DFS Seeadler

The DFS Seeadler (Sea Eagle) was a German flying boat sailplane designed by Hans Jacobs^[1] of the Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug (DFS). It was version of the 1935 DFS Rhönadler, with a new fuselage and strongly gulled wings to keep them clear from spray.^[2] The aircraft was first flown in the summer of 1935, test piloted by Hanna Reitsch,^[3] and towed by a Dornier Do 12.^[4]

DFS Seeadler
Role	Flying boat sailplane
National origin	Germany
Manufacturer	Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug
Designer	Hans Jacobs
First flight	12 November 1936

Specifications

Data from Die deutschen Flugboote : Flugboote, Amphibien-Flugboote u. Projekte von 1909 bis zur Gegenwart,^[5] Flugzeug-Typenbuch. Handbuch der deutschen Luftfahrt- und Zubehör-Industrie 1944^[6]

General characteristics

• Crew: one
• Capacity: 85 kg (187 lb)
• Length: 7.42 m (24 ft 4 in)
• Wingspan: 17.36 m (56 ft 11 in)
• Height: 2.21 m (7 ft 3 in)
• Wing area: 18 m² (190 sq ft)
• Aspect ratio: 16.75
• Airfoil: root: Göttingen 652; tip: Göttingen 535
• Empty weight: 240 kg (529 lb)
• Gross weight: 325 kg (717 lb)

Performance

• Never exceed speed: 140 km/h (87 mph, 76 kn)
• Maximum glide ratio: 20:1
• Rate of sink: 0.8 m/s (160 ft/min)
• Wing loading: 18 kg/m² (3.7 lb/sq ft)