Diamond HK36 Super Dimona explained

The Diamond HK36 Super Dimona is an extensive family of Austrian low-wing, T-tailed, two-seat motor gliders that were designed by Wolf Hoffmann and currently produced by Diamond Aircraft Industries.[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]

Design and development

The series started with the Hoffmann H36 Dimona, a touring motorglider introduced in the early 1980s. The aircraft were initially produced by Hoffmann Flugzeugbau, which became HOAC Flugzeugwerk and later Diamond Aircraft Industries.[9]

Built entirely from fibreglass, the H36 family all use a Wortmann FX 63-137 airfoil. The wings feature top-surface Schempp-Hirth-style airbrakes. Optionally, the wings can be folded by two people in a few minutes to allow storage. The original H36 has 161NaN1 wings, while the later members of the family added slightly greater span. The H36 offers a 27:1 glide ratio, while later variants improved that by one point, to 28:1 by adding winglets increasing the span to 16.331NaN1. Cockpit accommodation seats two in side-by-side configuration, under a hinged bubble canopy that is pushed up and backwards.[10]

The series are type certified in Europe and North America. The H36 received its US Federal Aviation Administration certification on 9 July 1986. Due to its fibreglass construction, the US certification includes the restriction "All external portions of the glider exposed to sunlight must be painted white except of (sic) wing tips, nose of fuselage and rudder."

In March 1987 an improved variant was developed by Dieter Köhler and the subsequent HK36R first flew with a Limbach L2400 engine in October 1989.

When equipped with the larger available engines, particularly the 860NaN0 Rotax 914 turbocharged powerplant, the aircraft can be used for glider towing. A commercial success, more than 900 H36s and HK36s have been completed.

The HK36 provided the basis from which the Diamond DV20 Katana from which the improved DA20 and four-seat DA40 series were later developed.

Operational history

In 1991, an HK36, flown by Peter Urach in Austria, set an absolute altitude record in its class for a piston engined aircraft of 361880NaN0. The record held until surpassed in 2002 by the Bohannon B-1.[11]

The FCD (Fuel Cell Demonstrator) was a project led by Boeing that used a Diamond HK36 Super Dimona motor glider as a testbed for a fuel cell-powered light airplane research project. The project achieved level flight using fuel cells only in February and March 2008.[12] [13]

In December 2016 there were nine H36s and thirty HK36s registered with the US FAA, two HK36Rs and two HK36TTSs registered with Transport Canada, along with seven H36s and eight HK36s registered with the UK Civil Aviation Authority.[14] [15] [16]

Variants

H36 Dimona
  • Original version produced by Hoffmann and later by HOAC, with a 161NaN1 wingspan, conventional landing gear, 27:1 glide ratio and powered by a Limbach L2000 EB1C engine of 600NaN0, a Rotax 912A of 600NaN0 or Limbach L2400 EB of 650NaN0. Applied for US FAA certificate on 4 April 1982 and received on 9 July 1986 in the utility category at a gross weight of 7700NaN0.
    HK36 R Super Dimona
  • Developed from the H36, with a carbon-fibre spar, modified fuselage, 16.21NaN1 wingspan and 600NaN0 Rotax 912A engine. Optional wing tips can extend the span to 17.61NaN1. Received US FAA type approval on 23 July 1993 in the utility category at a gross weight of 7700NaN0.
    HK36TS Super Dimona
  • Developed from the HK36 R Super Dimona, the HK36TS has a 600NaN0 Rotax 912 A3 engine, 16.61NaN1 wingspan, 28:1 glide ratio and conventional landing gear. Received US FAA type approval on 25 September 1997 in the utility category at a gross weight of 7700NaN0. Marketed as the Katana Xtreme in Canada and the USA.
    HK36TC Super Dimona
  • The HK36TC has a 600NaN0 Rotax 912 A3 engine. Received US FAA type approval on 25 September 1997 in the utility category at a gross weight of 7700NaN0. Marketed as the Katana Xtreme in Canada and the USA.
    HK36TC-100 Super Dimona
  • The HK36TC-100 has a 740NaN0 Rotax 912 S3 engine. Applied for US FAA type approval on 16 January 2003 and received on 12 January 2004 in the utility category at a gross weight of 7700NaN0. Minimum sink rate: 1.18 m/s at 97 km/h, glide ratio 1:27 at 105 km/h[17] Marketed as the Katana Xtreme in Canada and the USA.
    HK36TTS Super Dimona
  • The HK36TTS has an 860NaN0 Rotax 914 F3 or F4 turbocharged engine, a Muhlbauer MTV-21-A-C-F/CF 175-05 propeller, 16.61NaN1 wingspan, 28:1 glide ratio, and conventional landing gear. Received US FAA type approval on 25 September 1997 in the utility category at a gross weight of 7700NaN0. Marketed as the Katana Xtreme in Canada and the USA.
    HK36TTC Super Dimona
  • The HK36TTC has an 860NaN0 Rotax 914 F3 or F4 turbocharged engine, 16.61NaN1 wingspan, 28:1 glide ratio, and tricycle landing gear. Received US FAA type approval on 25 September 1997 in the utility category at a gross weight of 7700NaN0. Marketed as the Katana Xtreme in Canada and the USA.
    HK36TTC Eco Dimona
  • Special mission version of the HK36 for the surveillance role, it is equipped with a gimbal-mounted Wescam camera and cockpit display, an 860NaN0 Rotax 914 F3 or F4 turbocharged engine and a Muhlbauer MTV-21-A-C-F/CF 175-05 propeller. Received US FAA type approval on 29 March 1999 in the utility category at a gross weight of 7700NaN0 and 21 December 2000 in the restricted category, limited to aerial photography only, at a gross weight of 9300NaN0. Marketed as the Multi Purpose Xtreme in Canada.
    Diamond DA36 E-Star
  • Developed by Siemens, EADS and Diamond Aircraft to reduce fuel consumption and emissions by up to 25 percent, using a serial hybrid drive that turns the aircraft's prop with a Siemens 700NaN0 electric motor, from power generated by a 400NaN0 Austro Engines Wankel rotary engine and generator, stored in batteries. The prototype first flew 8 June 2011.[18]
    Hoffmann H38 Observer
  • A surveillance aircraft largely based on the H36 Dimona which failed to enter flight testing due to failure of the partnership between Wolf Hoffmann and Hoffmann Flugzeugbau.

