It was relatively easy to build from plans, it flew well, and the aircraft was strong enough to handle mild aerobatics and the occasional hard landing. When the Baby first appeared, it was accepted wisdom that the pilot should feel as much unimpeded airflow as possible, to better sense rising and falling currents of air and temperature changes etc.

The intention was to create an aircraft suitable both for training and for cross-country soaring. Typical for its day, it was a high-wing braced monoplane with a fuselage of hexagonal cross-section and an open cockpit.

Aerotow speed: 90 km/h (55.9 mph; 48.6 kn)

Winch launch speed: 80 km/h (49.7 mph; 43.2 kn)

Rate of sink: 0.85 m/s (167 ft/min) at 55 km/h (34.2 mph; 29.7 kn)

For the history of development and design modifications, click here.

The HP-18 is a Richard Schreder-designed metal Racing Class sailplane that was offered as a kit for homebuilding during the 1970s and 1980s.

The HP-18 is a flapped (15-meter) sailplane featuring a V-tail and 90-degree flaps for glidepath control. The fuselage is composed of a prefabricated composite forward fuselage and a semi-monocoque aft fuselage, and features steeply reclined seating and a side-stick controller although modifications using a conventional stick have been made.

Major features:

• Very low cockpit with reclining seating position
• Sidestick (changed to conventional stick by some homebuilders)
• Two-piece canopy (changed to single piece forward opening by some homebuilders)
• V-tail that folds upwards for easy storage
• Wing structure composed of spars with caps pre-machined from solid aluminium plate and aluminium wing skins bonded to closely spaced foam ribs
• Fiberglass fuselage pod, wing tip skids and tail fairings
• Aluminium tail cone
• Winglets added by some homebuilders
• Water ballast carried inside the hollow aluminium wing spars
• Typical Schreder trailing edge flaps/airbrakes partially interconnected with the ailerons

Variants
As most homebuilts, the HP-18 has been constructed with many variations in detail. Perhaps the most significant version is the Super HP-18 developed by Canadians Ed Hollestelle and Udo Rumpf, which features a modified wing airfoil, winglets, a front-hinged canopy, conventional control stick and higher ballast capacity.

The Schweizer SGS 1-23 is a United States Open and Standard Class, single-seat, mid-wing glider built by Schweizer Aircraft of Elmira, New York.

The original "standard" 1-23 was introduced in 1948. The aircraft quickly became the most numerous competition and performance sailplane in the USA. A total of 93 of all sub-models were built by the time production was completed in 1967.

Schweizer Aircraft started construction of the 1-23 prototype in May 1948. The aircraft was completed and first flew on 5 July 1948, only nine weeks after construction had begun.

The prototype had been ordered by Bill Frutchy of Elmira, New York and the aircraft was available for him to fly it in the second half of the US Nationals.

The first production 1-23 was ordered by E.J Reeves. The success of this aircraft led to more orders and series production was commenced. The 1-23 was initially sold on a "factory direct" basis, which allowed them to be sold at a lower price than through the dealer network.

The 1-23 received Civil Aeronautics Administration type certificate 1G1 on 22 November 1949.

The type certificate is currently held by K & L Soaring of Cayuta, New York. K & L Soaring now provides all parts and support for the Schweizer line of sailplanes.

For details of the operational history and many variants, click here.

The Schweizer SGS 2-32 is an American two-seat, mid-wing, two or three-place glider built by Schweizer Aircraft of Elmira, New York.

The 2-32 was designed to be the highest performance two-place glider available, when it first flew in 1962. The 2-32 has been used as a tourist glider, trainer, cross-country and high-altitude sailplane and has set many US and world records. A total of 87 aircraft were completed.

The SGS 2-32 was conceived as a mass-produced sailplane of modest performance to act as a step-up from the SGU 2-22 trainer then in common use in North America. After careful examination of the potential market, the company decided to produce a higher performance sailplane with a greater wingspan instead.

The 2-32 design was started in 1961 and completed with certification under type certificate G1EA on 19 June 1964.

The 2-32 is all-metal, with a semi-monocoque aluminum fuselage and cantilever wings of 57 foot (17.37 m) span. It has top-and-bottom divebrakes and an all-flying stabilator tail.

The aircraft seats two or three, with one seat in the front cockpit and a double bench seat in the back suitable for two smaller people of 150 lb (68 kg) each, maximum. The aircraft is often described a "21⁄2 seater".

The ability to carry two passengers, plus its complete and comfortable interior has made the 2-32 a popular aircraft with commercial glider operators for conducting tourist flights. The ability to carry two passengers doubled profitability for rides.

The first customer aircraft were delivered in 1964, shortly after certification was completed.

