Lehtovaara PIK-16 Vasama

The Lehtovaara PIK-16 Vasama (English: Arrow) is a Finnish mid-wing, single-seat, FAI Standard Class glider that was designed by Tuomo Tervo, Jorma Jalkanen and Kurt Hedstrom, who were students at the Polyteknikkojen Ilmailukerho (PIK) and produced by Lehtovaara.^[1][2]

PIK-16 Vasama
Role	Glider
National origin	Finland
Designer	Tuomo Tervo, Jorma Jalkanen and Kurt Hedstrom, students at the Polyteknikkojen Ilmailukerho (PIK)
Introduction	1961
Number built	56

Design and development

The PIK-16 is constructed from wood, with a fibreglass nose. The 15.0 m (49.2 ft) span wing employs a Wortmann FX-05-168 (14% modification) airfoil at the wing root, transitioning to a NACA 63 (2)-165 at the wing tip. The wing features dive brakes.^[1][2][3] The prototype Vasama had V tail, but it was changed to cruciform tail on production aircraft.

A total of 56 PIK-16s were built. The aircraft was not type certified but it did become the second most exported Finnish glider, surpassed only by the later PIK-20 series.^[1][2][4]

Operational history

The prototype PIK-16 set a Finnish national record for a 300 km (186 mi) triangle course of 86.6 km/h (54 mph) before it had even finished flight testing.^[5]

The design won the OSTIV prize at the World Gliding Championships held at Junín, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina in 1963, finishing third in the standard class.^[1][2]

Variants

PIK-16a

Prototype with a V-tail.^[3][5]

PIK-16b

Revised design with a cruciform tail, four built by the Finnish Aeronautical Association at the Jämi Flying School.^[3][6]

PIK-16c

Third version^[3]

Aircraft on display

• Finnish Aviation Museum^[4]

Specifications (Pik-16 Vasama)

Data from The World's Sailplanes:Die Segelflugzeuge der Welt:Les Planeurs du Monde Volume II^[7]

General characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Length: 5.97 m (19 ft 7 in)
• Wingspan: 15 m (49 ft 3 in)
• Height: 0.9 m (2 ft 11 in) at cockpit
• Wing area: 11.7 m² (126 sq ft)
• Aspect ratio: 19.2
• Airfoil: Root: Wortmann FX-05-188 (14% mod), tip:NACA 63₂ 615
• Empty weight: 166 kg (366 lb)
• Gross weight: 281 kg (619 lb)

Performance

• Stall speed: 62 km/h (39 mph, 33 kn)
• Never exceed speed: 250 km/h (160 mph, 130 kn)
  
• Rough air speed max: 180 km/h (111.8 mph; 97.2 kn)
• Aerotow speed: 150 km/h (93.2 mph; 81.0 kn)
• Winch launch speed: 140 km/h (87.0 mph; 75.6 kn)
• Terminal velocity: with full airbrakes 235 km/h (146 mph; 127 kn)
• g limits: +7 -4 at 160 km/h (99.4 mph; 86.4 kn)
• Maximum glide ratio: 34.5 at 86 km/h (53.4 mph; 46.4 kn)
• Rate of sink: 0.59 m/s (116 ft/min) at 73 km/h (45.4 mph; 39.4 kn)
• Wing loading: 24 kg/m² (4.9 lb/sq ft)

See also

Related lists

• List of gliders