The manufacturer is Jonker Sailplanes of Potchefstroom South Africa, founded in 2004 by two brothers, Attie and Uys Jonker. The structural and chief designer is Attie Jonker, while the airfoil and main aerodynamic features were developed by Johan Bosman in co-operation with the Delft University of Technology.

The first flight of the JS-3 was on 12 December 2016.

The JS3 is equipped with Tost nose and c.ofg. release hools, retractable main undercarriage leg with elastomeric shock absorbers, fixed pneumatic 180 mm (7.09 in) tail wheel with aluminium hub. A retractable 150 mm (5.91 in) tail wheel can be fitted in place of the fixed tailwheel. Provision is made to fit 2 x 12V LiFePo 7Ah/10Ah main batteries with fuse box in luggage compartment recessed battery boxes, accessible from cockpit. Conmmunications and navigation are improved through the use of a Goose-neck microphone, two independent speakers for radio, with antenna in the rudder and a navigation computer in the instrument panel.

Variant

JS-3 Rapture 18m Version with 18 m (59 ft) wings (Specifications below)

The LAK-17 is designed to meet the requirements of the utility category of JAR-22. It is a single-seat mid-wing sailplane of composite construction with a T-tail and flaps, it has a retractable single-wheel main landing gear and has airbrakes on the upper wing surface.

An optional front electric sustainer engine variant was developed for the LAK-17 by Slovenian engineers at LZ Design. It originally had a 0.9 metre propeller, and the latest versions have a 1.0 metre propeller in the nose driven by an electric motor.

For details of the variants, click here.

LAK-17Bfes

It is the most numerous and widely used glider in the world. In United States Air Force Academy service, it is designated TG-10C and is used for basic flight training.

The L-13 Blaník was designed by Karel Dlouhý of VZLÚ Letňany c. 1956, building upon the experience gained with the Letov XLF-207 Laminar, the first Czech glider to employ laminar flow wing profiles. The L-13 was developed as a practical glider suitable for basic flight instruction, aerobatic instruction and cross-country training. This design concept was combined with true and tested technology: metal construction, NACA laminar profiles and many standard-issue components of the Soviet aerospace industry.

The Blaník entered production in 1958 and quickly gained popularity as an inexpensive, rugged and durable type, which was easy to fly and operate. It was widely adopted in the Soviet bloc and was exported in large numbers to Western Europe and North America. Total production was in excess of 2650, or more than 3000 if variants are included. More than half a century after its first flight it is still the most common glider in the world.

The Blaník achieved many two-seater world distance records during the 1960s. The Blaník inspired other designs, notably the Démant and L-21 Spartak single-seaters developed to equip the Czechoslovak team in the 1956 and 1958 World Championships.

For more details, including variants, click here.

The Swift S-1 is a single seat aerobatic glider manufactured by Polish company Swift Ltd.

Edward Margański, Jerzy Cisowski and Jerzy Makula developed the Swift at Bielsko-Biała from the SZD-21-2b Kobuz 3.[1][2] The prototype first flew in 1991.

The glider is made of glass-fibre epoxy composite. It is very strong (stressed for plus and minus 10g) and manoeuvrable (a roll takes less than 4 seconds). Larger tips to increase the span to 15m were designed but not made. It has a retractable undercarriage.

The Maupin Woodstock One is an American high-wing, single-seat glider designed by Jim Maupin and made available as plans for amateur construction.

The Woodstock was designed in the late 1970s by Maupin, with assistance from Irv Culver, who designed the airfoil for the wing. Culver's airfoil is of 18% thickness at the root, thinning to 13% thickness at the wing tip and incorporates no washout.

The aircraft's design goals were low cost and simplicity of construction. Four design principles were employed: using the least expensive materials, using as little material as possible, keeping the design simple and utilizing as many common parts as possible. The resulting airframe is all-wood, with the major structural parts fabricated from Douglas fir. The tail and wing covering are birch. The wing and tailplane ribs are made in pairs from marine-grade fir plywood using a bandsaw. The wing spar is a hollow box for the first 8 ft (2.4 m) from the root and then changes to a "C-section" outboard. Top surface spoilers are provided.

