SG 38

An evolution of the famous Schädelspalter Grunau 9 glider, this training glider was constructed in Germany in 1938 and became the most popular single-seat aircraft for basic flight instruction during the 1940s. Its ash-wood skid is mounted to the fuselage by two shock absorbers which soften even the hardest of landings, making it the ideal basic training aircraft. Around 8,750 SG 38s were built industrially and until 1960 it was the standard training aircraft in the GDR. After World War II British manufacturers Slingsby and Elliots of Newbury produced slightly modified SG 38s under a different name. 

The SG 38 D-8985 on show at AIRPOWER11 is owned by Mario Selss and was built in 1943. The training glider was designed to start with rubber ropes but is also suitable for winch-launching, aerotowing and auto-towing. When performance was measured in 2009, the glider achieved a lift/drag ratio of 8.3 at 58 km/h and it is one of only ten SG 38s worldwide which are still airworthy and approved for flight.