The Akaflieg Darmstadt D-41 was a two-seat, side-by-side configuration sailplane designed to perform as well as tandem seaters.
It was, and is, a group of aeronautical students who design and construct aircraft as part of their studies and with the help and encouragement of their University.
It was designed to show that a two-seat sailplane of side-by-side layout, with its better visibility for the instructor, who sits in the rear seat in a tandem configuration trainer, and easier instructor-pupil communication, could have as high performance as one with the more usual tandem seat arrangement.
[3] The forward fuselage and cockpit region was wider than that of a tandem seater but inclined seats kept the depth down, leading to a flattened oval cross section of not much greater area.
[1][3] The cockpit was covered with a long, single piece canopy reaching back to the wing leading edge.