2 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. Phoebus A1: Mathias Kowarsch Mathias Kowarsch· CC0
- 2. Phoebus-C: Bertrand Labévue· CC BY-SA 4.0
what is it?
The Bölkow Phoebus is a glass fibre composite competition sailplane, designed and produced in Germany in the 1960s. Large numbers were built, achieving success at some national contests, and many remain active.
base stats
Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).
fun facts
- First flew 62 years ago, in 1964.
- Top speed is 1.5× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
- Wingspan of 15 m: about 3 cars parked nose to tail.
no engine: No engine: it glides on rising air.
spec sheet
- first flight
- 1964-04-11
- number built
- 254
- role
- single seat standard class sailplane
- origin
- 🇩🇪 Germany
- makers
- Bölkow
- engines
- none (glider)
- crew
- 1
- length
- 7.1 m
- wingspan
- 15 m
- max take-off weight
- 350 kg
- top speed
- 200 km/h
- range
- —
Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q1019853, Wikipedia: Bölkow Phoebus (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.