| Bekas series | |
|---|---|
| Role | Glider |
| National origin | United States |
| Designer | Witold Kasper |
| First flight | April 1968 |
| Introduction | 1968 |
| Status | No longer in production |
| Number built | 3 |
| Developed from | Brochocki BKB-1 |
The Kasper Bekas is a family of American mid-wing, tailless gliders designed by Witold Kasper and derived from the earlier 1959 Brochocki BKB-1 design.[1][2]
The Bekas series was an attempt by Kasper to create an experimental tailless glider with a higher glide ratio, better ground handling and rigging, using a flexible wing to study the effects of wing flexing on stability and controllability in flight.[1][2]
The Bekas is built from wood and covered in plywood. The wing uses a NACA 8-H-12 airfoil and has greater span and higher aspect ratio than the BKB-1 to achieve its goals. The wing features outboard trailing edge control surfaces that act both as elevator for pitch control and aileron for roll control. The wing is swept 15° and has a chord of 38 in (97 cm). The landing gear is a fixed monowheel.[1][2]
The design resulted in a high glide ratio for a 15 m (49.2 ft) wingspan of 45:1, along with a reasonably low sink rate of 2.0 feet per second.[1][2]
The first Bekas, an "N" model, was built by Kasper in 1968. It was destroyed and removed from FAA records in 1977.[3]
Two others were completed. One model 1-A was started by Al Wilson of Seattle, Washington and completed by Clifford Johnson of Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1972, which features a wider chord wing. The final one was completed by Don Mattson of Seattle.[2][4]
Data from Sailplane Directory and Soaring[1][2]
General characteristics
Performance