The main landing gear is an 11 in (28 cm) go-cart wheel mounted as a fixed monowheel, with a brake fashioned from aluminium sheet and employed as a band brake, actuated by a bicycle brake lever mounted on the control stick.

Variants
Woodstock One
Original prototype with 39 ft (11.9 m) wingspan.
Woodstock (12.5m)
Version with 41.5 ft (12.6 m) wingspan.
Woodstock (13m)
Version with 43 ft (13.1 m) wingspan.

The Neukom Elfe is family of Swiss single-seat high-performance sailplane designs.

The aircraft is a shoulder-wing cantilever monoplane with a wing made from a balsa and plywood sandwich covered in fiberglass and a fuselage built from plywood.

Elfe and Elfe 2
The first Elfe was a 9-metre wingspan glider that was designed by Swiss designer W. Pfenninger before World War II.

A new design was introduced by Pfenninger in 1947 and was named the Elfe 2. This was probably the first sailplane to feature a laminar flow airfoil. It crashed due to rudder flutter.

PM-3
The Elfe series was then taken over, improved and strengthened by the Swiss engineer Markwalder into a third prototype, called the Elfe PM-3.

The sole PM-3's construction was started in one factory, but finished in another. It was first flown in 1955 and then went into storage for three years. The aircraft is built from Swiss pine and birch plywood and has a 52.5 foot wingspan. The PM-3 has dive brakes and full-span flaps with aileron interconnects to the flaps. It originally had fixed landing gear, but has been retrofitted with retractable mainwheel.

It was retrieved from storage and flown in Europe by Rene Compte who brought it to compete in the U.S. Nationals at El Mirage, Arizona, held in 1962. After the US Nationals the aircraft was not returned to Europe, but was sold, remained in the US and registered as N6351U in the Experimental – Exhibition/Racing category.[2][3] In 1999 the PM-3 was sold again and moved to the United Kingdom.

Compte originally reported the glider as being very pleasant to fly, but it did not do well in weak soaring conditions. It performed well only in conditions of strong lift. The PM-3 has a glide ratio of 40:1.

Elfe M and S series
Albert Neukom then took over the design and developed the Elfe M, Elfe MN and the AN66.

The next in the line was the V-tailed Standard Elfe S-1, which first flew in 1964.

The second prototype, the S-2, was similar to the S-1, but had a conventional tail. The S-3 was the production version of the S-2 and was first flown in 1966 and entered production that same year. It had a cruciform tail, trailing edge airbrakes and a retractable main wheel.

In competition, a Standard Elfe that was flown by Markus Ritzi of Switzerland, placed second in the 1965 World Gliding Championships held at South Cerney, United Kingdom. United States pilot A. J. Smith finished first in the Standard Class at the 1968 World Gliding Championships held at Leszno, Poland in an S-3.

The Schempp-Hirth Discus is a Standard Class glider designed by Schempp-Hirth. It was produced in Germany between 1984 and 1995 but has continued in production in the Czech Republic. It replaced the Standard Cirrus. It was designed by Klaus Holighaus.

The Discus was the first production sailplane to have a distinctive swept-back leading edge. This is now common in contemporary sailplanes.

Studies had long shown that the ideal wing for minimizing induced drag should be an elliptic planform. To keep production costs down, a triple-trapezoidal approximation of this shape was adopted for the Discus. The wing section was also new. Winglets were only available towards the end of the production run, though many have been retro-fitted. The fuselage and tail were adapted from the Schempp-Hirth Ventus. A version with a narrow fuselage is called the Discus 'a' and the wider fuselage version is called the 'b'. The fuselage is made of glass-reinforced plastic around a steel tube frame. The wings and tail surfaces are also fiberglass with the exception of the main wing spar, which is made of carbon fiber. There is a 6.5 L (1.7 US gal; 1.4 imp gal) water ballast tank in the fin for trimming purposes when the main wing mounted ballast tanks are in use (184 L combined) for a maximum wing-loading of 50 kg/m2 (10 lb/sq ft).

Competition use
The Discus dominated standard class sailplane racing throughout the 1980s, winning six World Gliding Championships in a row from 1985 to 1995.

