Schempp-Hirth Ventus-2

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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 fuselage and the wider fuselage version is called the 2b. Winglets are used with these models. The 18 metre span Ventus-2c was introduced in 1995 but was almost an entirely different aircraft with a different fuselage and wings, but it has the option of shorter tips with winglets to fly as a 15 metre sailplane.

From 2003 the Schempp-Hirth Discus-2 fuselage was used for all versions, which now have the designations 2ax, 2bx and 2cx. Flight tests in 1996 showed that the 15 metre version had a glide angle of 46:1 but only after considerable work on sealing gaps and by using turbulators.

The narrow fuselage Ventus-2a has been highly successful in competitions with consecutive World Championship wins from 1995 to 2003. A narrow fuselage version with an 18 metre span, the Ventus 2cxa has also been built.

Some Ventus-2c and 2cx are fitted with small Solo 2625 sustaining engines (turbos) and are designated with a T suffix, while some are self-launching with a more powerful version of the same engine and have the suffix 'M'. The 2cT climbs at up to 0.9 m/s (177 ft/min) and the 2cM at over 3 m/s (590 ft/min). Ranges for the powered versions in saw-tooth operation are 370 km (230 mi) and 840 km (520 mi) respectively. The 2cxa has been designed to take a jet engine.

Production of the 2a and 2b has reached 168 aircraft, while the 2c, 2cT, and 2CM have reached 459.

Specifications (Ventus-2cx with 15 metre wings)

General characteristics

Crew: One
Capacity: 200 kg (440 lb) water ballast
Length: 6.81 m (22 ft 4 in)
Wingspan: 15.00 m (49 ft 21 in)
Height: 1.30 m (4 ft 3 in)
Wing area: 9.7 m² (104 ft²)
Aspect ratio: 23.3
Empty weight: 290 kg (640 lb)
Gross weight: 525 kg (1,155 lb)

Performance

Maximum speed: 285 km/h (180 mph)
Maximum glide ratio: 46
Rate of sink: 0.51 m/s (100 ft/min)

References

Specifications of Schempp-Hirth gliders

v t e Schempp-Hirth glider types

Wooden construction	Göppingen Gö 1 Göppingen Gö 3 Göppingen Gö 4 Göppingen Gö 5 Göppingen Gö 9 Minimoa SHK Standard Austria

GRP construction	Arcus Discus Discus 2 Duo Discus Janus Nimbus Nimbus 2 Nimbus 3 Nimbus 4 Mini-Nimbus Open Cirrus Quintus Standard Cirrus Ventus Ventus-2

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