R/C Modelers of Laredo - I. Ae. 41 (Ho XVc)

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I. Ae. 41 (Ho XVc)

The "Urubu"

A desire for a training sailplane with side-by-side seating had been expressed by several soaring clubs. This led to the production of four I. Ae. 41 aircraft. These 18 meter machines, benefited from all our previously hard earned experience, were without faults and very simple to fly. A tandem undercarriage with extra soft suspension, made landings easy. They were stable and behaved well in turbulent air, in contrast to their predecessors, which would tip stall under similar conditions.

Heinz Scheidhauer, who had followed me to Argentina, made soaring history on October 30th, 1956, when he became the first person to cross the Andes in a sailplane. To start he flew the I. Ae. 41 from Cordoba to Bariloche, a distance of over 1,000 km in aerotow!

The Ho XVc in Europe

Four aircraft somewhat similar to the I. Ae. 41 were built in Germany in the fifties. One was completed in Türbingen, another in Pappenheim. The third remained uncovered in a hanger at Klippeneck for ten years, before it was completed by an "Old-timer" in Günzburg. There whereabouts of the fourth, built in Mannheim, is unknown.

The German gliders had been built from incomplete drawings, and had cockpit arrangements that differed from the Argentinean original. This caused their flying characteristics to be less docile.

The Türbingen Ho XVc was sold to a Swiss Purchaser after it was damaged in a mishap. It was modified in Switzerland by the installation of a 65 HP Continental engine. Afterwards, the aircraft reportedly suffered from stability problems, and was seldom flown.

The Pappenheim glider was built by the local glider club, under the leadership of Walter Rösler. This machine flew quiet well, despite a higher than planned empty weight. Unfortunately, the Pappenheim group found the certification cost too high, the aircraft was left to deteriorate, and finally burned.