The type certificate is currently held by K & L Soaring of Cayuta, New York. K & L Soaring now provides all parts and support for the Schweizer line of sailplanes.

For details of derivative designs and operational history,  click here.

The Slingsby Type 51 Dart is a single seat competition glider designed in the early 1960s, initially as a 15 m span Standard Class aircraft but evolved into an Open Class, 17 m sailplane. It was the last Slingsby sailplane to be mostly constructed of wood.

The Slingsby Dart was the last of a long line of gliders and sailplanes built by Slingsby Sailplanes Ltd almost entirely from wood. From the Slingsby Skylark 2 of 1953 onwards, the company had used Gaboon ply, thicker but less dense than the traditional birch for surfacing wings and fuselage, as it gave a smoother surface capable of maintaining the more demanding profiles of the newer aerofoils. The Capstan flew ten years later with double curvature parts of the fuselage skin produced from glass-reinforced plastic (G.R.P). Combined, these were the construction methods initially used for the Dart.

The Dart was originally a 15 m sailplane, aimed immediately at the 1964 UK Gliding Championships and beyond at the 1965 World Championships. Its wings were shoulder mounted, with 2deg dihedral and about 0.75deg forward sweep at quarter chord. They were built around spruce spars with a plywood covered torsion box ahead to the leading edge, fabric covered behind and with plywood covered ailerons. The mid-chord airbrakes were arranged as pairs above and below the wings.

The fuselage seemed notably long and slender at the time, and the tail unit small. It was a semi-monocoque spruce structure, plywood covered apart from the G.R.P in the cockpit area, with the single piece canopy hinged on the starboard side. The original tail unit was again a spruce structure with G.R.P. leading edges, its all moving tailplane mounted low on the fin, though later aircraft used a metal framed tailplane. The rudder and the rear part of the tailplane were fabric covered, the latter carrying trim tabs. On early aircraft the undercarriage was a non-retractable single wheel placed under the leading edge of the wing, plus a short skid under the nose and a tail bumper.

The Dart first flew on 26 November 1963. Four were entered into the National Gliding Competition in May 1964, but failed to impress in the light conditions of the first few days. It became increasingly clear that the speed of the Dart could not compensate in typical English conditions for the high minimum sink rate resulting from its high wing loading of 5.6 lb/sq ft (27.3 kg/m2). Since the 1965 World Championships were also scheduled for the UK, Slingsby decided to increase the wing area by stretching the span to 17 m, making the Dart an entrant for the Open Class. Initially this version also had a wooden wing spar, but some distortion noticed when the airbrakes were extended led to a redesigned spar of mixed metal and wood construction. The new wing was also fitted with a trailing edge root extension and a 1 ft (0.305 m) increase in aileron length and this version of the Dart became known as the Dart 17. The first Dart 17 used an undercarriage with a less extended wheel, fitted in a fairing but almost all later ones were fitted with a retracting undercarriage. The later Dart 15s used a similar metal and wood spar and had the root fillet, producing a net weight saving of 45 lb (21 kg) and a corresponding improvement in sink rate. Most Dart 15s retained the fixed wheel undercarriage to allow them to compete as Standard Class. Darts with retractable gear are known as the 17R. A total of 82 Darts were built.

For details of operational history and the nine variants, click here.

The engine is mounted amidships and it features an unusual folding propeller which is stowed inside the aircraft's nose-cone when the engine is not in use.

The Stemme S10 also has several unusual features such as a tailwheel undercarriage and a side-by-side cockpit. It does not have a tow hook connection so it must self-launch. The two main wheels retract and lower electrically, though they can also be lowered manually if needed. There is an option to fold wings to reduce hangar span to 11.4 m (37 ft 5 in). The engine restart time is 5 seconds. A solar panel can provide additional electrical power during long flights. It has a steerable tailwheel, Schempp-Hirth spoilers and optional winglets. The current variant, the S10-VT, has a variable-pitch propeller which allows more power during take off, and a new turbocharged Bombardier Rotax 914F engine in place of the earlier Limbach L2400. Most parts are made in Poland, but future production will be handled by Remos Aircraft.

First seen at the 1996 Berlin Air Show, the S15 variant has a span reduced to 20.0 m (65 ft 7 in) and has two underwing hardpoints for scientific or surveillance sensor pods. There is also an unpiloted version, the S-UAV, again intended for surveillance.

Variants
S10
     Standard production variant.
S10V
     Variable pitch prop variant.
S10VC
     Surveillance variant with underwing sensor pods.
S10-VT
     115hp Turbocharged Rotax 914F power.
TG-11A
     S10s operated by the U.S. Air Force Academy

Specifications below are for the S10-VT variant.

