Description
You are bidding on a SUPERB example of a 100% ORIGINAL WW2 German Luftwaffe Grunau Baby IIb Glider (Segelflugzeug) Instrument Panel! Brought back by a US Serviceman, this was one of the main gliders used for training Luftwaffe pilots between 1931 and 1945.
The Schneider Grunau Baby was a single-seat sailplane first built in Germany in 1931, with some 6,000 examples constructed in some 20 countries. It was relatively easy to build from plans, it flew well, and the aircraft was strong enough to handle mild aerobatics and the occasional hard landing. When the Baby first appeared, it was accepted wisdom that the pilot should feel as much unimpeded airflow as possible, to better sense rising and falling currents of air and temperature changes etc.
Many Grunau Baby II B pilots achieved the coveted Silver-C soaring badge introduced in 1930. This required a pilot to remain aloft at least five hours, gain a minimum of 1,000 m (3,280 ft) after takeoff, and cover a horizontal distance of 50 km (31 miles).
Fleets of Grunau Baby II B sailplanes served as primary flight trainers operated by the Deutsche Luftsport Verband (German Sport Flying Organization, the DLV) created in 1933. The DLV became the Nationalsozialistiche Fliegerkorps (NSFK) in 1937. The German political machine operated both organizations to train military pilots without appearing to violate the post-World War I Versailles Treaty that outlawed such remilitarization. Many of the Luftwaffe (German Air Force) pilots that flew during World War II first trained in Grunau Babies.
A number of gliding records contributed to its widespread use – also abroad – such as Kurt Schmidt’s 36.5 hour continuous flight from 1933 or Hanna Reitsch’s women’s cross-country flight record from 1934. In addition to the “SG-38”, the “Baby” was the standard aircraft of the glider various flight groups and paramilitary pilot training in the Nazi flying corps. In 1944, immediately after the end of the course, Hitler Youth trained on “Baby” were to be sent to train on the “Me-163” rocket fighter.
Made of wood, this Instrument Panel is in AMAZING used condition! Some slight marks and wear, but EASILY the best example I have ever seen of its type! All 3 original instruments remain, along with the original screws and shock mounts! Instruments included are:
Fl. 22215 Air Speed Indicator
Fl. 22316 Altimeter
Fl. 22379 Variometer
The panel retains 98% original RLM66 cockpit paint! All data labels are also present, including the main plate, that clearly indicates the model “SG 49 B-2” (the official term for the Grunau Baby IIb) and warning information! The ONLY complete one I have seen of its type, it would make a PERFECT addition to collection, display, or restoration project!