Performance
The best measured glide ratio is 42.5:1. Though it is considered a high performance sailplane, its handling is well within the capabilities of inexperienced pilots. With no bad manners, powerful airbrakes and a low landing speed, the Discus is popular with clubs. Discuses are easy gliders to assemble, having light wings, automatic control hookups and a single pin securing the wings.

Production
Over 850 Discuses had been built by 2004 and it remains in production today despite the introduction of its successor, the Schempp-Hirth Discus-2. About 12 per year are built under license by Schempp-Hirth Vyroba in the Czech Republic as the Discus CS. Some models are fitted with small sustaining engines (turbos) and are designated Discus T.

Variants
Discus a
Short fuselage and narrow cockpit optimized for smaller pilots, utilising the fuselage and tail of the Ventus a.
Discus b
Standard production model utilizing the fuselage and tail of the Ventus b.
Discus bT
Discus b with a retractable sustainer motor
Discus bM
Motor-glider with retractable engine
Discus CS
Continued production in the Czech Republic
Discus K
Aerobatic version first flown on 18 November 1987. This was, due to disappointing performance in aerobatic, later converted back to a standard version.

The Phoenix Air Phoenix is a Czech shoulder-wing, two-seat motor glider, designed and produced by Phoenix Air and provided as a complete ready-to-fly aircraft.

The Phoenix is a derivative of the Urban Air Lambada motorglider, developed by Martin Stepaneck who was formerly with Urban Air before that company's demise. The Phoenix was designed to comply with the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale microlight rules and US light-sport aircraft rules. It features a cantilever wing, a T-tail, a two-seats-in-side-by-side configuration enclosed cockpit under a bubble canopy, fixed conventional landing gear and a single engine in tractor configuration.

The aircraft is made from composites. Its 15 m (49.2 ft) span wing is convertible to 11 m (36.1 ft), by removing the wing tips and then re-installing shorter tips and the winglets for faster cruising speed when flying as a microlight. With the wing tips removed it has a wingspan of 10.4 m (34.1 ft) for storage. Standard engines available are the 80 hp (60 kW) Rotax 912UL, the 100 hp (75 kW) Rotax 912ULS, 85 hp (63 kW) Jabiru 2200 and the 60 hp (45 kW) HKS 700E four-stroke powerplants. With the 912S engine the aircraft can be employed as a glider tug. An electric-powered version is under development.

The European version has a gross weight of 472.5 kg (1,042 lb), while the LSA version has a gross weight of 600 kg (1,323 lb). The design appears on the Federal Aviation Administration's list of approved special light-sport aircraft.

In June 2001, Pipistrel begun the development of the Taurus as one of the first self-launched gliders in the microlight category. The design used the wings of the Pipistrel Sinus with a new two-seat side-by-side fuselage. To enable the Taurus to self-launch, a pop-out propeller is mounted on the rear fuselage driven by a Rotax 503 piston engine. In 2007 the company developed the Taurus Electro with the piston engine replaced by a permanent magnet synchronous three-phase brushless motor.

By 2011, Pipistrel had delivered 100 aircraft of the Taurus family.

In 2010, the Taurus Electro was awarded the gold medal at the Slovenian Biennale of Design (Bienale industrijskega oblikovanja) BIO 22 "due to its supreme beauty and advanced technologies (...) in a design where form truly follows function in the most aesthetically pleasing way".

In AERO Friedrichshafen 2011, the Taurus Electro received the Lindbergh Electric Aircraft Prize for "best electric aircraft". The prize recognized the Electro’s “plug and play” electric power system, enhanced by solar panels on the aircraft trailer that allow the system to recharge using clean energy.

In September 2011, the Taurus G4 won the CAFE Foundation's Green Flight Challenge, covering 403.5 passenger miles per gallon gasoline equivalent with two people on board, and receiving the $1.35 million prize donated by NASA.

For details of the six variants, click here.

The specifications below are for the Taurus M variant.

Taurus G4

Named for the musical instrument of the same name, the Banjo series of gliders consists of three models, the basic glider model, a powered version (the BanjoMH) and the two seat DuoBanjo.

