Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co
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Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co is a major manufacturer of sailplanes located in Poppenhausen, Germany. It is also the oldest sailplane manufacturer in the world.
The company was founded in 1926 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"), Professor, Mannheim, and the Stadt Frankfurt (City of Fankfurt). 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). By the time war broke out in Europe, Schleicher was already employing hundreds of workers in what was a very major enterprise.
During World War II, the factory was used to maintain and repair training gliders for the Hitler Youth who received flight training at the Wasserkuppe. At the end of the war, aviation activities were suspended in allied-occupied Germany, and Alexander Schleicher returned to his roots, using his factory to build furniture until the restrictions were lifted in 1951 and the company could build sailplanes once more.
External link
- Schleicher company website (in German) (http://www.alexander-schleicher.de)
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