VUK-T (glider)
Encyclopedia
The VUK-T often called VUK is a Standard Class single-seat high-performance glider
for his time intended for transit training. It is made entirely of fiberglass
. The VUK-T was designed by Prof. Dr. Tomislav Dragović at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Aero Engineering Institute, University of Belgrade
. Gliders were manufactured in late 1970s
and mainly in the 1980s
by Yugoslav
company FAJ Jastreb in Vršac
. The glider is permitted to do the following aerobatic maneuver
s: Loop, Stall turn, Sharp turn and Spin
. When the gliders were produced they were first tested by JRV
and then the JNA
gave the gliders to aero clubs across the country. A lot of VUK-T planes are still flying today in the territory of the former Yugoslavia
in aero clubs, only few are in private use. This plane is a popular sailplane in flying clubs because it reminds club members about free flying, the free donation
of planes to clubs by the army and general Yugoslavian nostalgia
, that is why pilots
like it to fly. The plane has a very strong airframe
and it is cheap to maintain
therefore these aircraft
will still fly for some time in the future. Most VUK-T can be characterized by a specific whistling
sound when they fly which can be heard outside the aircraft. The glider also has no tail wheel instead of wheel it has tail skid with metal
surface
.
Glider (sailplane)
A glider or sailplane is a type of glider aircraft used in the sport of gliding. Some gliders, known as motor gliders are used for gliding and soaring as well, but have engines which can, in some cases, be used for take-off or for extending a flight...
for his time intended for transit training. It is made entirely of fiberglass
Fiberglass
Glass fiber is a material consisting of numerous extremely fine fibers of glass.Glassmakers throughout history have experimented with glass fibers, but mass manufacture of glass fiber was only made possible with the invention of finer machine tooling...
. The VUK-T was designed by Prof. Dr. Tomislav Dragović at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Aero Engineering Institute, University of Belgrade
University of Belgrade
The University of Belgrade is the oldest and largest university of Serbia.Founded in 1808 as the Belgrade Higher School in revolutionary Serbia, by 1838 it merged with the Kragujevac-based departments into a single university...
. Gliders were manufactured in late 1970s
1970s
File:1970s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: US President Richard Nixon doing the V for Victory sign after his resignation from office after the Watergate scandal in 1974; Refugees aboard a US naval boat after the Fall of Saigon, leading to the end of the Vietnam War in 1975; The 1973 oil...
and mainly in the 1980s
1980s
File:1980s decade montage.png|thumb|400px|From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, lifted off in 1981; American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eased tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the end of the Cold War; The Fall of the Berlin Wall in...
by Yugoslav
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
company FAJ Jastreb in Vršac
Vršac
Vršac is a town and municipality located in Serbia. In 2002 the town's total population was 36,623, while Vršac municipality had 54,369 inhabitants. Vršac is located in the Banat region, in the Vojvodina province of Serbia. It is part of the South Banat District.-Name:The name Vršac is of Serbian...
. The glider is permitted to do the following aerobatic maneuver
Aerobatic maneuver
Aerobatic maneuvers are flight paths putting aircraft in unusual attitudes, in air shows, dog fights or competition aerobatics. Aerobatics can be performed by a single aircraft or in formation with several others...
s: Loop, Stall turn, Sharp turn and Spin
Spin (flight)
In aviation, a spin is an aggravated stall resulting in autorotation about the spin axis wherein the aircraft follows a corkscrew downward path. Spins can be entered intentionally or unintentionally, from any flight attitude and from practically any airspeed—all that is required is sufficient yaw...
. When the gliders were produced they were first tested by JRV
SFR Yugoslav Air Force
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Yugoslav Air Force , was the air force of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia . Formed in 1945, it was preceded by the Yugoslav Royal Air Force which was disbanded in 1941, following the German occupation of Yugoslavia...
and then the JNA
Yugoslav People's Army
The Yugoslav People's Army , also referred to as the Yugoslav National Army , was the military of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.-Origins:The origins of the JNA can...
gave the gliders to aero clubs across the country. A lot of VUK-T planes are still flying today in the territory of the former Yugoslavia
Former Yugoslavia
The former Yugoslavia is a term used to describe the present day states which succeeded the collapse of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia....
in aero clubs, only few are in private use. This plane is a popular sailplane in flying clubs because it reminds club members about free flying, the free donation
Donation
A donation is a gift given by physical or legal persons, typically for charitable purposes and/or to benefit a cause. A donation may take various forms, including cash, services, new or used goods including clothing, toys, food, and vehicles...
of planes to clubs by the army and general Yugoslavian nostalgia
Yugo-nostalgia
Yugo-nostalgia is a little-studied psychological and cultural phenomenon occurring among citizens of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia...
, that is why pilots
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
like it to fly. The plane has a very strong airframe
Airframe
The airframe of an aircraft is its mechanical structure. It is typically considered to include fuselage, wings and undercarriage and exclude the propulsion system...
and it is cheap to maintain
Aircraft maintenance
Aircraft maintenance is the overhaul, repair, inspection or modification of an aircraft or aircraft component.Maintenance includes the installation or removal of a component from an aircraft or aircraft subassembly, but does not include:...
therefore these aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
will still fly for some time in the future. Most VUK-T can be characterized by a specific whistling
Whistling
Human whistling is the production of sound by means of carefully controlling a stream of air flowing through a small hole. Whistling can be achieved by creating a small opening with one's lips and then blowing or sucking air through the hole...
sound when they fly which can be heard outside the aircraft. The glider also has no tail wheel instead of wheel it has tail skid with metal
Metal
A metal , is an element, compound, or alloy that is a good conductor of both electricity and heat. Metals are usually malleable and shiny, that is they reflect most of incident light...
surface
Surface
In mathematics, specifically in topology, a surface is a two-dimensional topological manifold. The most familiar examples are those that arise as the boundaries of solid objects in ordinary three-dimensional Euclidean space R3 — for example, the surface of a ball...
.
General Characteristics
- Crew: one pilot
- Height: 1.3 m
- Length: 6.5 m
- Wingspan: 15 m
- Gross weight: 385 kg
- Wing area: 11.955 m²
- Empty weight: from 260 to 275 kg
- Aeroprofile main wing: NASA GA(W)-1
- Aeroprofile horizontal tail: FX 71-L-150/25
- Minimum pilot weight with equipment in cockpit: 70 kg
- Maximum pilot weight with equipment in cockpit: 110 kg
Performance
- Best glide ratio: 37,5
- Rate of sink: 0.65 m/s
- Stall speed (VS): 59 km/h
- Speed in turn at sailing: 85 km/h
- Maneuvering speed (VA): 150 km/h
- Speed at best glide ratio: 105 km/h
- Maximum speed in aero towing: 125 km/h
- Optimum slope angle in the turn at sailing: 30°
- Maximum speed with open air brakes: 240 km/h
- Maximum speed in a calm atmosphere (VNE): 240 km/h
- Maximum speed by winch or car launching: 110 km/h
- Maximum speed in a turbulence atmosphere: 150 km/h