The Banjo sailplane is of mixed construction. Its 13.3 m (43.6 ft) span wing is strut-braced with one lift strut per side and uses a plywood box spar and spruce wing ribs, with the leading edge of the wing covered in plywood and the rear portion covered in aircraft fabric covering. The nose ribs are expanded polystyrene while the ailerons are made of wood and covered in fabric. The wing airfoil is an SM701 at the wing root transitioning to a Wortmann FX-60-126 at the wing tip, while the tailplane uses a Wortmann FX-71-L-150/30 airfoil. The fuselage is of fibreglass monocoque construction, while its one-piece bubble canopy is made from polycarbonate. The aircraft has fixed monowheel landing gear with a wheel brake and upper wing surface air brakes.

For details of the variants, click here.

ProFe Banjo

ProFe BanjoMH

ProFe DuoBanjo

The PZL Krosno KR-03 Puchatek is a Polish mid-wing, T-tailed, two-seats-in-tandem, glider that was designed by Jerzy Krawczyk and Eugeniusz Pelczar and produced by PZL Krosno, first flying in 1985.

The KR-03 was designed as an ab initio training glider.[1] The name Puchatek is Polish translation of Pooh Bear.

The aircraft is made from aluminium with some parts covered in doped aircraft fabric covering. Its 16.4 m (53.8 ft) span wing employs a Wortmann FX S-02-158 airfoil. The wing features top and bottom Schempp-Hirth-style dive brakes. The landing gear consists of an oleo-pneumatic sprung, non-retractable main wheel, a tail wheel and a rubber sprung nose skid. The Puchatek has a baggage compartment with a capacity of 5 kg (11 lb) for soft baggage items.

The aircraft was type certified in the United States on 6 August 1991, with Barry Aviation of Edgewater, Volusia County, Florida as the US certificate holder.

In 1993, a few examples were put into service with the Australian Air Force Cadets (AAFC), totalling to three as of 2012. They are currently assigned to 2 Wing AAFC. They are still in service as of 2014.

In August 2011 there were 16 KR-03As registered in the United States with the Federal Aviation Administration.

The design of the LS4 was influenced mainly by the experience Rolladen-Schneider had gained with the LS2 and LS3 flapped gliders. Wolf Lemke returned to a double-tapered wing planform, giving it a larger area comparatively to the LS1 and LS2, and enlarged all control surfaces: the ailerons were elongated and brought further inboard and the tailplane span was increased.

The fuselage and vertical stabilizer were taken from the LS3 moulds. Other notable features of the design were the retractable landing gear, the centre of gravity tow release that retracts with landing gear, the heel-operated wheel brakes, the upper wing surface air brakes and the water ballast system with internal bags.

The structure is entirely glass-reinforced plastic mostly with synthetic foam cores. The exterior coating, as with most composite gliders, is gelcoat, which protects the load-bearing composite from humidity and UV-radiation, and is thick enough to allow wing profiling, which is done by hand during the finishing stages of manufacturing to achieve the smoothness required for extensive laminar flow.

A total of 1,048 were built until Rolladen-Schneider entered receivership in 2003.

Variants

LS4 The initial production version

LS4-a featured larger water ballast bags allowing for an additional 15 l (3.96 US gal; 3.30 imp gal) of water to be carried in each wing. The landing gear system is strengthened by the addition of one extra set of shock absorption bumpers in order to handle the increased gross weight with a full water ballast load.

LS4-b fin height increased by 0.11 m (4.3 in) to 1.43 m (4 ft 8 in). The -b fuselage is 0.13 m (5.1 in) shorter at 6.66 m (21.9 ft). The wing shells are made in carbon, control connections are automatic, the instrument panel tilts up with the canopy and it has an optional tail fin water ballast system.

Never Exceed Speeds

270 km/h (170 mph, 150 kn) in smooth air

180 km/h (97 kn; 110 mph) in rough air

180 km/h (97 kn; 110 mph) on aero-tow

130 km/h (70 kn; 81 mph) on winch launch

LS4-a 280 km/h (150 kn; 170 mph) in smooth air

LS4-a 190 km/h (100 kn; 120 mph) in rough air

LS4-a 190 km/h (100 kn; 120 mph) on aero-tow

LS4-a 140 km/h (76 kn; 87 mph) on winch launch

The Scheibe SF-25 Falke (English: Falcon) is a German touring motor glider developed from the earlier Bergfalke glider by Scheibe Flugzeugbau. Since May 2006 the business has been run by Scheibe Aircraft GmbH.

