Stemme S10
The Stemme S10 is a self-launching sailplane produced by Stemme AG in Strausberg (Germany) since the 1980s. The engine is mounted amidships and it features an unusual folding propeller which is stowed inside the aircraft's nose-cone when the engine is not in use.
Design and development
The Stemme S10 also has several unusual features such as a tailwheel undercarriage and a side-by-side cockpit. It does not have a tow hook connection, meaning that it must self-launch. The two main wheels retract & lower electrically, and can also be lowered manually if needed. There is an option to fold wings to reduce hangar span to 11.4 meters (approx 37feet). The engine restart time is 5 seconds. A solar panel can provide additional electrical power during long flights. It has a steerable tailwheel, Schempp-Hirth spoilers and optional winglets. The current variant, the S10-VT, has a variable-pitch propeller which allows more power during take off, and a new turbocharged Bombardier Rotax engine (formerly used a Limbach L2400).
First seen at the 1996 Berlin Air Show, the S15 variant has a span reduced to 20 m and has two underwing hardpoints for scientific or surveillance sensor pods. There is also an unpiloted version, the S-UAV, again intended for surveillance.
Operational history
Airborne Measurements with S10 VT during the Mountain Wave Project (MWP) Expedition Argentina'99 (record flight to Tierra del Fuego (1,550km) [1] and Expedition Mendoza 2006. Scientific measurements of atmospheric turbulence (up to 12,500m) around and over the highest mountain of the Americas, the Aconcagua.[2]
An S10 was flown by Klaus Ohlmann as a pure glider for a record distance of 2,463 km (1,330 nm), in a 14-hour flight.
Two examples were used by the United States Air Force Academy between 1995 and 2002 under the designation TG-11A.
The Stemme S10 is similar in appearance to the Caproni A21S Calif, except that most models of the Calif were pure gliders.
Variants
- S10
- Standard production variant.
- S10VC
- Surveillance variant with underwing sensor pods.
- TG-11A
- S10s operated by the U.S. Air Force Academy
Specifications (S 10-VT)
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Data from Jane's All The World's Aircraft 2003–2004[3]
General characteristics
- Crew: 1 pilot
- Capacity: 1 passenger
- Length: 8.42 m (27 ft 7 in)
- Wingspan: 23.00 m (75 ft 6 in) (excluding winglets)
- Height: 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
- Wing area: 18.70 m2 (201.3 sq ft)
- Aspect ratio: 28.3
- Empty weight: 645 kg (1,422 lb)
- Gross weight: 850 kg (1,874 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × Rotax 914 F2/S1 supercharged flat-four engine, 84.6 kW (113.5 hp)
- Propellers: 2-bladed
Performance
- Cruising speed: 259 km/h (161 mph; 140 kn)
- Stall speed: 78 km/h (48 mph; 42 kn)
- Never exceed speed: 270 km/h (168 mph; 146 kn)
- Range: 1,730 km (1,075 mi; 934 nmi) (maximum fuel)
- Service ceiling: 9,140 m (29,987 ft)
- g limits: +5.3/-2.65
- Maximum glide ratio: 50
- Rate of climb: 4.0 m/s (790 ft/min)
References
- ↑ Scientific TV-feature (RBB GEO-documentation) „Rodeo in the Sky - Research for greater flight safety“
- ↑ Heise, Rene (2011), "The sailplane as research laboratory – turbulence measurements above the Andes", European Meteorological Calendar 2011 (European Meteorological Society), retrieved 20 April 2011.
- ↑ Jackson 2003, pp. 176–177
- Jackson, Paul. Jane's All The World's Aircraft 2003–2004. Coulsdon, UK: Jane's Information Group, 2003. ISBN 0-7106-2537-5
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Stemme S10. |
- Manufacturer's website
- USAF AETC website
- Mountain Wave Project website with FAI-world records - S10 VT
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