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EAA Chapter 108
Fort Walton Beach, FL
Meet 3rd Tuesdays, 7:00 p.m.
Okaloosa Applied Tech. Center
1976 Lewis Turner Blvd

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Bill Reeder
SZD 52 "Krokus"
 
 
Email: 
Model: SZD 52 Krokus

 
From the April , 1999 newsletter:

Bill Reeder's SZD-52 Krokus 
 
You're on final with no sound coming from the engine.  You are about to perform a dead-stick landing with no chance for a go-around. 

Sound scary?  Not to Bill Reeder.  All of his landings are dead-stick.  You see, Bill Reeder flies an SZD-52 Krokus sailplane. 

  
 
Bill began flying sailplanes in 1959 in Oklahoma and has been flying them ever since.  The Krokus is Bill's third sailplane.  He bought the Krokus from Lars Bergstrom who bought the plane from the SZD factory in Europe.  Lars was very active in the sailplane world; he had designed boats for the America's Cup and created the Windex motorglider. 

Bill's Krokus was one of a group of several similar prototypes manufactured by SZD.  Three of the prototypes had a "normal" tail, three had a "T" tail and three were built a little heavier than normal in an attempt to achieve a better Reynolds number.  This particular plane is the only one of the "T" tail prototypes still flying. 

Some of the interesting features of the Krokus are the flaps and the ballast.  The Krokus has flaps that flex the top wing skin instead of using hinges.  The flaps, however, are not used for landing; they are adjusted to achieve a better glide ratio.  (The plane is slowed for the landing approach by the spoiler.)   Because this sailplane was designed for racing, water ballast is added to increase the airspeed at which the best best lift/drag ratio is attained.  Both wings are removable for storage. 

This particular plane was crashed in 1987 or 1988 and the fuselage was heavily damaged.  Bill purchased the plane in the damaged condition and set about restoring the scratches and cracks.  When he completed the restoration process, Bill built a trailer to haul the sailplane in.  The trailer is built of aluminum tubing with a rolling dolly that the plane rests in.  It's a pretty interesting set-up. 

If you are interested in learning to fly a sailplane, please contact Bill Reeder at 729-7690.  He's a member of a sailplane club that flies out of Coastal Airport in Pensacola most Saturdays.  The club owns a two place sailplane that's perfect for that first intentional dead-stick landing. 
 
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Last updated on August 15, 1999