Schulgleiter SG 38

Production of the SG 38 started in 1938. The SG 38 is the best known and most widely produced training glider. In its heyday, several thousand were built. Until the end of World War II, most German pilots learned to fly in this glider. After the war, two-seaters were primarily used for training.

The classic training began in single-seater training gliders primarily for financial reasons. The student pilot was alone from the very beginning, creating a need for aircraft that were simple to fly, easy to repair and inexpensive to produce. To take off, the trainer glider was catapulted from the side of a mountain into the air with rubber cables. For the wind start and to get used to closed cockpits, the SG 38 could be equipped with a pilot's seat cladding, called "boat", as seen here.

The glider on display was built by the Luftsportgruppe Rastatt in 1954. It was in use until 1956, when the Luftsportgruppe switched over to two-seat training gliders.

• Manufacturer: Luftsportgruppe Rastatt e. V., 1954
• Wing span: 10.4 m
• Wing area: 16 m²
• Weight empty: 105 kg
• Lowest sink rate: 1.2 m/s at 48 km/h
• Gliding ratio: 10 at 52 km/h