The Beta was intended to become America's first production
fiberglass sailplane. The design work was done by Luenger and Kohler in 1967 in
Cleveland, Ohio. When the
fuselage was completed a
Federal Aviation Administration inspector informed the pair that the aircraft would not qualify to be sold as an
amateur-built kit and that the design would require
type certification. At that time this would have required an investment of
US$250,000 and as a result Kohler withdrew from the project, leaving Luenger to complete the prototype. The prototype was registered as an amateur-built in 1972, but no further aircraft were completed. The Beta 1 was constructed predominantly from fiberglass, with the wing covered in
plywood with a layer of fiberglass cloth and resin over that. The wing featured
terminal velocity Schempp-Hirth style
dive brakes and a Wortmann FX 61-184
airfoil becoming an FX 61-160 at the tip. The fuselage was a pod-and-boom design, with fully reclined pilot seating, a fixed monowheel landing gear and T-tail.
Soaring Magazine reported in 1983 that the sole Beta 1 had been donated to the
National Soaring Museum along with all its tooling, but as of May 2011 it was not listed in their collection. The aircraft's registration with the FAA was cancelled in April 2011 and it is currently displayed in the
Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum. ==Specifications (Beta) ==