The company had produced the Motor Spatz but decided to produce a better light aircraft based on the Bergfalke glider. It had a new forward fuselage with an enclosed cockpit with two side-by-side seats and originally a Hirth F10A2a engine in the nose. It first flew in May 1963 as the SF-25A Motor Falke. After an initial batch of aircraft the wing was lowered and it was renamed as just the SF-25B Falke. A number of variants were built with various engines and the type was licence built by Sportavia-Putzer, Aeronautica Umbra (Italy), Loravia (France) and Slingsby (United Kingdom). The current model is the SF 25C. It is currently available with a choice of three engines: the Rotax 912 80 hp, the Rotax 912S (100 hp) and the Rotax 914F3 (115 hp).

Byron Bay gliding club (Australia) have re-engined using a Jabiru 2200. "We get a sound 500 ft/min climb rate measured with a logger and this aircraft will take an honest 190kg pay load with 1 hour of fuel"

For details of the 12 variants or subvariants, click here.

The Scheibe SF 34 Delphin (German: "dolphin") is a two-seat sailplane that was produced by Scheibe in Germany in the late 1970s and 1980s. Designed by Wolf Hoffmann and originally designated the SF H34, it was Scheibe's first unpowered aircraft of composite construction.

The SF 34 is a conventional, mid-wing, cantilever monoplane. The landing gear is of bicycle configuration, with a non-retractable nosewheel and mainwheel semi-recessed into the fuselage. The tail is also equipped with a small skid. Scheibe manufactured the type in Hungary (SF-34b), later it was produced under license in France by Centrair as the Centrair SNC-34 Alliance. In 2010, Scheibe Aircraft in Heubach intended to take up production of the SF-34 again.

The Scheibe Zugvogel (English: Migratory bird) is a West German, high-wing, single-seat, FAI Open Class glider that was produced by Scheibe Flugzeugbau. The first version was designed by Rudolph Kaiser and subsequent versions by Egon Scheibe.

The Zugvogel was designed with the goal of a simple and inexpensive, but high performance, open class competition glider, with quick assembly. It was developed through several variants before production ended after 100 had been completed.

The aircraft is of mixed construction, with a welded steel tube fuselage covered in doped aircraft fabric covering, wooden framed tail surfaces covered in fabric and wooden wings. The 17.0 m (55.8 ft) span wing uses a NACA 63-616 airfoil at the wing root, changing to a NACA 63-614 section at the wing tip. The wing uses dive brakes for glidepath control. The nose is covered with fibreglass. The landing gear is a fixed monowheel.

The Zugvogel IIIB was type certified in the United States on 6 May 1964. Zugvogel IIIAs operated in the US are in the Experimental - Racing/Exhibition category.

US glider pilot Helen Dick set a number of US national feminine single-place records in her Zugvogel IIIB between 1964 and 1967. These included a distance of 492.2 km (305.8 mi), distance to goal of 364.6 km (226.6 mi) and an out and return distance of 400.0 km (248.5 mi).

In July 2011 there were three Zugvogel IIIAs and two IIIBs registered with the US Federal Aviation Administration and two Zugvogel IIIAs and four IIIBs registered with the British Civil Aviation Authority.

Variants
Zugvogel I
Initial version
Zugvogel II
Improved version
Zugvogel III
Improved version
Zugvogel IIIA
17.0 m (55.8 ft) wingspan, 37.8:1 glide ratio. (Specifications below)
Zugvogel IIIB
Similar to the IIIA, but with a shallower fuselage.
Zugvogel IV
Zugvogel IVA
Scheibe SF-27 Zugvogel V
FAI Standard Class development
Loravia LCA-10 Topaze
Loravia LCA-11 Topaze

The Janus has a glass-fibre monocoque fuselage similar to that of the Nimbus-2 but the cockpit section is lengthened to accommodate the two pilots in tandem with dual controls under a right-hand side hinged one-piece canopy.

