Kaiser Ka-7 "Rhönadler" (1957 - 1966)
Ka-7 3 view - click to enlarge

The Ka 7 was strictly speaking an updated Ka2b, from which were taken the wings. Instead of the wooden fuselage, which was costly to manufacture, the Ka 7 was built around a tubular steelframe as had been adopted for the Ka 3 and Ka 4. The fuselage had fabric covering over wooden formers. The two-piece hood extends over both seats the front portion of which hinges to starboard and the rear portion hinges rearwards.The original canopy, as used on the Ka 2b, was replaced later by a blown Plexiglas unit.

The fabric covered high cantilever wings swept forward 6° 36' at the quarter-chord line and had a 4° dihedral, which allowed the flight instructors seat to lay on the centre of gravity. However the wings blocked his vision to the side, so that the instructor had only a limited view. The wings were of single-spar design and made from pine and plywood and with a plywood-covered leading edge torsion box. Schempp-Hirth air brakes were fitted above and below the wings.

The cantilever tail unit is of similar construction to the wings, and there is a trim tab in the starboard elevator. Landing gear consists of a non-retractable and unsprung Dunlop monowheel and a nose skid forward of it carried on rubber blocks for shock absorption; there is also a tailskid.

The prototype Ka 7 had it's' first flight in 1957 and up until 1966, when it was superceded by the ASK-13, 511 gliders of this type were manufactured. Many associations still use the Ka 7 for their training today and together with the ASK-13 have provided the backbone for glider training throughout the world.

Over a decade after it first appeared, Ka 7s twice set new German distance records and also set new German goal flight record for two-seaters .

Ka-7 DATA
Wingspan	16m
Wing area	17.5m2
Aspect ratio	14.6
Fuselage Length	8.15m
Empty weight	285 kg
Max. flying weight	480 kg
Wing loading	27.40 kg/m2
Minimum Sink	0.81 m/s
Glide Ratio	26:1
Winch Speed max.	100Km/h
Aerotow Speed max.	130Km/h
Wing Section	Göttingen 535/549

above - Cliff Charlesworths' Ka 7 under construction

Here are a set of building photos by Ray Cooper showing extra scale detail he added whilst making his Ka-7 above

Photos of Dave Stokes and his stunning Ka 7