Göppingen Gö 3

Gö 3
Role	Glider
Manufacturer	Sportflugzeugbau Schempp-Hirth
Designer	Martin Schempp and Wolf Hirth
First flight	1935
Number built	110

The Göppingen Gö 3 Minimoa is a single-seat sailplane produced in Germany. It was designed by Martin Schempp and Wolf Hirth and was produced the year after their first glider, the Göppingen Gö 1. It first flew in 1935. The name is derived from the name of lenticularis clouds caused by the foehn wind in Sudetenland, those clouds are called the Moazagotl. The name was used for one of Hirth's earlier gliders and since the Gö 3 was a smaller version, it was called 'Mini' as a diminutive.

It established several records, including the world altitude record of 6,687 m (21,939 ft) in 1938 in a thunderstorm. Richard du Pont and Chet Decker flew Minimoas to win the US Championships in 1937 and 1938.

It was made out of wood and fabric with cantilevered 'gull' wings. A B-version in 1938 had thinner wings with a modified section and the gull's kink in a different place. The undercarriage was non-retractable. It was the first glider built to carry water-ballast in a tank behind the pilot.

Only four Minimoas remain airworthy: two in Germany, one in Japan and the latest one to fly in the U.K.

Specifications (Gö 3)

Göppingen Gö 3 Minimoa, on display in the Deutsches Segelflugmuseum

General characteristics

• Crew: one, pilot
• Length: 7.0 m (22 ft 11½ in)
• Wingspan: 17 m (55 ft 9 in)
• Height: ()
• Wing area: 19.05 m² (204.9 ft²)
• Empty weight: 245 kg (539 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 350 kg (770 lb)
• * Aspect ratio: 16
• Wing profile (airfoil): Go 681, 693

Performance

• Maximum speed: 219 km/h (136 mph)
• Wing loading: 18.37 kg/m² (3.75 lb/ft²)
• Minimum sink: about 0.61 m/s (2 ft/s) at 60 km/h (37 mph)
• Glide ratio: 28:1 at 72 km/h (45 mph)

See also

• Schempp-Hirth
  

Related development

• Göppingen Gö 1
  

Related lists

• List of gliders
  

External links

• Sailplane directory
• [1] - Minimoa CC-PIA preserved at Museo Nacional Aeronáutico y del Espacio de Chile