The two-piece wings have 2° forward sweep on the leading edge, and have camber-changing flaps which are operated between +12° and -7°. The Janus has upper surface airbrakes, and although uncommon the Janus C could also be fitted with a tail parachute.

For a summary of the variants, click here.

The Schempp-Hirth Duo Discus is a high-performance two-seat glider primarily designed for fast cross-country flying, including gliding competitions. Often, it is used for advanced training.

The Duo Discus replaced the Janus as Schempp Hirth's high-performance two-seater trainer. It has a four-piece wing with a span of 20 metres. As with most tandem two-seat gliders, its wing is slightly swept forward so the wing root can be slightly aft to allow the rear pilot an improved view. Although it shares its name with the highly successful Standard Class Discus, any resemblance is only superficial. It first flew in 1993, and is still in production at the factory in Orlican in the Czech Republic. Its best glide ratio was measured as 44:1. An optional 'turbo' retractable two-stroke engine can be specified for extended gliding sessions. As of August 2007, over 500 Duo Discuses have been built. In the U.S. Air Force, it is known as the TG-15A. The chief rival of the Duo Discus is now the DG Flugzeugbau DG-1001.

Variants

Duo Discus X
A revised model, the Duo Discus X, was announced in 2005. This has landing flaps incorporated into the movement of the airbrake lever to improve its approach control, giving steeper and slower approaches. It also has winglets to improve thermal flying, and a sprung and lower retractable undercarriage.

Duo Discus XL
The Duo Discus XL is the latest version. It shares the same fuselage as the Schempp-Hirth Arcus, and the Schempp-Hirth Nimbus 4D. The cockpit is now 10 cm longer to improve seat comfort, security, space and ergonomics. The airbrake system has been moved 4 cm towards the leading edge, and now extends 18 mm higher. The XL is certified for simple aerobatics, including spinning. It can also be flown entirely from the back seat.

Duo Discus XLT
The Duo Discus XLT is a motorized version of the Duo Discus XL.

The Nimbus series of gliders over the years produced by Schempp-Hirth in Germany, and designed by Klaus Holighaus, has been very popular. It has been produced in a range of variants, a number having sustainer engines, and others being fitted with Rotax engines which are able to self-launch.

The Schempp-Hirth Nimbus-2 is an Open Class glider built by Schempp-Hirth during the 1970s. The Nimbus-2 first flew in April 1971 and a total of over 240 examples of all subtypes have been built until the beginning of the 1980s. It replaced the Schempp-Hirth Cirrus.

The first Nimbus-3 flew on 21 February 1981 and was similar to the Nimbus-2 but used a new wing profile, having a wing of 22.9 m (75 ft) which could be increased to 24.5 m (80 ft) or 25.5 m (83.6 ft) with tip extensions.  A glide ratio of 10:1 was claimed.  The Nimbus-3T had a sustainer engine.  Nimbus-3s took the first three places in the Open Class in the 1981 World Gliding Championships.  The Nimbus-3D was a two-seat variant, making its first flight in May 1986.

A number of Nimbus-3s have been operated in Australasia.  Models in this series include the 3T with a self-sustaining Solo 2350 engine; and the 3MR a self-launched model with a Rotax 535B engine, which was first flown on 9 July 1983.  Australian registered aircraft include: VH-GAA (c/n 6), VH-IHE (c/n 7) which crashed at Narrandera, NSW on 14 January 1988; VH-VJS (c/n 18); VH-IIX (c/n 27); VH-XJR (c/n 48); VH-XQE (c/h 74) and VH-ZBV (c/n ‘192’).  VH-GFF was a Model 3T, was operated by the Bathurst Soaring Club, and was fitted with a sustainer engine.

The Nimbus-4 family is a direct derivative of its predecessors at the highest performance end of the Schempp-Hirth product range, the Nimbus-2 and Nimbus-3. In total as of 2010, 44 single-seat and 100 two-seat models have been produced. The wing taper varies along the span, which is increased to 26.5 metres. The aspect ratio is 38.8. The fuselage is also lengthened and a larger rudder fitted.

