Albastar AS are gliders produced by the

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

n company Albastar Ltd. They are currently in the development stage.

Albastar AS-13,5m FES

Albastar 13,5m FES is a single-seat

motor glider A motor glider is a fixed-wing aircraft that can be flown with or without engine power. The FAI Gliding Commission Sporting Code definition is: a fixed-wing aerodyne equipped with a means of propulsion (MoP), capable of sustained soaring flight ...

with 13.5 m wingspan designed for FAI 13.5 m class which took its maiden flight in April 2013. To achieve better performance, the new airfoil with flaps was designed. It has provision for Ballistic Recovery System (BRS). The cockpit was designed roomy enough to be used by taller pilots. The glider has 23 kW

front electric sustainer Front electric sustainer (FES) is a propulsion system for gliders that uses an electric motor powered by batteries and a foldable propeller. It is produced by LZ Design d.o.o. in Logatec, Slovenia. The system uses a 22 kW compact outrunner ...

(FES) positioned in the nose which in combination with low takeoff weight is powerful enough to be used for self-launch. This system uses folding propeller which greatly reduces

aerodynamic drag In fluid dynamics, drag (sometimes called air resistance, a type of friction, or fluid resistance, another type of friction or fluid friction) is a force acting opposite to the relative motion of any object moving with respect to a surrounding fl ...

when not in use. The take-off roll is 170 m with enough battery capacity to reach 1800 m AGL. However, the glider also incorporates a tow hook mounted in the center of gravity for the classic aerotow. Two AS-13,5 gliders took part on the 2nd FAI 13.5 m World championship in

Szatymaz Szatymaz is a village in Csongrád county, in the Southern Great Plain region of southern Hungary. The village lies 12 kilometers northwest of Szeged, neighboring Lake Fehér, a part of Kiskunság National Park. Szatymaz is accessible via the M ...

in 2017.

Albastar AS-18

Albastar AS-18 is a two-seat motor glider with 18 m wingspan. First prototype AS-18M is powered by two-stroke internal combustion engine with the propeller mast mounted behind the cockpit. It has a self-launching capability and unlike other similar gliders, it has the unique feature of starting the engine before the propeller mast is extended, therefore practically eliminating the period of increased drag before the engine is started. The second prototype, AS-18 GEN is powered by the more powerful version of the FES system. It uses the 42 kW electric motor which is powered by the electric generator driven by the gasoline engine mounted in the fuselage behind the cockpit.Manufacturer's information on the AS-18 GEN
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External links

Albastar AS18

Albastar AS13,5

Front Electric Sustainer

References

{{reflist Glider aircraft Albastar Ltd aircraft 2010s Slovenian sailplanes Electric aircraft