Glaser-Dirks DG-600


The Glaser-Dirks DG-600 is a glider manufactured by Glaser-Dirks as a successor to the DG-202 and DG-400 series of gliders where carbon fiber reinforced plastics was used.

Design and development

The DG-600 fuselage is based on the fuselage of the DG-400 but with a more slender tailboom which also incorporates a tailfin ballast tank with a capacity of 7 liters. The design of the canopy and the instrument panel is practically the same as on other DG gliders.
The control surfaces incorporate flaperons which serve as both flaps and ailerons. The wing has a newly designed thinner airfoil and higher aspect ratio than previous types of DG gliders. This gives a higher performance but at a cost of worse slow-speed characteristics, making it less suitable for gliding competitions with frequent gaggles in thermals. The same problem is also noticeable on LS-7 and ASW-24 gliders, where improved performance was to be achieved with thinner airfoils.
The negative effects of this design are most pronounced on 15-meter wingspan without winglets. These characteristics caused the relative unpopularity of this glider and only 114 aircraft were produced. Later versions with 17 and 18 m wingspan offer much better low-speed handling.

Variants

;DG-600/15:original version with 15 m wingspan
;DG-600/17:version with 17 m wingspan
;DG-600M:with Rotax 275 engine, capable of self launching
;DG-600/18:
;DG-600M:
;DG-600/18M:

Specifications (15m wings)

NOTE: The following data represent later versions of DG-600
DG-600/15DG-600/18
Crew11
Maiden flight14 January 199214 January 1992
Competition classFAI 15 mFAI 18 m
Wing sectionsHQ35/HQ37HQ35/HQ37
Wing span
Length
Wing surface
Aspect ratio20.5527.42
Empty mass257 kg
Maximum mass
Water ballast
Wing loading 47,9 kg/m240,6 kg/m2
Stall speed
Sink rate
L/D4550