Meet DFS SG 38 Schulgleiter
The SG 38 is a single-seat primary glider from 1938, with an exposed seat on a braced structure beneath the wing. Deutsches Museum describes it as a widely built training glider from the period when students began in single-seat aircraft. Simplicity, repairability and low construction cost shaped that approach to instruction.
The museum also records an optional cockpit fairing called a boat, used to introduce a more enclosed cockpit. Its own example was built by a flying club in 1954 and used for training until 1956, when that club moved to two-seat instruction.
History & design
Learning alone, a short flight at a time
The SG 38 belongs to an earlier approach to glider training in which the pupil flew alone from the beginning. Deutsches Museum dates the design to 1938 and describes a machine intended to be inexpensive, easy to repair and straightforward to fly. Thousands were built. Its exposed seat and simple structure reflect that teaching method, rather than a missing cockpit.
After the war, two-seat instruction increasingly replaced solo primary training. The museum's example was built by the Rastatt flying club and used for training from 1954 to 1956, then retired when the club adopted two-seaters. An optional seat fairing, nicknamed a boat, helped prepare pupils for enclosed cockpits.
www.deutsches-museum.de · DFS SG 38 Schulgleiter — aircraft background and systems ↗Systems & details
Cockspur’s launch interaction
Cockspur includes a simple winch system based on b21’s script, activated through a cockpit clickspot. That interaction supplies the launch in its MSFS rendition.
In your simulator
No released simulator product is listed for this aircraft in the developers reviewed. Announced products are excluded.
Manuals & resources
Read the original documentation from the people who created it. Manuals open on their publisher’s website.
Developer documentation
Cockspur SG38 Schulgleiter – Cockspurcockspur.eu · Cockspur SG38 product, launch feature.Aircraft background
DFS SG 38 Schulgleiter — aircraft background and systemswww.deutsches-museum.de · Deutsches Museum SG 38 collection description.Built-in force-feedback profiles
Read the documentary basis, editable starting settings and remaining questions for the aircraft you fly. Each explanation refers to the exact profile revision shown.
Catalogue programme-20261011-v3 · 2 profile choices
Cockspur DFS SG38 Schulgleiter
Cockspur · Free and Pro · Revision 1 · Partial review
MSFS 2020
The SG 38 is a single-seat primary glider from 1938, with an exposed seat on a braced structure beneath the wing.
DFS SG38 Schulgleiter
Free and Pro · Revision 1 · Partial review
MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024 · X-Plane 12
The SG 38 is a single-seat primary glider from 1938, with an exposed seat on a braced structure beneath the wing.
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