The Ho III e Motorglider
The power plant was built into an all new center section, while surplus H III b wings were used. Heinz Scheidhauer made the first flight in January 1944. Here is his account of a subsequent flight: "It is February 22nd, 1944, on a beautiful clear winter morning. It is quite cold; the sun is just rising in the Southeast. In the lee side of the hangar, I can feel the air warming around 10 AM, and soon cumulus clouds are forming over a nearby stone quarry. I observed the clouds for a while with my stop watch, to see how long they remained over the quarry in the stiff NE breeze. It appears that one could soar over there, and soon the Ho III with VW engine and folding propeller is brought to the starting line. At 10:48 I take off. I notice that the cumulus clouds have disappeared, I might just get there when the thermal cycle starts again. I shut down the engine, and glide silently toward the quarry cliff, which I reach at 50 meters above the edge. Here I find a weak windblown thermal, and struggle back up while the strong wind carries me away." "Gliding back to the cliff, I find myself below the edge, and begin to circle again. The low altitude does not worry me; I can fly out of the quarry and down the valley at any time, and restart the engine. But now I feel another thermal! I circle tightly at 60 km/in, struggling upward inch by inch. I extract the maximum performance from the Horten, and manage to rise above the cliff again. I am close enough to recognize the faces of the quarry workers, who seem to enjoy watching me. Despite the tight turns at almost ground level, I feel safe in the Horten, knowing that it will not spin under any circumstances. After seemingly endless circling, I catch a stronger thermal, and climb quickly. I wipe my face; that was hard work! As the thermals weaken, I again head for the quarry, and arrive at 50 meters again. Another struggle to 250 meters and a glide back. This time I arrive with 100 meters to spare. It is getting better! The next thermal takes me right up to the base of the now beautifully developed cumulus cloud. I turn on the electric Turn and Bank instrument, and continue another 400 meters into the cloud. Here the lift dissipates into just choppy air, and I start the engine and continue climbing. I break out on top at 1400 meters. Now I notice that the engine is running rough, with a strong vibration. I shut it down, thinking that the folding propeller might have failed, and glide back to the airport. The flight lasted over an hour, and after landing, I inspect the propeller. The leading edge of the folded blades are coated with a thick layer of ice! Some has broken off, causing the unbalance." |