Brigitte Holighaus (née Kunz) was born in Salzwedel in Northern Germany on April 10, 1944. Already in her school years, she meets her future husband Klaus Holighaus in Eibelshausen and they marry in 1963. Two years later, the young couple move to Weilheim near Kirchheim/Teck with their one-year-old son Ralf.
When her husband takes over the responsibility of the production line at Schempp-Hirth in 1969, Brigitte actively supports Klaus in all job-related areas, even helps hands-on in building the legendary Nimbus-1. Their second son Tilo is born the same year and Brigitte creates the stable family foundation that gives Klaus the freedom to fully engage in both his professional and gliding career.
In the seventies, Brigitte herself achieves her gliding license and quickly becomes a top pilot. To avoid conflicts with her husband's busy agenda, she decides against participating in central competitions, but makes all the more noise in the DMSt (German section of what is now the OLC). In the eighties, Brigitte achieves top positions in Baden-Württemberg several times and in 1985, she wins the German Championships. En passant, she goes record hunting with Brigitta Keller and some of those records are valid up to the present day.
In 1977, her husband takes over all of Schempp-Hirth and Brigitte brings herself in both as advisor and sports companion. During the following years, she will be a major component of Klaus' business and gliding success and her support at the many international championships and record-flying camps all over the world would become legendary.
After her husband's tragical accident in 1994, Brigitte and her sons Ralf and Tilo decide to continue managing the company in her husband's spirit. Thanks to this decision and the engagement of many experienced staff members, the family managed to carry on the success story of Schempp-Hirth.
Up to today, Brigitte pays a visit to the company nearly every day and she remains the soul of the company. Besides that, the promotion of aviation has always been and will always been her particular concern and Brigitte's engagement as top pilot is very valuable for the sport of gliding.