science

Horten H.I

Horten H.I is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Horten H.I rather than just read about it. In short: The Horten H.I was a German flying wing research glider built by Walter and Reimar Horten in 1933. Design and development The first aircraft of the Horten brothers was created with considerable effort in 1933 in their parents' apartment in Bonn.

Key takeaways

Horten H.I belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Horten H.I to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Horten H.I from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Horten H.I was a German flying wing research glider built by Walter and Reimar Horten in 1933.

Design and development The first aircraft of the Horten brothers was created with considerable effort in 1933 in their parents' apartment in Bonn. Reimar Horten designed and built the machine and learned to fly it. Flight testing started in July 1933 at the Bonn-Hangelar airport, and Walter Horten, only 20 years old, made the first cautious hops in the aircraft on the end of a bungee cord, resulting in glides of 150 to 300 feet at altitudes of six feet or less. After a few small changes, the H.I had overcome the biggest teething troubles, and the brothers took it to the Wasserkuppe competition the following year.

H.Ib In 1951, members of the Club de Planeadores Otto Ballod and Reimar Horten built a new version, called the H.Ib, using a more modern section and the control accomplished by elevons located on the outer wings, omitting the inner elevators/flaps. For use as rudders, Schempp-Hirth flaps were installed on the wingtips, also serving as a landing aid when both flaps were activated together.

Operational history

Horten H.I The H.I was first flown in July 1933 at Bonn-Hangelar airport, initially using bungee cord, then auto-tow, leading to winch launches to 300 m (1,000 ft). Aero-tow launches were then carried out using a BFW M.23 as tug, to 1,100 m (3,500 ft). Problems with control and stability were discovered, due to the operation of the elevators and ailerons and centre of gravity too far aft. With the flying qualities of the aircraft satisfactory, Walter Horten set off under aero-tow to the 1934 Rhön meeting at the Wasserkuppe, towed by a Klemm L.25. Delayed en route by bad weather, Walter arrived late and also damaged the aircraft on landing. Although unable to participate in the flying contest the H.I was awarded a "Construction" prize of DM600. Walter remained at the Wasserkuppe with the H.I until the Gliding school Director ordered him to leave and take the H.I with him. A telephone request to Alexander Lippisch for a tug to fly the H.I back to Bonn was unsuccessful, so Walter flew the H.I for one more time, landed successfully, broke up the aircraft and burned the remains.

Horten H.Ib The H.Ib had good handling characteristics and was flown far into the 1970s by the Club de Planeadores Otto Ballod. At the turn of the millennium, the members of the club restored their long-serving flying-wing to "better than new" condition. The H.Ib was the only Horten flying wing still airworthy, until the first flight in Germany in 2016 of the newly built H.IV.

Variants

H.I Single-seat tail-less research glider first flown in 1933; one built. H.Ib A post-WWII low-performance derivative designed and built in Argentina and flown, for the first time, on 2 May 1954.

Specifications (H.I) Data from Nurflügel : die Geschichte der Horten-Flugzeuge 1933-1960, The Horten brothers and their all-wing aircraftGeneral characteristics Crew: 1 Wingspan: 12.4 m (40 ft 8 in) Height: 0.9 m (2 ft 11 in) Wing area: 21 m2 (230 sq ft) Aspect ratio: 6:1 Empty weight: 120 kg (265 lb) Max takeoff weight: 210 kg (463 lb) Performance

Stall speed: 45 km/h (28 mph, 24 kn) Never exceed speed: 228 km/h (142 mph, 123 kn) Rate of sink: 0.8 m/s (160 ft/min) at 60 km/h (37 mph; 32 kn) and 10 kg/m2 (2.0 lb/sq ft) wing loading Lift-to-drag: 21:1 at 72 km/h (45 mph; 39 kn) and 10 kg/m2 (2.0 lb/sq ft) wing loading Wing loading: 10 kg/m2 (2.0 lb/sq ft) Landing speed: 60 km/h (37 mph; 32 kn)

References

External links

Another image of the H.I

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Horten H.I

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Horten H.I claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Horten H.I before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Horten H.I ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Horten H.I

In research: Horten H.I appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Horten H.I in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Horten H.I is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1930s German sailplanes, Aircraft first flown in 1933, Glider aircraft, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Horten H.I outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Horten H.I in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Horten H.I means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Horten H.I out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Horten H.I in simple terms?

The Horten H.I was a German flying wing research glider built by Walter and Reimar Horten in 1933. Design and development The first aircraft of the Horten brothers was created with considerable effort in 1933 in their parents' apartment in Bonn.

Why does Horten H.I matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Horten H.I?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Horten H.I.