science

LAK-12

LAK-12 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 LAK-12 rather than just read about it. In short: The LAK-12 is a Lithuanian mid-wing, single-seat, FAI Open Class glider that was designed and produced by Lietuviškos Aviacinės Konstrukcijos (LAK) (English: Lithuanian Aircraft Builders) in Lithuania and later by Sportine Aviacija and Sport Aviation USSR. Design and development The LAK-12 was designed in the 1980s as an open class racer.

Key takeaways

LAK-12 belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect LAK-12 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of LAK-12 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The LAK-12 is a Lithuanian mid-wing, single-seat, FAI Open Class glider that was designed and produced by Lietuviškos Aviacinės Konstrukcijos (LAK) (English: Lithuanian Aircraft Builders) in Lithuania and later by Sportine Aviacija and Sport Aviation USSR.

Design and development The LAK-12 was designed in the 1980s as an open class racer. The aircraft is made from fibreglass, foam and carbon fibre. Its 20.42 m (67.0 ft) span foam-core wing employs a Wortmann FX67-K-170 airfoil at the wing root, transitioning to a FX67- K-150 section at the wing tip. The wings feature both double-panel upper surface air brakes and flaps that can be set to -7°, -4°, 0°, +5°, +11° and +15°. Water ballast is 190 L (50 US gal) held in the wing leading edges and dumped through a centre-fuselage valve. The landing gear is a single retractable monowheel suspended by an oil/nitrogen oleo, plus a tailskid. The cockpit canopy is of one-piece and forward hinged.

Operational history According to Sportine Aviacija, the current type certificate holder, 253 were manufactured over a twenty-five year production run. In April 2018 there were 17 LAK-12s listed on the United States Federal Aviation Administration registry, all single-place and certified in the Experimental - Racing/Exhibition category and three registered with Transport Canada in the Limited Class.

Variants LAK-12 Lietuva 20.42 m (67.0 ft) span open-class sailplane. LAK-12 Lietuva 2R Two-seat version of the LAK-12 with tandem cockpit in an extended fuselage. LAK-12E Experimental 25.5 m (83.7 ft) span variant built in 1988 and tested in 1988 and 1989, incorporating boundary control via blowholes on the lower surface. Only one produced.

Aircraft on display The sole LAK-12E currently hangs from the ceiling of the Lithuanian Aviation Museum in Kaunas.

Specifications (LAK-12)

Data from Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1988-89General characteristics Crew: one Length: 7.23 m (23 ft 9 in) Wingspan: 20.42 m (67 ft 0 in) Height: 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) Wing area: 14.63 m2 (157.5 sq ft) Aspect ratio: 28.5:1 Airfoil: Root: Wortmann FX67-K-170, tip: FX67- K-150 Empty weight: 360 kg (794 lb) Max takeoff weight: 650 kg (1,433 lb) with ballast Water ballast: 190 L (50 US gal; 42 imp gal) Performance

Stall speed: 65 km/h (40 mph, 35 kn) Never exceed speed: 250 km/h (160 mph, 130 kn) in smooth air Max aero-tow speed: 140 km/h (76 kn; 87 mph) g limits: +6 -3 Maximum glide ratio: 47:1 Best glide speed: 95 km/h (51 kn; 59 mph) Rate of sink: 0.48 m/s (94 ft/min) *Minimum sink speed: 75 km/h (40 kn; 47 mph) Wing loading: 44.42 kg/m2 (9.10 lb/sq ft) max

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with LAK-12

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what LAK-12 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 LAK-12 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 LAK-12 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 LAK-12

In research: LAK-12 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 LAK-12 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: LAK-12 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1980s Lithuanian sailplanes, Aircraft first flown in 1986, Glider aircraft, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for LAK-12 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 LAK-12 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what LAK-12 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 LAK-12 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is LAK-12 in simple terms?

Why does LAK-12 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 LAK-12?

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 LAK-12.