Schempp-Hirth Flugzeugbau GmbH is a glider manufacturer based in Kirchheim unter Teck, Germany.

History

Martin Schempp founded his own company in Göppingen in 1935, with the assistance of Wolf Hirth. The company was initially called "Sportflugzeugbau Göppingen Martin Schempp". In 1938, Wolf Hirth, mainly responsible for the design work, officially became a partner in the company, which then became "Sportflugzeugbau Schempp-Hirth". The company relocated to Kirchheim unter Teck the same year. The company's first product was the

Göppingen Gö 1 The Göppingen Gö 1 Wolf was a single-seat glider produced in Germany from 1935. Design and development Conceived as a rival to the Grunau Baby, it was the first product of the newly formed Sportflugzeugbau Göppingen Martin Schempp firm. It ...

''Wolf'' glider, conceived as a rival to the ubiquitous Grunau Baby, but real success came with the

Göppingen Gö 3 The Göppingen Gö 3 ''Minimoa'' is a single-seat sailplane produced in Germany. It was designed by Martin Schempp and Wolf Hirth and was produced the year after their first glider, the Göppingen Gö 1. It first flew in 1935. The name is deriv ...

''Minimoa'' the same year. During World War II, the company built DFS Habicht training gliders, as well as tailplane assemblies for the

Messerschmitt Bf 109 The Messerschmitt Bf 109 is a German World War II fighter aircraft that was, along with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, the backbone of the Luftwaffe's fighter force. The Bf 109 first saw operational service in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War an ...

. The company also built a research aircraft, the Göppingen Gö 9 to investigate Claude Dornier's rear-mounted " pusher" propeller plans. With its cruciform tail, this aircraft was to be a stepping-stone towards the revolutionary Dornier Do 335 ''Pfeil''. After the war, forbidden by the allied occupation from building aircraft, the company manufactured beds, wheelbarrows, radio cabinets, and other furniture. In 1951, the prohibitions were lifted and the company returned to sailplane building. Wolf Hirth died in 1959 but it was not until 1964 that Martin Schempp found a new designer: Klaus Holighaus who had just graduated from

Darmstadt Darmstadt () is a city in the States of Germany, state of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Frankfurt Rhine Main Area, Rhine-Main-Area (Frankfurt Metropolitan Region). Darmstadt has around 160,000 inhabitants, making it th ...

Technical University, where he was a member of its Akaflieg. Holighaus was also an excellent pilot and became a regular member of the German gliding team. Additional technical expertise was recruited in 1970 and Holighaus became Chief Executive in 1972. From 1977 Holighaus was the sole owner of the business. After Holighaus's death in a gliding accident in 1994, control of the company passed to his widow and sons, all of whom are keen glider pilots. It employs about 100 people, and is currently managed by Tilo Holighaus and Brigitte Holighaus. The company has often sub-contracted work, and has issued licences for other companies to build its designs.

Aircraft produced

Schempp-Hirth aircraft include: *

''Wolf'' sailplane, 1935 * Göppingen Gö 2 improved Grunau 8, 1935 *

''Minimoa'' sailplane, 1936 * Göppingen Gö 4 two-seat sailplane, 1938 * Göppingen Gö 5 Hütter H 17 sailplane, 1938 * Göppingen Gö 6 ''Minimoa Mo 2a'' two-seat sailplane, 1937 * Göppingen Gö 7 two-seat sport aeroplane (not built) * Göppingen Gö 8 scale model test airframe for Dornier Do 214, 1939 * Göppingen Gö 9 development aircraft for Dornier Do 335 ''Pfeil'', 1941 *

Standard Austria The Standard Austria was a single-seat aerobatic glider that was originally designed and built in Austria from 1959 but production was moved in 1962 to Schempp-Hirth in Germany. Development Commissioned by the ''Österreichischer Aeroclub'' � ...

* Schempp-Hirth SHK * Cirrus * Standard Cirrus * Discus * Discus-2 * Ventus * Ventus-2 * Ventus 3 * Nimbus * Nimbus-2 * Nimbus-3 * Nimbus-4 * Mini-Nimbus *

Janus In ancient Roman religion and myth, Janus ( ; la, Ianvs ) is the god of beginnings, gates, transitions, time, duality, doorways, passages, frames, and endings. He is usually depicted as having two faces. The month of January is named for Janu ...

* Duo Discus *

Arcus Arcus may refer to: Businesses and organizations *ARCUS, the Arctic Research Consortium of the United States, supporting Arctic policy in the U.S. *Arcus AS, a Norwegian producer of liquor * Arcus Co., a Bulgarian firearm manufacturer *Arcus Fou ...

Quintus Quintus is a male given name derived from '' Quintus'', a common Latin forename (''praenomen'') found in the culture of ancient Rome. Quintus derives from Latin word ''quintus'', meaning "fifth". Quintus is an English masculine given name and ...

References

*''Segelflugzeuge vom Wolf zum Discus'', Peter F Selinger, Motor Buch Verlag 1989

External links

Schempp-Hirth company website
{{Authority control Aircraft manufacturers of Germany Glider manufacturers