On Wed, 13 Dec 2017 05:10:38 +0000, Michael Opitz
wrote:

Martin Gregorie provided a pretty good link for a brief Horten
history:

https://scalesoaring.co.uk/VINTAGE/D.../Horten%20IV/H
orten_IVb.html


Thank you very much - extremely interesting lecture that I didn't know
yet.

Scheidhauer had flown most of the Horten types and despite some
peculiarities, their handling had been generally benign as they were
highly stall and spin resistant. Although the H IVa had been liable to
flutter, it had proved possible to damp it by simultaneous use of the
drag rudders. None the less, he had refused to fly an HIII to explore
its handling at extreme rear centre of gravity positions. On 24 May
1944 he made the maiden flight of the ultra high aspect ratio H VI,
discovering that not only was it subject to flutter at both high and
low speeds but that the entire wing was far too flexible and fragile
for even an expert pilot.

Sounds.... interesting and exciting.


Scheidhauer was a student of Dad's from the first military glider
pilot training class at the DFS in ~1937 where Dad was one of the
three original instructors. Dad also later got him a flight in a Me
163, even though he was from the Horten camp. By 1944 when
Scheidhauer first flew the Ho VI, Dad was pretty deep into getting
operational Me 163 units up and running. His glider logbook shows
one or two Ho III entries earlier, but no Ho VI. He never really
talked about the Ho VI at all. I doubt it flew much considering the
info from the above story.

This would be the next interesting topic in RAS: "What the test pilot
thought about the Me-163 as a glider"....

I don't know if they considered winglets, and I can't remember what
the aircraft they designed after the war in Argentina looked like.
The person to ask is Peter Selinger. He was also a friend of
Scheidhauer's and received all of Scheidhauer's personal logs, etc
when he passed away. Peter also wrote a book on the Hortens, but
unfortunately, I don't have a copy of it.

"Nurflügel", by Peter F. Selinger and Dr. Reimar Horten
ISBN-103900310092
ISBN-139783900310097

I do have Peter's contact info in case you want it though. We have
been in fairly regular contact with each other since 1985.


Thank you very mich again - I'm aware of this book, but to be honest:
I was always a little fascinated by the Horten gliders, but not enough
to buy the book since I always thought their designs were some kind of
one-trick-pony.

The book is available on Amazon Germany - just tell me if I should get
you a copy (how's your German?).


Cheers
Andreas