The LFU 205 is a single engine, glass-fibre reinforced plastic structure low wing monoplane. The plane is provided with two pilot seats which are next to each other. One passenger seat is located in the rear cabin. The aircraft is powered by a four-cylinder 200 hp IO-360-Lycoming, air cooled engine which drives a two-bladed constant speed propeller. In the sixties it was designed as a technology demonstrator for reinforced composite structures by the company Leichtflugtechnik-Union (LFU), a consortium of the companies BÖLKOW, RHEIN-FLUGZEUGBAU und PÜTZER-KUNSTSTOFFTECHNIK in cooperation with DLR. The first flight took place in 1968. Hence, the LFU 205 was one of the first aircraft which was built using a composite structure. Later, the plastic tube construction which had been developed by Leichtflugtechnik-Union was used for building a prototype of a composite C160-Transall elevator.
Since 1984 the aircraft has extensively been used as a testbed for laminar flow technology at the DLR site in Braunschweig. For that purpose, sections of the left and right wing were modified to achieve laminar airflow. The following aerodynamic topics have been addressed:
Operations of the aircraft will be continued within the laminar-flow research programme of the DLR’s Institute of Aerodynamics and Flow Technology.
Technical Data