The Schempp-Hirth Discus-2 is a
Standard Class 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 "Sportfl ...
since 1998. It replaced the highly successful
Schempp-Hirth Discus
The Schempp-Hirth Discus is a Standard Class glider designed by Schempp-Hirth. It was produced in Germany between 1984 and 1995 but has continued in production in the Czech Republic. It replaced the Standard Cirrus. It was designed by Klau ...
.
Design and development
In plan view the almost crescent shape of the leading edge is similar to the Discus but is tapered in three stages. An entirely new
wing section is used. The
dihedral towards the tips was greatly increased compared with the Discus.
Winglets
Wingtip devices are intended to improve the efficiency of fixed-wing aircraft by reducing drag. Although there are several types of wing tip devices which function in different manners, their intended effect is always to reduce an aircraft' ...
are an optional extra. A version with a narrow fuselage is called the Discus-2a and the wider fuselage version is called the 2b. The fuselage was specifically designed to be highly crash resistant. In U.S. Air Force service the Discus-2b is known as the TG-15B.
The Discus-2 has also been successful though the competition from the
Rolladen-Schneider LS8
The Rolladen-Schneider LS8 is a Standard and 18 metre class single-seat glider developed by Rolladen-Schneider and in series production since 1995. Currently it is manufactured by DG Flugzeugbau.
Development
By the mid–to–late eighties t ...
and the
Alexander Schleicher ASW 28
The ASW 28 is a Standard Class glider with a fifteen-metre span built of modern fibre reinforced composites. The manufacturer of the ASW-28 is Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co. The 'W' indicates this is a design of the influential and prolific ...
has meant that the Discus-2 has not sold in such great numbers as its predecessor, which went unchallenged for many years.
18 metre version
A version with an 18-metre span, with the option of smaller wing tips to fly as a Standard Class glider, was launched in 2004 and designated Discus-2c.
When fitted with a small sustaining engine (turbo) it is designated Discus-2cT.
Variants
;Discus-2a
:Production variant with 15 metre wingspan and narrow cockpit. 0.54 m (1.77 ft) in width, 0.75 m (2.46 ft) in height.
;Discus-2b
:Production variant with 15 metre wingspan and wider cockpit. 0.62 m (2.03 ft) in width, 0.81 m (2.66 ft) in height.
;Discus-2T
:"Turbo" variant with 15 metre wingspan and a 15.3 kW (20.5 hp) SOLO 2350
2-stroke, 2 cylinder sustainer engine.
;Discus-2c
:Production variant with 15 metre or 18 metre wingspan.
;Discus-2cT
:"Turbo" variant with 15 metre or 18 metre wingspan and a 15.3 kW (20.5 hp) SOLO 2350
2-stroke, 2 cylinder sustainer engine.
;Discus-2c FES
:Production variant with 15 metre or 18 metre wingspan equipped with a
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 ...
.
Specifications (Discus-2a)
See also
References
External links
Schempp-Hirth Discus 2c
{{US glider aircraft
1990s German sailplanes
Discus 2
Electric aircraft
T-tail aircraft
Motor gliders
Aircraft first flown in 1997
de:Schempp-Hirth Discus