Schleicher
Ka 6
Photo: Robert Deering 4/9/2019
Technik Museum
Speyer, Germany

Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co is a major manufacturer of sailplanes located in Poppenhausen, near Fulda in Germany.  It is also the oldest sailplane manufacturer in the world.

The company was founded in 1927 by Alexander Schleicher using money that he had won as a pilot in a gliding competition. It grew quickly in size and fame, producing many notable designs including the Anfänger ("Beginner")Zögling ("Student")ProfessorMannheim, and the Stadt Frankfurt (City of Frankfurt).

Meanwhile, the aircraft produced under contract by the company continued to grow in size and complexity, reaching their pinnacle with the DFS Rhönadler (Rhön eagle) and DFS Rhönbussard (Rhön buzzard) designed by Hans Jacobs, and a huge, three-seat experimental glider built from a design by Alexander Lippisch for the Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug (DFS - German Research Institute for Sailplane Flight).

The Schleicher Ka 6 is a single-seat glider designed by Rudolf Kaiser, built by Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co, Germany and is constructed of Spruce and plywood with fabric covering. The design initially featured a conventional tailplane and elevator which was later replaced by an all-moving tailplane in the -Pe and Ka 6E variants. Variants built before the -CR and -BR used a main skid as the principal undercarriage, with later variants including the Ka 6E using a wheel as the main undercarriage with no nose skid. Other modifications for the Ka 6E include a more aerodynamic fuselage with glassfibre nose and wingroot fairings, longer canopy, and modified aluminium airbrakes.

SOURCE: Wikipedia