Akaflieg München Mü17 Merle
Encyclopedia
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The Akaflieg München Mü17 Merle is a single-place glider aircraft
that was designed and built in Germany
from 1938.
in February 1939, but it was rejected in favour of the DFS Meise.
Two prototypes of the Mü17 Merle were built with emphasis on simple construction, straightforward handling and easy rigging and de-rigging, using automatic connections for the aileron and airbrake
controls. The plywood- and fabric-covered wooden wings are trapezoidal in plan view with swept leading edges and straight trailing edges, ailerons over the outer half of the trailing edges and spoilers
mid-chord at approx half span. Adhering to the 'Schüle München' the fuselage is a welded steel-tube space-frame with fabric covering and wooden tail surfaces, also covered in plywood and fabric. Despite failing in the Olympic selection the Mü17 Merle was put into production with around 60 units built before and after World War II
, many with variations such as retractable landing gear.
A Mü17 Merle 'Alpha Sierra' (D-1740), built in 1961, is still in use today at the Akaflieg München gliding club, where it is used as an intermediate single-seater for early single-seat and cross-country flying. The low weight and sedate performance suiting the aircraft to inexperienced pilots.
A 19m (62.3 feet) span wing was conceived for use with the Mü17 fuselage, as the Akaflieg München Mü19, gradually losing all direct connection with the Mü17 as the design evolved into a motor-glider. Construction of the prototype was not completed due to the war situation.
The Akaflieg München Mü17 Merle is a single-place glider aircraft
Glider aircraft
Glider aircraft are heavier-than-air craft that are supported in flight by the dynamic reaction of the air against their lifting surfaces, and whose free flight does not depend on an engine. Mostly these types of aircraft are intended for routine operation without engines, though engine failure can...
that was designed and built in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
from 1938.
Development
The Mü17 Merle (a.k.a. ‘Aerostat’ or ‘Kleiderbügel’) is the oldest Akaflieg design still flying with the Fliegergruppe today. In 1938 the ISTUS conference issued a specification for an Olympic games Olympic glider to be used at the 1940 Olympics gliding competition. Akaflieg München designed and offered the Mü17 Merle to the committee at RomeRome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
in February 1939, but it was rejected in favour of the DFS Meise.
Two prototypes of the Mü17 Merle were built with emphasis on simple construction, straightforward handling and easy rigging and de-rigging, using automatic connections for the aileron and airbrake
Air brake (aircraft)
In aeronautics, air brakes or speedbrakes are a type of flight control surface used on an aircraft to increase drag or increase the angle of approach during landing....
controls. The plywood- and fabric-covered wooden wings are trapezoidal in plan view with swept leading edges and straight trailing edges, ailerons over the outer half of the trailing edges and spoilers
Spoiler (aeronautics)
In aeronautics, a spoiler is a device intended to reduce lift in an aircraft. Spoilers are plates on the top surface of a wing which can be extended upward into the airflow and spoil it. By doing so, the spoiler creates a carefully controlled stall over the portion of the wing behind it, greatly...
mid-chord at approx half span. Adhering to the 'Schüle München' the fuselage is a welded steel-tube space-frame with fabric covering and wooden tail surfaces, also covered in plywood and fabric. Despite failing in the Olympic selection the Mü17 Merle was put into production with around 60 units built before and after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, many with variations such as retractable landing gear.
A Mü17 Merle 'Alpha Sierra' (D-1740), built in 1961, is still in use today at the Akaflieg München gliding club, where it is used as an intermediate single-seater for early single-seat and cross-country flying. The low weight and sedate performance suiting the aircraft to inexperienced pilots.
A 19m (62.3 feet) span wing was conceived for use with the Mü17 fuselage, as the Akaflieg München Mü19, gradually losing all direct connection with the Mü17 as the design evolved into a motor-glider. Construction of the prototype was not completed due to the war situation.
Variants
- Akaflieg München Mü17 – The original proposal, a single-seat 15m (49.2 feet) span Olympic glider contender. Two examples were built.
- Akaflieg München Mü19 – A 19m span version of the Mü17, not completed due to the war situation.