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The Dallach D.4 Fascination is a 2-seat microlight aeroplane. The D4 Fascination was
designed and built by Wolfgang Dallach. The prototype was an aircraft of mixed tube-cloth construction,
including wood, composites and steel components with fabric covering and first flew in 1996.
The D4 Fascination was further developed into the D4 BK whith a full GRP sandwich construction. This all-composites
version was flown in 1999. The Fascination was marketed by WD Flugzeugleichtbau of Germany as the Dallach D.4 Fascination.
The Fascination is equipped with basic flight instruments, engine instruments, an electric starter, a variable-pitch propeller,
a retractable tricycle undercarriage and is powered by a Rotax 912 UL or Rotax 912 ULS engine. The Fascination has composite wings
covered in Dacron. A Stratos Magnum 501 ballistic recovery parachute is fitted. The maximum speed of the D4 BK is restricted on 260 km/h.
The Fascination was deliverable complete and as a kit. By the building package the GFK-shells of the fuselage and the wings were already
glued. It took still about 800 hours to build a the plane out of the kit. Next to the Ultralight, the Fascination was also available as a VLA.
The company, W.D. Flugzeugleichtbau GmbH (WD stands for Wolfgang Dallach), was located in two plants: one near Heubach in Germany
and the main production plant UL-Jih in Kaplice in the Czech Republic. The Heubach plant served as a completion center, where the
aircraft were finished, avionics added, and new products researched. The Czech plant was owned by Dallach, Scherlinzky,
and two Czech citizens. WD Flugzeugleichtbau GmbH, Heubach, ceased trading in 2005 and applied for bankruptcy on 6 May 2005. As
UL-Jih fabricated the models D.4 and D.5, they claimed sole production and marketing rights both to the D.4 and D.5 when WD Flugzeugliechtbau
ceased trading in 2005. UL-Jih intended to market the D.4 as the improved UL-Jih F80 Fascination powered by a Rotax 912UL and the the UL-Jih F100 Fascination
powered by a Rotax 912ULS engine. On 12 December 2007, UL-Jih has successfully completed testing the Fascination F100. However, the aircarft didn't enter
production as Swiss Light Aircraft (SLA) AG in Gümligen, Switzerland, acquired the rights to the WD aircraft designed by Wolgang Dallach and planned to market not
only the VLA version of the Fascination, but also the D4 BK Fascination Mk 2 ultralight variant, that had to be built in the Czech Republic. In 2014, the rights
returned to Wolfgang Dallach, as Swiss Light Aircraft did not start production in the 8 years and the only VLA in its possession was involved in a landing incident.
On 1 August 2008, DG Flugzeugbau in Bruchdal took over the design supervision for the UL models. Also in 2014 this supervision was taken over by Wolfgang Dallach again.
However the Fascination UL model was further developed by the former production company Wolfgang Dallachs in the Czech Republic as "F100", it didn't enter series
production anymore. When production of the D.4 Fascination ended, more then 200 airframes were built. On 18 January 2015. the well known German Arobatic Pilot and
airplane designer Wolfgang Dallach died at the age of 63, when its Piper PA-24-260 Comanche C D-EERZ crashed in Rechberghausen. During the flight Wolfgang Dallach
and his partner were out of consciousness by carbon monoxide poisoning before the fatal crash in which they died. Wolfgang Dallach developed not only the
Fascination but also the Diabolo, Sunrise and Sunwheel. |
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