HKS 3

It is one of the first gliders with laminar profiles, which bring a significant improvement in performance. An extremely high surface quality and exact compliance with the profile contour are required. With wooden construction, this can only be achieved through time-consuming filling and sanding. The effort for this is only afforded for a single piece like the HKS 3. For the series production of gliders with laminar profiles, a new manufacturing process was developed, the composite construction. It was used for the first time in 1957 on the “Phoenix” glider (see the successor model Phoebus).

Ernst-Günter Haase won the world championship in the open class with the HKS 3 in 1958.

• Manufacturer: Entwicklungsgemeinschaft Haase-Kensche-Schmetz, Herzogenrath, 1955
• Wingspan: 17,2 m
• Wing aspect ratio: 20,2
• Wing load: 25,7 kg/m²
• Weight, empty: 242 kg
• Minimum sink rate: 0,55 m/s bei 60 km/h
• Best glide ratio: 37 bei 90 km/h