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. 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 2-seat Ogar is intended for training glider pilots from ab-initio to advanced stages as well as cross-country flying. The first prototype,(reg. no. SP-0001), first flew on 29 May 1973 powered by a 34 kW (45 hp) Stark-Stamo engine. Due to the Stamo engine being unavailable, production SZD-45A Ogars were built with 51 kW (68 hp) Limbach SL1700EC engines and later with Franklin 2A-120 engines as the SZD-45-2 Ogar F.

Of pod and boom layout the Ogar has a T-tail on a tubular Aluminium alloy tubular boom extending from the keel of the fuselage pod, which houses the cockpit and engine. A variety of materials are used in construction, with a glass-fibre cockpit shell over two load-bearing wooden frames. The wings are of wooden single-spar construction skinned with plywood and covered with glass-fibre. The engine is mounted at the rear of the fuselage pod, aft of the wing trailing edge at the same level and driving a pusher propeller. The undercarriage consists of a semi-retractable mainwheel fitted with a disc brake, steerable tailwheel and optional outrigger wheels on flexible struts at the wing-tips. Accommodation for two pilots is provided side by side under an aft-hinged upward-opening canopy. The Ogar was certified for simple aerobatics.

Of the 64 production aircraft, 41 were exported; those destined for the United States were powered by dual-ignition, turbocharged, Revmaster/Volkswagen VW 2962 engines.

Variants
SZD-45 Ogar
     The prototype powered by a 34 kW (45 hp) Stark-Stamo engine.[1]
SZD-45A Ogar
     Initial production variant powered by a 51 kW (68 hp) Limbach SL1700EC engines.[1]
SZD-45-2 Ogar F
     Later production aircraft powered bya 45 kW (60 hp) Franklin 2A-120A (later 2A-120CP) 2-cyl air-cooled

     horizontally opposed piston engine.

Based on the Standard Libelle H-201, it was first produced by Start + Flug GmbH Saulgau. The H-101 differs from the Libelle in having a V-tail, showing its ancestry to the V-tailed Hütter H-30 GFK. Four flush-fitting air brakes were fitted to the trailing edges of the wings, replacing the more conventionally sited air brakes of the Standard Libelle. The Salto's air brakes are hinged at their midpoints so that half the surface projects above the wing and half below.

The Salto can be fitted with a jet engine for self-launching, as shown in the photos.

For more details, click here.

The Taifun is an all glass-fibre low-wing cantilever monoplane with a T-tail and side-by-side seating for two occupants. It has a manually operated retractable tricycle landing gear. The Taifun is powered originally by an 80 hp (60 kW) Limbach L2000EB (Volkswagen) engine with later production aircraft being fitted with 90 hp (67 kW) Limbach L2400EB engine. The wings fold back along the fuselage sides for transportation and storage. The prototype, registered D-KONO, first flew on the 28 February 1981. The main production aircraft had a 17-metre wingspan and was designated the Taifun 17E. Two examples of aircraft with a 12-metre wingspan were built as the Taifun 12E which were classed as light-aircraft rather than a motor glider. An improved four-seat Taifun 11S was studied with a 115 hp (86 kW) Lycoming O-235 engine and fixed landing gear but the design was abandoned.

Variants

Taifun 17E Main production variant with a 17 metre wingspan and a Limbach flat-four engine.

Taifun 17E II Later production variant with a 17 metre wingspan and a Limbach flat-four engine or can be retrofitted with a Rotax 914, hydraulically operated landing gear, double panel Schempp-Hirth type airbrakes on the upper wing surface. aka WI Taifun 17 EII

Taifun 12E Variant with a 12 metre wingspan, two built.

Taifun 11S Planned variant with four-seats, not built.

The WA-30 Bijave is two-seat development of the Wassmer WA-21 Javelot II and the first Bijave flew on 17 December 1958 from Issoire Aerodrome. The Bijave is a cantilever shoulder-wing monoplane with a welded steel tube fuselage covered with fabric and reinforced plastic. The wing is made from wood, covered in birch forward of the spar and fabric to the rear, it has no flaps but is fitted with retractable perforated wooden airbrakes. The pilot and passenger sit in tandem in an enclosed cockpit with individual transparent canopies. The landing gear is a retractable monowheel, a wooden rubber-sprung skid under the nose and a steel tailskid.

The Whisper Aircraft Whisper motor glider is a South African two-seat kit aircraft that was designed by Russell Phillips in 2004 and is produced by Whisper Aircraft of Port Elizabeth. Major assemblies are completed at the factory with assembly intended to be completed by the owner. It is powered by a four-cylinder Limbach L2000 aero engine with options for the 85 hp (63 kW) Jabiru 2200 and 80 hp (60 kW) Rotax 912 available.

