DG-505 Orion – The intelligent way to enjoy gliding
ORION: the three stars of the belt in the constellation ORION are a symbol for the three wingspans possible with this aircraft.
With the DG-505 Elan ORION a dream came true. Now it is possible by purchasing only one two seater to receive the optimal glider for training, high performance flying and aerobatics.
With which other glider you can perform basic training in the morning, fly a speed triangle with 20 m span, 160 liters of water ballast and a glide ratio of 44 during the afternoon and train aerobatics again with 17.2 m span in the evening?
Of course the ORION incorporates the latest improvements of all DG-500 models:
The designation DG-505 marks the latest development of the DG-two seater gliders. All DG-505 versions feature various major improvements to the DG-500 which are mainly based on customer experience. In particular the cockpit space was increased to enable tall pilots up to 2 m and with size 48 shoes to fly from either seat.
Of course the list of benefits can be augmented by further arguments. But gliding is also a matter of personal feelings so you should testfly the ORION to make up your own mind. You will soon find out that the DG-505 Elan ORION is the ideal glider for gliding clubs, private owners and commercial operators. Thinking and flying economically with a DG/Elan glider means:
Maximum gliding enjoyment.
Special features of all DG-500 models:
- Excellent in-flight visibility, note particularly the good visibility to the rear even from the back seat.
- Draught free ventilation system with additional swivel air vents for both pilots
- Comfortable ergonomic seating positions and clear cockpit layout confirming with DG-singles seaters.
- Safety cockpit with integrated seat belts
- Height adjustable seat for the rear pilot or passenger
- Efficient double stored air brakes and hydraulic disk wheel brake
- Undercarriage with large 330 x 150 main wheel, spring mounted.
- Nose- and tail wheel for easy ground handling
- Automatic hook ups for all controls
- Carbonfibre-wings (shell and spar caps) for high safety margins.
17,2 m primary training, aerobatics, aerobatic training
With only 17.2 m span the DG-505 Elan ORION is ideal for basic training. The excellent handling in combination with the short span provides quick response and fast roll rates in all flight conditions.
Excellent in-flight visibility, note particularly the good visibility to the rear even from the back seat, the large double stored air brakes and the powerful wheel brake are important safety factors, not only for training flights. The comfortable ergonomic seating positions and the height adjustable rear seat let the pilots feel well even during long flights.
The retractable spring mounted undercarriage with large 380 x 150 main wheel which was designed for the heavier DG-500 MB accepts even hard landings and takes good care of pilots and material. The flight instructors especially will feel happy about that. Standard nose- and tail wheel make ground operation easy.
Automatic hook-ups for all controls are a further safety benefit.
17.2 m wingspan means aerobatic category certification for the DG-505 Elan ORION. Where else is it possible to convert a 20 m two-seater in a few seconds into a fully aerobatic aircraft? Also during aerobatics the ORION shows its qualities. All approved maneuvers can be flown beautifully, all controls act directly and promptly. The optimized seat belt arrangements keep the pilots in position during all maneuvers.
The standard endplates allow easy installation of smoke generators for beautiful aerobatic displays.
18m flying characteristics equal to well proven
DG-505 Elan Trainer
18 m wing tips for flying characteristics equal to the well proven DG-505 Elan Trainer are available as an option. Operators who own already a DG-505 Elan Trainer can use the ORION with 18 m span without confronting the student with different flying characteristics. In addition the 18 m wingspan represents an excellent compromise between performance and wingspan and may be ideal to gather first cross country flying experience by minimizing the risk of damaging the sailplane during an outlanding (compared to a larger wingspan). This will make the decision easier to send low experience pilots cross country.
20m high performance and competition flying,
cross country training
With the standard wing tip extensions the wingspan can be increased to 20 m for high performance and competition flying.
The winglets at the 20 m tips will make possible almost as good a performance as with 22 m wingspan (comparison flights with a 22 m DG-505 showed that at same wing loading there is only a performance decrease of 3 % although the wingspan is reduced by 10%). In addition the winglets which are permanently installed to the wing tip extensions improve the excellent handling qualities. The sweep back of the wing tip extensions provides further improvement of low speed performance and handling, both important benefits for thermalling. The 20 m ORION handles almost like a 15 m single seater!
The comfortable ergonomic seating positions allow fatigue free flying for long duration so as to really enjoy the benefits of the 20 m span on long distance flights.
Three dimensional side view of DG-505 ORION
Flight report “DG-505 Multitalent”
Drawings of the DG-505