    Operators

    Notes and References

    1. Web site: Katana Xtreme HK 36TS Diamond. 26 July 2011. Activate Media. 2006. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120829145233/http://www.sailplanedirectory.com/PlaneDetails.cfm?planeID=185. 29 August 2012.
    2. Web site: Dimona H 36 Diamond. 26 July 2011. Activate Media. 2006. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120829145249/http://www.sailplanedirectory.com/PlaneDetails.cfm?planeID=86. 29 August 2012.
    3. Web site: Katana Xtreme HK-36 TTS Diamond. 26 July 2011. Activate Media. 2006. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120829145253/http://www.sailplanedirectory.com/PlaneDetails.cfm?planeID=432. 29 August 2012.
    4. Web site: Super Dimona HK 36 Diamond. 26 July 2011. Activate Media. 2006. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120829145301/http://www.sailplanedirectory.com/PlaneDetails.cfm?planeID=343. 29 August 2012.
    5. Said, Bob: 1983 Sailplane Directory, Soaring Magazine, page 121. Soaring Society of America, November 1983. USPS 499-920
    6. Web site: Federal Aviation Administration . Federal Aviation Administration . September 2022 . Type Certificate Data Sheet No. G51EU Revision 6 . 27 July 2023.
    7. Web site: Type Certificate Data Sheet No. G07CE. 26 July 2011. Federal Aviation Administration. Federal Aviation Administration. January 2004. https://web.archive.org/web/20161223054043/http://www.airweb.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Guidance_Library/rgMakeModel.nsf/0/53c3b7dd4be4926a86256ea10057412c/$FILE/G07CE.pdf. 23 December 2016. live.
    8. Web site: HK36 Super Dimona. 26 July 2011. Diamond Aircraft Industries. Diamond Aircraft Industries. n.d.. https://web.archive.org/web/20110728020542/http://www.diamond-air.at/hk36_super_dimona+M52087573ab0.html. 28 July 2011. dead.
    9. Web site: Diamond Aircraft - A history. 26 July 2011. Diamond Aircraft Industries. 2010. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110909062744/http://www.diamondaircraft.com/why/history.php. 9 September 2011.
    10. Web site: The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage. 26 July 2011. Lednicer. David. 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20110719211726/http://www.ae.illinois.edu/m-selig/ads/aircraft.html. 19 July 2011. dead.
    11. Flying Magazine, July 2002, pg 36
    12. Web site: Boeing Announces Partners for Fuel Cell Demonstrator Airplane Project. 26 July 2011. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110629033329/http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/2003/q3/nr_030711p.html. 29 June 2011.
    13. Web site: Boeing Flies Fuel Cell Aircraft. 26 July 2011. Niles. Russ. April 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20110612025936/http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/BoeingFliesFuelCellAircraft_197531-1.html. 12 June 2011. live.
    14. Web site: Make / Model Inquiry Results. 13 December 2016. Federal Aviation Administration. Federal Aviation Administration. 13 December 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161220113840/http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/AcftRef_Results.aspx?Mfrtxt=&Modeltxt=H36&PageNo=1. 20 December 2016. live.
    15. Web site: Canadian Civil Aircraft Register . 13 December 2016 . Transport Canada . Transport Canada . 13 December 2016.
    16. Web site: GINFO Search Results Summary. 13 December 2016. Civil Aviation Authority (United Kingdom). Civil Aviation Authority (United Kingdom). 13 December 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161220135815/http://publicapps.caa.co.uk/modalapplication.aspx?catid=1&pagetype=65&appid=1&mode=summary&aircrafttype=HK36. 20 December 2016. live.
    17. Web site: Flight manual Diamond aircraft industries, 3.01.12, 9 January 2002 . 5 August 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160808044344/http://support.diamond-air.at/hk36-t_fhb_bas+M52087573ab0.html . 8 August 2016 . live .
    18. News: Hybrid Powered Aircraft In Paris. 27 June 2011. Pew. Glenn. June 2011. AvWeb. https://web.archive.org/web/20110627142447/http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/hybrid_electric_motor_aircraft_paris_air_show_estar_204867-1.html. 27 June 2011. live.
    19. Airscene: Military Affairs: India. Air International. 59. 3. September 2000. 133. 0306-5634.

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