Akaflieg is an abbreviation for Akademische Fliegergruppe, an academic group of students working with a German University.

In the winter semester of 1927/28 a glider group was founded by Karl Töpfer, Assistant at the chair for motor vehicles with a teaching assignment for aircraft technology.

The hang-glider, a large wing equipped with a passenger harness called „Brigant“/"Bandit" was taken over from the Glider Club Karlruhe, which had just been dissolved.

Until 1933 three glider planes were built, named "Zögling"/"Pupil", "Hol’s der Teufel"/"Let the devil get it" and "Karlsruhe".

In 1955 a new Doppelraab V6 named „Studiosus“ and a motor-plane Bücker 181 "Bestmann" were added to the fleet.

AK-3 became a project and a finished flight computer with electric variometer and glide slope indicator was borne, which was even produced in a small series.