If there were a contest to name the Tesla of the air—that is, a cool, slick, fast and technologically advanced plane that appealed to well-heeled technology nuts—the Stemme powered sailplane would get our vote. The company, based in Germany, announced at AirVenture its latest model, the S12 Twin Voyager, which improves upon the popular S10 in numerous ways, including improved flyability, something that might not seem high on the list for a glider, but when it comes to über-high-performance sailplanes, is at the top of the list.
Like the S10, the S12 is a self-launching, high-performance sailplane with foldable wings and a turbocharged Rotax 914 engine with a retractable folding propeller.
The S12 distinguishes itself by having an even longer wingspan, 25 meters—that’s “meters,” friends, which translates into 82 feet. Its larger tail increases its stability, especially in turns. Whereas the S10 tends to be finicky in very steep banked turns, de rigeur in high-performance soaring when claiming a thermal, the S12, Stemme says, is far more stable, even docile in such maneuvers.
Additionally, the S12 features additional storage—there’s not much, but there’s more—solar panels atop the fuselage for battery charging, enhanced avionics (including an autopilot) and additional fuel capacity, for very long-range flying under power.
While the S12 makes its mark as a sailplane, it’s a more than passable cross-country machine, hitting typical cruise speeds at 10,000 feet of around 140 knots true, not too shabby for an aircraft designed to fly around on no power whatsoever.
Stemme recently received EASA certification for the S12.
For more info, visit stemme.com.
