Role: Glider
Manufacturer: Sportflugzeugbau Schempp-Hirth
Designer: Martin Schempp and Wolf Hirth
First flight: 1935
Number built: 110

The Göppingen Gö 3 Minimoa is a single-seat sailplane produced in Germany. It was designed by Martin Schempp and Wolf Hirth and was produced the year after their first glider, the Göppingen Gö 1. It first flew in 1935. The name is derived from the name of lenticularis clouds caused by the foehn wind in Sudetenland, those clouds are called the Moazagotl. The name was used for one of Hirth's earlier gliders and since the Gö 3 was a smaller version, it was called 'Mini' as a diminutive.

It established several records, including the world altitude record of 6,687 m (21,939 ft) in 1938 in a thunderstorm. Richard du Pont and Chet Decker flew Minimoas to win the US Championships in 1937 and 1938.

It was made out of wood and fabric with cantilevered 'gull' wings. A B-version in 1938 had thinner wings with a modified section and the gull's kink in a different place. The undercarriage was non-retractable. It was the first glider built to carry water-ballast in a tank behind the pilot.

Only four Minimoas remain airworthy: two in Germany, one in Japan and the latest one to fly in the U.K.

Specifications (Gö 3)
Göppingen Gö 3 Minimoa, on display in the Deutsches Segelflugmuseum
General characteristics
Crew: 1
Length: 7 m (23 ft 0 in)
Wingspan: 17 m (55 ft 9 in)
Wing area: 19.05 m2 (205.1 sq ft)
Aspect ratio: 16:1
Airfoil: Göttingen 681 - root, Göttingen 693 - tip
Empty weight: 245 kg (540 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 350 kg (772 lb)

Performance
Never exceed speed: 219 km/h (136 mph; 118 kn)
Maximum glide ratio: 28:1 at 72 km/h (45 mph)
Rate of sink: 0.61 m/s (120 ft/min) at 60 km/h (37 mph)
Wing loading: 18.37 kg/m² (3.76 lb/sq ft)

Coutesy of WIKIpedia