HUNGARIAN GLIDERS
1933-2000
Type designation: R-03
Name: Szittya I
Designer: Ernő RUBIK
Class: Training
General arrangement: High, strut braced gull-wing, closed cockpit, traditional tail unit
Crew: 1
First flight: August, 1937
Manufacturer: MOVERO workshop, Esztergom
Number of built: 1



Short history:
In the middle of the 30s Ernő Rubik was called upon by one of the Hungarian aero clubs to design a motorglider. The result was a highwing, srut braced gilder with a gull form wing. Rubik idea was to locate the engine at the wing root on the top of the fuselage. However the motorglider never materialized as no ample financing had been available. Her first flight had been on late August in 1937 by bungee-cord launch and the official test flights started on September 1, 1937 by aerotow. To perform simple aerobatic manoeuvres with the glider was permitted.

Structure:  All wooden
   Wing:
The center part of the wing had constant chord and the outer parts were tapered with straight leading, and elliptical form trailing edges. It was a single main-spar wing covered by plywood in front of the main spar creating a torsion resistant box structure. The other wing surfaces were fabric covered. No air break was fitted.
   Fuselage:
The semi-monocoque, plywood covered fuselage was stiffened by frames and longerons. The landing gear consisted of a long, rubber dumped main and a small steel-plate tail skid. The frame of the closed canopy was of plywood and was covered with flat celluloid plates with windows on both sides.
   Tail unit:
The leading edge of the horizontal stabilizer and the whole vertical stabilizer were plywood covered. The other surfaces of the tail unit were fabric covered.


Larger picture

Dimensions:
   Wing:
     Span, m: 15
     Area, m2: 15
     Aspect ratio: 15
     Chord (root), m: 1,2
     Chord (tip), m: 0
     Airfoil (root), m: ?
     Airfoil (mid-span), m: ?
     Airfoil (tip), m: ?
     Dihedral, degree: Root: 14; outer panel: 0
     Sweep, degree: 0
     Washout: Aerodynamic
   Aileron:
     Span, m: 3,75
     Mean chord, m: 0,26
     Total area, m2: 1,96
     Balancing: Aerodynamic
   Flap:
     Type: None
   Airbrakes:
     Type: None
   Horizontal stabilizer:
     Span, m: 3
     Area, m2: 0,92
   Elevator:
     Span, m: 3
     Area, m2: 0,88
     Airfoil: ?
     Balancing: Aerodynamic
     Trim: ?
   Vertical stabilizer and rudder:
     Total area, m2: ?
     Rudder area, m2: ?
     Balancing: Aerodinamic
   Fuselage:
     Length, m: 6
     Width, m: 0,58
     Height: 1,12
     Cross section, m2: ?
   Landing gear:
     Type: Skid, rubber dumped
Masses:
   Wing, kg: ?
   Fuselage, kg: ?
   Tail unit, kg: ?
   Empty glider, kg: 140
   Gross, kg: 240
   Ballast, kg: None
   Wing loading, kg/m2: 16
Speeds:
   VNE, km/h: 200
   Max. aerotow speed, km/h: 100
   Max. winch speed, km/h: 75
   Max. speed in rough air, km/h: ?
   Stall speed, km/h: 45
Performance:
   Min. sink, m/s (at gliding speed, km/h): 0,77/55
   Best L/D (at gliding speed, km/h): 20,8/?
Start methods: Bungee, Winch, Aerotow



Origin of data and 3-view drawing:
Jereb Gábor: Magyar vitorlázó repülőgépek, Műszaki Könyvkiadó, 1988, Budapest
(Gábor JEREB: Hungarian Gliders, Technical Publishing House, 1988, Budapest)

Gábor FEKECS E-mail: fekecs.gabor@t-online.hu