The manufacturer claims this glider has a glide ratio of better than 60:1 at a best glide airspeed of 110 km/h (59 knots), meaning it can glide over 60 kilometres on course for every 1000 metres of altitude lost in still air.

There is a two-seat version, the 4D, and motor glider versions with either turbo engines (designation T) or self-launching engines (designation M).For more information on these gliders, click on the following links:

Schempp-Hirth_Nimbus-2

Schempp-Hirth Nimbus-3

Schempp-Hirth Nimbus-4

Specifications below are for the Schempp-Hirth Nimbus-4DM unless otherwise specified.

The Standard Cirrus was designed by Dipl. Ing. Klaus Holighaus and flew for the first time in March 1969. It is a Standard Class glider with a 15-metre span and no camber-changing flaps. The all-moving tailplane, a feature of many designs of that period due to its theoretically higher efficiency, caused less than desirable high-speed stability characteristics, and so modifications were made to the early design. Even so, the glider is still very sensitive in pitch. The aircraft built before 1972 have a washout of -0.75 degrees. The washout was then increased to -1.5 degrees which improved low-speed performance and response at slow speed.

Improvements were made with the Standard Cirrus 75. These included better air-brakes with an increased frontal area. By April 1977, when production by Schempp-Hirth ended, a total of 700 Standard Cirruses had been built, including 200 built under licence by Grob between 1972 and July 1975. A French firm, Lanaverre Industrie, had also built 38 Standard Cirruses under licence by 1979. VTC of Yugoslavia also licence-built Standard Cirruses, reaching approximately 100 by 1985.

All models of Cirrus have proved very popular in recent years in Club Class Competitions worldwide.

The Cirrus was superseded by the Discus in 1984.

The ASH 30 is a two-seater Open Class glider manufactured by Alexander Schleicher, developed as a replacement for the ASH 25. The Mi version is powered by a 41 kW (55 hp) Wankel engine. The prototype made its maiden flight on 7 April 2011 from Wasserkuppe.

The improvements over the ASH 25 are given as:

• a larger span
• new wing sections with a coefficient of lift that is about 0.2 higher
• a maximum take-off weight of 850 kg for the Mi version
• automatic control surface connections for the entire aircraft
• enlarged cockpits
• larger canopies to improve visibility and to allow easier entry and exit for the rear pilot

Variants

ASH 30
The un-powered prototype glider.
ASH 30 Mi
The motor-glider production aircraft, capable of self launching with a retractable engine and propeller.

The ASK 16 was designed by Rudolf Kaiser for production by Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co of Furth, Germany. The aircraft is of welded tube, wood and fabric construction and has a low-set high-aspect-ratio wing.

Seating is side-by-side for two persons under a fully transparent side-hinged canopy. The standard powerplant is a 72 hp (54 kW) Limbach L1700 driving a Hoffman variable-pitch propeller.

The ASK 16 has a retractable tail-wheel undercarriage with the main units mounted under the wings and retracting inwards. It is fitted with dual controls to permit use in the primary training role.

The prototype first flew on 2 February 1971 and a total of 44 aircraft were built for operation by clubs and private owners. Most of the completed aircraft remained in active service in 2005, including examples flying in Germany, Ireland, Italy, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

The ASW 28 is a Standard Class glider with a fifteen-metre span built of modern fibre reinforced composites. The manufacturer of the ASW-28 is Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co. The 'W' indicates this is a design of the influential and prolific German designer Gerhard Waibel. Serial production started in 2000.

The ASW 28 is a single-seat shoulder-winged composite construction sailplane with a T-shaped horizontal tailplane and 15 metre wingspan. The upper wing surface has Schempp-Hirth airbrakes.

As all Standard Class sailplanes, the ASW-28 does not have flaps or other lift-enhancing devices. It has tall winglets, a retractable undercarriage and a water ballast system. The structure is a complex composite of carbon, aramid and polyethylene fibre reinforced plastic. This permits a light structure with the strength to carry large amounts of water ballast, thus permitting the widest possible range of wing loadings for weak and strong soaring weather.

