Let's Re-Play!
Built to last, welcome to the "Schempp-Hirth Lab"
Sustainability is one of the key of our modern world. And our beloved Standard Cirrus or Janus, as many of our older designs, are still flying today after more than 50 years in our clubs. If these oldest variants were not meant to accept many extra modifications, with fuselage and wings a bit short on capacity to accept more load on non lifting parts for example, many next generations sailplanes have, deep hidden in their structure, the potential for further developments to the latest features. And this is were the "Schempp-Hrith Lab" enters the scene.
FES: Unlock potentials in your clubs
The Front Electric Sustainer (FES) from LZ Design we built in more than 100 gliders to date, is an IGC Award winner sustainer solution. But it has proved to be much more than a typical electro variant of a retriever. With the upcoming Duo Discus FES, we know it will open a new Era, facilitating the basic training of future and existing pilots, relaxing the cross country learning curve, bringing safety during some critical phases of our flights.
Imagine flying sessions in the morning in stable air, using a winch launch but being able to offer a 20+ minutes of training session in a real modern glider just by using the FES to reduce the sink rate. This double seater keeps its behaviour as a pure glider even if engine runs. Same reactions, no torque or arm lever effect on any axis, you just lengthen the glide for a complete and relaxed training session. You can give controls to your student pilot without the typical time pressure in the back of your mind. You can repeat patterns again and again, with little to no impact on local neighbourood and still a quiet enough cockpir for clear conversations.
Imagine cross country training on sub optimal weather with low cloud ceiling or weak blue thermals, just by being able to "skip" some difficulties or secure a minimum altitude at any moment to focus on what means cross country in pilot's mind: taking the right decisions, forecasting the next lift or managing landing areas. Not talking about the risk of outlanding close to "zero" as with any retriever solution, so you can plan on same day more than just one student.
This is what FES means today in addition to "just being another retriever" and we offer its installation on all Discus-2c variants (D-2c, D-2c(T), D-2cT), Ventus-2cxa and all Duo Discus with 750kg MTOW. And the Engineers of the "SH Lab" will come very likely with more variants in next future.
Please contact sales(at)schempp-hirth.com for more information about these FES retrofit solutions or book a slot for modification of your glider.
FES, more range with the new Gen4 batteries
Commitment to give you the last features available, even on already delivered glider, means also that electro solution potentially evolves a lot during the typical 40+ lifetime years of a glider. And we have already an example with the FES system, offering today more range than before, using the new Generation 4 batteries from LZ Design. Our engineers are releasing soon a Technical Note which will allow all our FES gliders built to date to upgrade to the new Gen 4 batteries, packing around 30% more energy in the trade of 1 single kilogram in addition to the fuselage (Gen2 were around 4.2kWh capacity and Gen4 are around 5.6kWh).
Please contact sales(at)schempp-hirth.com for more information about the new LZ Design Gen4 batteries and book a set for your FES glider.
Upgrade your Arcus to the State of the Art Arcus "20" aerodynamical features
Turning an already exceptionnal design even better is always interesting, and this is what our engineers made through the Arcus "20" variant. If you or some of your friends glider pilot flew an Arcus, you know this feeling of a big smile it makes to all of us. We are sorry to announce the "20" makes this smile even wider! This 20 meters double seater is a joy to fly with very nice harmony on controls and great responsiveness added to the power of its polar of performance. But we knew also we had still some room to improve even more stability and manoeuvrability, and win a bit on the polar at very low and very high speed, and during the typical "dolphin" flight phases. This is where our Engineers from the lab went back to the drawing table with our partners to define what could be possible to make the Arcus even better.
New lowered canopy to gain a bit on wet area, new Maughmer winglets to get even better wingtips behaviour on a wide range of speed, new Stabilizer for more "grip" on the air and less induced drag. This is the cocktail we offer to any Arcus today as a retrofit solution.
Feel the freedom of electrical self-launching
With the current development of the Ventus-3ES prototype, based on a Ventus-3TS platform, all heads are aiming to one of the dream of many pilots today: electric self-launching capability.
Our Engineers are working hard to make the Ventus-3ES airborne and ready for production. But, this means also that, in the next months, any Ventus-3 with the Sport fuselage will be elligible to this retrofit! Our team did not made the integration of this SOLO electro solution the "easy way", as we wanted to make it the most adapted to the real life of the pilots on our various airfields and environments. Some additional key features to the SOLO system will make the difference. Please visit the dedicated webpage of the Ventus-3ES for more information.
It is also no secret that, in parallel to the Ventus-3M variant, the Performance fuselage will be also transitioned to this SOLO electro self-laucnh solution in the next seasons. And, again, we believe all the extra work invested on the features and efforts invested on the Sport fuselage will make this Performance fuselage a great glider. Question mark is kept if we can also use this system on other variants in next future.
For more information on Ventus-3ES and its SOLO electro solution please visit this page. You can also contact sales(at)schempp-hirth.com to book a brand new Ventus-3ES or request more informatio to retrofit your Ventus-3.
The Schempp-Hirth team and the SH Lab.