The Schempp-Hirth Ventus-3 is a
sailplane
A glider or sailplane is a type of glider aircraft used in the leisure activity and sport of gliding (also called soaring). This unpowered aircraft can use naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmosphere to gain altitude. Sailplan ...
produced by
Schempp-Hirth
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 "Sport ...
. It replaces the highly successful
Schempp-Hirth Ventus-2
The Schempp-Hirth Ventus-2 is a sailplane produced by Schempp-Hirth since 1994. It replaced the highly successful Schempp-Hirth Ventus.
Design and development
The Ventus-2a and 2b are 15 metre sailplanes. The 'a' version has a narrow fuselag ...
.
Design and development
It was announced at the
AERO Friedrichshafen
AERO Friedrichshafen is a trade show dedicated to European general aviation. It is held yearly in April on the shores of Lake Constance at the exhibition center of Friedrichshafen, Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Ger ...
in April 2015 where a mock-up was suspended from the ceiling of the exhibition hall. The prototype flew on 29 January 2016 at Flugplatz Hahnweide at
Kirchheim unter Teck
Kirchheim unter Teck (, ; Swabian German, Swabian: ''Kircha'') is a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, in the Esslingen (district), district of Esslingen. It is located on the small river Lauter (Neckar), Lauter, a tributary of the Neckar. It i ...
in Germany. Production of the first seven turbo Ventus 3T started on 28 April 2016. These competed in the 2017
World Gliding Championships
The World Gliding Championships (WGC) is a gliding competitions, gliding competition held roughly every two years by the FAI Gliding Commission. The dates are not always exactly two years apart, often because the contests are always held in the sum ...
and the 2017
European Gliding Championships
The European Gliding Championships is a gliding competition held every two years.
Gliding is a competitive sport and was even a demonstration sport at the 1936 Summer Olympics. It was due to become an official Olympic sport in the Helsinki Games ...
. In the latter competition, pilots with Ventus 3T took the first three places in the 18m Class. A Ventus 3T also took first place at the World Championships at
Hosín
Hosín is a municipality and village in České Budějovice District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,000 inhabitants.
Administrative division
Hosín consists of two municipal parts (in brackets population accordi ...
in 2018.
Two sizes of fuselage are now available, Sport and Performance; the latter is larger. The Sport fuselage is available as a pure glider, or with a turbo sustaining engine, or a front-end electric sustaining (FES) engine. Currently the larger fuselage is only available for the self-launching 'M' and the turbo versions.
The first version of the Sport fuselage with the
front electric sustainer
Front may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* ''The Front'' (1943 film), a 1943 Soviet drama film
* '' The Front'', 1976 film
Music
*The Front (band), an American rock band signed to Columbia Records and active in the 1980s and e ...
engine, Ventus 3F, first flew December 2017. The first version with the Performance fuselage, Ventus 3M, also flew in December 2017.
Features include 'bug-wiper' garages recessed in the fuselage. There are three ballast tanks in each wing (total capacity 178 litres) and an optional 7.8 litre tank in the fin. The outer two tanks are filled from the wing-tip. 15m tips are available.
It has been designed to carry more ballast than the Ventus 2 and so its gross weight is 75 kg greater than its predecessor. Its maximum gross weight is now the same to the
ASG-29.
Specifications (Ventus-3 Sport or Performance Edition with 18m wings)
Either the turbo engine or the FES engine adds 50 kg to the empty weight given above
See also
References
News
{{Schempp-Hirth
Ventus-3
2010s German sailplanes
Electric aircraft
Motor gliders
T-tail aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 2016