Ho Vc: Rebuild And Distrust

Usage
 

Experimental

Fuselage Construction

Steel tube
 

Wing Construction
 

Wood
 

Capacity
 

Pilo t

Motor type
 

Two Hirth HM 60R engine
 

Power
 

2 x 59 kW (2 x 79 HP)
 

Span
 

16.0 m
 

Sweep Angle
 

25.5 degrees (outer wings 36 degrees)

Taper Ratio
 

6.4
 

Wing Root Thickness
 

16% chord
 

Wing Root Depth
 

4.5 m
 

Rib Spacing
 

0.4 m (0.2 m at the leading edge)

Wing Area
 

38.0 m2
 

Aspect Ratio
 

6.75
 

Pilot position
 

Seated
 

Mid-section width
 

4.0 m
 

Cockpit width
 

0.80 m
 

Cockpit height (from seat)
 

1.0 m
 

Empty weight
 

1440 kg
 

Ballast (water)
 

---
 

Additional payload
 

80 kg
 

Fuel
 

80 kg
 

Maximum weight
 

1600 kg
 

Wing loading
 

38.0 kg/m2
 

Engine loading

13.5 kg/kW
 

Stall speed
 

70 km/h
 

Landing speed
 

70 km/h
 

Cruise speed
 

230 km/h
 

Maximum speed (horizontal)

260 km/h
 

Maximum speed
 

350 km/h
 
As the war began, the H V b was pushed out of the hangar to make room for more pressing projects. There it sat in the rain and snow for two years, while we made several attempts in higher places to have the aircraft attended to. Finally, General Udet himself intervened, and ordered the aircraft rebuilt. Peschke repaired it and modified it to a single seater, at the same time, making it a "c". Walter then flew it to Gottingen for aerodynamic testing. Here, in 1942, I finally had the opportunity to fly this wonderful little machine myself.

 The official verdict of the Gottingen tests were not flattering. Professor A. W. Quick from the Aircraft Testing Department in Berlin stated that "maximum lift decreases with increased sweepback, which also causes pitch instability, stall danger and difficult steering"! The H V c had proven all this wrong during its test program, but the results were unfortunately never published.

 Previous wind tunnel tests of a flying wing model in Gottingen, were probably the reason for its reluctant acceptance. The swept wing tested was quite different from ours, with the wrong aspect ratio, wrong taper, wrong washout and different control surfaces. The data obtained from this model was correct, but had little to do with our design.

 The end of the H V c came in the spring of 1943, during a takeoff. The aircraft failed to gain altitude, and hit the roof of a hangar. The pilot was not hurt. It appeared that he had attempted to take off with the flaps in the full down landing position!