For its feeling of pure flight, soaring is likened by enthusiasts to bird flightâquiet, without the aid of power to keep you aloft. Itâs just you and your piloting skill, riding the rising currents of air. When a sailplane or glider is towed or winched to altitude, it is truly a balance of the skill of energy transfer and light touch, of being at one with your surroundings and making the most of the natural environmentâs influence. As with other form of aircraft, the sailplane has enjoyed marked improvement and development throughout history from the wood- and linen-craft built and flown by Otto Lilienthal to the modern, sleek composite craft that seem to capture the smallest of rising air currents with little effort.
Woodstock No special jigs or fixtures are needed to build the Woodstock. Every effort has been made to keep the hardware simple. The Woodstock weighs only 235 pounds empty and can be launched by auto tow, aero tow, winch tow, or bungee-launched off a hill. The wing is built around a single main spar formed […]
Stemme’s S10 is one of the truly remarkable combinations of power and glide. The big-winged aircraft has a 50:1 sink rate. The mid-engine-front propeller drive was somewhat of an evolutionary moment for motorgliders and has set a number of world records. The two-seater has carbon-fiber wings and solar panels for 30W of electrical power once […]
Sonex, Ltd. is a kit manufacturer in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Their original design, the all-metal, two-seat Sonex single engine monoplane morphed into the V-tailed Waiex. Add a 45′ wingspan to that airplane, and a motorglider, the Xenos, is born. The company boasts the talents of John Monnett, creator of the Monerai sailplane and the Moni motorglider.
Cirrus 75 Discus 2A Discus 2C Duo Discus Nimbus 2 Nimbus 3 Nimbus 4 Ventus 2AX Ventus 2BX Ventus 2C Martin Schempp and Wolf Hirth first met in 1928 Their life-long collaborations would bring about some of theworld’s most respected sailplane designs. Beginning in 1935, the team developed the Minimoa, the first highperformance glider to […]
Designer R.E. Schreder built the RS-15 to OSTIV Standard Class specifications. Licensed in the amateur-builtexperimental category, its assembly is relatively simple with most major components pre-made to cut buildingtime to about 500 hours. The shoulder-type wings are all-metal with the exception of polyurethane foamribs. Provision for a 200-pound water ballast is inside the wing’s box […]
The Apis series includes both a 13- and 15-meter sailplane, is a combination of composite construction and old world craftsmanship. The Apis is intended for the sport flyer, but still holds several world records. They offer a forward-hinged canopy, automatic control hookups, in-flight adjustable rudder pedals, full-span flaperons, blended winglets, and Schempp-Hirth type airbrakes. They […]
Alisport’s sailplane division produces the Silent Club and Silent 2 series of light sailplanes. The Silent Club is available as a pure sailplane or as a self-launcher, with either fuel-injected or electric power. The Silent 2 is available with a fuel-injected engine. Both aircraft series offer exceptional handling and performance. Alisport Srl is based in […]
Design of this single-seat sailplane began in 1974, and the first flight of the prototype was that same year. Thecantilevered mid-wing has a constant chord with ailerons and upper-surface spoilers but no tabs or flaps.The fuselage is all-aluminum with a flush-riveted skin, and the swept T-tail has a one-piece elevator. One unsprung nosewheel with a […]
The only glider manufactured by Swiss aircraft manufacturer Pilatus was the B4. About 300 were produced beginning in 1972 until the Japanese company Nippi bought the rights to the design. The P4 is all metal and economical to maintain, and has good acro capabilities.
SF-25 SF-28A The two-place all-fiberglass SF-H34 has pleasant flight characteristics and a low construction weight. Schempp-Hirth airbrakes on the top surface of the wings are provided for glide-angle control. The nosewheel is fixed, and the main landing wheel is sprung. A disc brake is mounted with the main landing wheel. Visibility is excellent through the […]
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