The ASW-28 supersedes the ASW 24 in the manufacturer's production line. It has – like its competitors Rolladen-Schneider LS8 and Schempp-Hirth Discus-2 – a version with wing extensions for the increasingly popular 18 metre Class, the ASW 28-18. The sustainer (non-self-launching) variant of the 18 metre version is the ASW 28-18 E. The sustainer uses a SOLO 2350 18 hp two-stroke engine.

Variants

ASW 28
Production variant with 15 metre wingspan.
ASW 28-18
Production variant with either a 15 metre or 18 metre span, also optional engine installation.
ASW 28-18 E
Production variant with a 13.2 kW (18 hp) SOLO 2350 2-stroke sustainer engine.

The Schneider ES-52 Kookaburra is an Australian two-seat training sailplane of the 1950s and 1960s. It was designed by Edmund Schneider, the designer of the Grunau Baby, who had emigrated to Adelaide, South Australia following the end of the Second World War.

The Kookaburra is a cantilever high-winged monoplane of wooden construction, with staggered side-by-side seating under a perspex canopy. The first example flew on 20 June 1954. It was available in both short and long wingspan versions and was widely used by Australian gliding clubs in the 1960s.

Variants

ES-52 Mk.I
Initial production, 4 built.
ES-52 Mk.II
Eleven built.
ES-52 Mk.III
Eight built.
ES-52 Mk.IV
17 built by 1964.
ES-52B
A 14.86 m (48 ft 9 in) span version of the Kookaburra with a completely revised three piece wing. Four aircraft built.

The Schneider ES-56 Nymph was a short span, Australian glider with a laminar flow wing, built in the 1950s. Only four were built.

The Nymph, with its 11.9 m (39 ft 1 in) span laminar flow wing was designed by Edmund Schneider, who had emigrated from Germany in 1950 and built them in his Australian factory.

It was wooden framed and mostly covered with plywood, though parts of the wing and all the rear control surfaces were fabric covered. Its one piece high wing was built around a single spar, well set back from the leading edge and with closely spaced (210 mm (8.3 in)) ribs to preserve the laminar flow profile of the ply covered forward part. This covering included the plain, upper surface hinged ailerons and a torsion resisting D-box around the leading edge from the spar. There was 2° of dihedral. In plan the wing was straight tapered with a taper ratio of 0.416 and 1° of sweep at the quarter chord line. Most Nymphs had very small endplates at their wing tips, though one was built with traditional blunt tips. Metal, Schempp-Hirth type spoilers, opening above and below the wing, were mounted just behind the spar at about one third span.

The fuselage of the Nymph was a plywood covered box formed with frames and stringers, with inward sloping sides, a central keel from nose to mid fuselage and an upper turtleback or semi-conical decking behind the wing trailing edge. The cockpit was ahead of the leading edge, with a single piece, blown perspex side opening canopy and an upper line that merged into the wing. On each side a secondary, D-shaped window gave some rearward vision. The Nymph's ply covered, straight tapered, horizontal tail was unusually far back on top of the fuselage, locating the tailplane, also ply skinned, aft of the fin with the elevators largely behind the rudder which ended above them. Its starboard elevator carried a trim tab. The vertical tail was straight edged, tapered and flat topped. There was an unsprung monowheel below the wing at about one third chord, semi-recessed into a rubber sprung skid which reached from the nose to the trailing edge. The Nymph without wing endplates also had its wheel mounted a little further forward and its skid removed. There was a miniature skid tail bumper rather than the usual cantilever tailskid.

The first flight of the Nymph was in December 1955. In the next month Harry Schneider, Edmund Schneider's eldest son, flew it 310 km (193 mi). It also had some aerobatic capabilities, being certified for loops, stall turns, spinning and rolls off the top. Despite these demonstrations of its capability, the Nymph proved less popular than its near contemporary, the even shorter span, less aerodynamically advanced Schneider ES-57 Kingfisher and only four were built.

Variants

Mk 1 The prototype. One built. Wing area slightly greater than the production version due to a bigger tip chord. Air brakes consist of upper and lower spoilers. The trim surface is centrally located on the elevator and there is a full length skid for the main undercarriage
Mk 2 Production version. Three built. Slightly higher aspect ratio wing than the prototype. Schemp - Hirth dive brakes, trim located on the right elevator, wheel and skid for the main undercarriage.