Whisper Aircraft Whisper motorglider

whisper-mg

The Whisper motorglider is equally at home soaring in rising air as a glider, or motoring long distances as a roomy, yet fast touring aircraft.

The Whisper was designed for the homebuilder. Every component has been optimized to ease the task of the homebuilder. The aircraft can be built from a "basic package" or from a "fast build package" depending on how many hours the builder wishes to spend on the project. Components not supplied in these packages can be manufactured by the builder or ordered from the factory. All hardware is ordered directly from Aircraft Spruce & Specialty by the builder.

The Whisper can be built with a wingspan of 16m (52.5') or 12m (39.4') to suit individual requirements. With the longer wing the aircraft has a glide ratio of 28:1 and a minimum sink rate of 200fpm which makes it a very capable glider. The 21USG fuel tank and the 115MPG cruise speed also make the aircraft capable of very long powered flights. The 4'2" wide cabin allows for very comfortable side by side seating. The aircraft can be built with conventional or nose wheel undercarriage.

The aircraft structure is fiberglass and the wing has been tested to an ultimate load of 10.6g. Engine options are VW2100, Jabiru 2200/3300, Rotax 912/S, and Limbach L2000. 

The design was developed into the Whisper X350 Generation II kit aircraft in 2015.

The Göppingen Gö 4 or Goevier is a German sailplane of the late 1930s used for training pilots. Its most notable features include side-by-side seating and dual controls, making the plane ideal for use as a trainer. It boasted average performance, compared to other gliders of the day, and was advertised as making the process of learning to fly sailplanes easier.

The Goevier (or Gövier; Gö 4 read aloud in German) was designed as a modern trainer with side-by-side seating for easy communication between student and tutor, with performance comparable to that of the intermediate single seat trainers of the day such as the Grunau Baby and Göppingen Gö 1 Wolf. Its glide angle of 19:1 was rather better than that of both these aircraft (17:1).

It is a cantilever mid-wing monoplane. The wing has a single spar and a plywood covered D-box nose; aft of the spar the wing is fabric covered. The centre section is of constant chord and the outer panels tapered, with sweep on both edges. Here the trailing edge carries long span, broad chord ailerons with curved edges which extend aft of the centre section trailing edge, giving a roughly elliptical plan.

The side-by-side seat arrangement inevitably makes the front fuselage wider (945 mm; 37.4 in externally) than that of a single or tandem seat aircraft, though as the seats are just ahead of the main spar and the mid-wing placed at shoulder height, the interior opening into the wing roots provides extra working space. These roots were early examples of the use of plastics in gliders, formed from hessian soaked in phenolic resins and shaped in a mould. The cockpit is enclosed with glazing and its roof line runs smoothly into that of the upper fuselage above the wing. The fuselage, plywood covered all over, tapers to the tail where the cross-section is shield shaped. The ply covered tailplane is mounted on a small step above the fuselage; together with the fabric covered elevators the horizontal tail is trapezoidal in plan with rounded tips. The fin and rudder were altered several times during the development of the Goevier, initially with both broad and with the fin extending forward to the leading edge of the tailplane, but on all production models it is narrow and upright, carrying several slightly different rudder designs. From 1941 the rudder was aerodynamically balanced. The Goevier lands on a monowheel undercarriage, with a skid reaching forward from it to the nose and with a small tail skid.

The Goevier V-1 made its first flight on 30 November 1937, piloted by Heinz Kensche. It was often towed by a Klemm Kl 25. Production began at Göppingen the following October.
 

Variants
Data from The Göppingen Gö 4 (GOEVIER), Der berühmtesten Segelfluzeuge, and Sailplanes 1920-1945

Goevier I
Prototype V-1. Length 6.74 m (22 ft 1 in), span 14.80 m (48 ft 6.7 in). Broad fin and rudder.
Goevier II
Production model before and during World War II. About 100, possibly more, built before February 1941. Another 6 were built by Fokker immediately post-war. Length 7.26 m (23 ft 10 in), span 14.73 m (48 ft 4 in). Narrower fin and rudder. From 1941 with horn-balanced and slightly less rounded rudder on same fin.
Goevier III
(aka Hirth-Hütter Goevier III) – Dipl.-Ing. Wolf Hirth/Wolfgang Hütter.Post-war production model, prototype V-2. About 20 built. As later Goevier II but length 6.24 m (20 ft 5.6 in).
Hirth Hi-20 MoSe
Powered, self launching version completed in 1941. Retractable propeller.