockholm_wien.html
-- https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1924/1924%20-%200542.html

'Schwärmer' - 1924 single-seat light monoplane, span 14.00 m
- 'Schwärmer': 1 x ?? hp ??, 1924 Rhön-Leichtflugzeug-Wettbewerb
-- https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1924/1924%20-%200542.html

'Deutscher Aar' - 1924 2-seat monoplane sailplane, span 21.00 m
- 'Deutscher Aar': 'German Eagle', glider named "Frundsberg"
-- aka "Dt. Aar-Frundsberg", Poss. Alexander Lippisch design
-- https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1924/1924%20-%200542.html

V.E. 1 - 1925 gull-winged monoplane motor glider, span 18.00 m
- V.E. 1: 1 x 20 hp Douglas HO2 with chain-driven tractor prop
-- 'Weltensegler Crank' wing intended to eliminate Dutch roll
-- https://www.j2mcl-planeurs.net/dbj2mcl/planeurs-machines/planeur-fiche_0int.php?code=4128

According to this page, at least one hydrofoil was also built by Weltensegler:
http://www.flugplatz-baden-oos.de/geschichte-ab-1920.html

Edmund Schneider Grünau (ESG)

Schneider Grünau 7 - 1933 Moazagotl performance sailplane, span 20.00 m
- Grünau 7 Moazagotl: Strut-braced gull wing, cloth-covered wood const.
-- Designed by Friedrich Wenk and Wolf Hirth
-- https://www.j2mcl-planeurs.net/dbj2mcl/planeurs-machines/planeur-fiche_0int.php?code=2466

_________________________________

 

[hesham]

That's more clearance,thank you my dear Apophenia.

 

[Avimimus]

A quick note: Examination of photographs suggests that 'Feldberg' had two variations to its gondola (one being more enclosed than the other).

Also, how correct is the claim that Feldberg's rapid climb to 80 metres was ground break for 1921 and (one of the?) first documented cases of a glider gaining in total energy?