Grob Aerospace GmbH
Encyclopedia
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
manufacturer, previously known as Grob Aerospace. It has been manufacturing aircraft using carbon fiber reinforced polymer since the 1970s.
History
The company was founded in 1971 by Dr Burkhart Grob, son of Ernst Grob, who had started producing internal combustion engines in 1926 and later made other parts for the automobile industry. Grob Aerospace became involved in gliderGlider (sailplane)
A glider or sailplane is a type of glider aircraft used in the sport of gliding. Some gliders, known as motor gliders are used for gliding and soaring as well, but have engines which can, in some cases, be used for take-off or for extending a flight...
manufacture in 1971 when it was sub-contracted by Schempp-Hirth
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 "Sportflugzeugbau Göppingen Martin Schempp"...
to build the Standard Cirrus
Schempp-Hirth Standard Cirrus
|-References:* * * Coates A.,Janes World Sailplanes and Motor Gliders, Janes,1980, ISBN 0 7106 0017 8, pg. 85* Simons M, Segelflugzeuge 1965-2000, Eqip, 2004* * ....
under licence. Burkhart Grob was a power pilot and a glider pilot already.
Two hundred Standard Cirruses were built by Grob at its own Tussenhausen-Mattsies airfield between 1971 and 1975. In 1974 Grob decided to continue with glider production independently using its experience with fibre-composite construction. Instead of building competitive gliders, they decided to build for the club market at competitive prices. The result was the G-102 Astir. The two-seat G 103 Twin Astir followed shortly after.
In the late 1970s Grob also decided to build the G 109, the world's first production all-composite motor glider
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 ,...
which was certified in 1981. This was following by the G 115 which was certified by the FAA in 1987. In the late 1980s the G 520 Egrett/STRATO 1 high-altitude aircraft was produced which established five world records. Glider production ceased in 1996 and production concentrated on powered aircraft.
The Grob G180 SPn
Grob G180 SPn
|-See also:-External links:*...
, six-passenger jet, first flew in 2005. The second prototype crashed shortly after takeoff on November 29, 2006 near the production plant in Germany. Chief test pilot Gérard Guillaumaud
Gérard Guillaumaud
Gérard Guillaumaud , was a French Air Force test pilot.Guillaumaud was born in France and was a graduate of the National Test Pilot School in Mojave, California....
, the aircraft's sole occupant, was killed.
2008 insolvency
On 18 August 2008, Grob Aerospace filed for insolvency, suspending their light-jet production and calling into question timely delivery of Bombardier AerospaceBombardier Aerospace
Bombardier Aerospace is a division of Bombardier Inc. and is the third-largest airplane manufacturer in the world. It is headquartered in Dorval, Quebec, Canada.- History :...
's Learjet 85
Learjet 85
-External links:* * * *...
prototypes which Grob was contracted to build. The company was unable to find any investors for its SPn jet project. Most employees were released on 3 November 2008.
Niall Olver, Grob's chief executive officer said:
On 16 December 2008 Grob insolvency administrator Dr. Michael Jaffé announced that two parties had expressed interest in taking over the insolvent company, Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
based H3 Aerospace and the Chinese
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
Guizhou Aircraft Industry Corporation
Guizhou Aircraft Industry Corporation
Guizhou Aircraft Industry Corporation is a Chinese aircraft manufacturer and military aircraft in Guizhou province. The companies products include trainers, turbojets, missiles and launchers.-Products:Trainers...
. Both companies offered about $4.5 million for Grob, with Guizhou also offering an additional $3.5 million for the SPn jet program.
Grob Aircraft
In January 2009 H3 Aerospace bought the training aircraft and support business of Grob Aerospace and renamed it Grob Aircraft AG. The training aircraft production, which had been halted in November 2008, was restarted in February 2009.SPn program
Grob Aerospace's largest creditor did not approve the sale of the SPn to Guizhou Aircraft Industry Corporation and instead retained it. Niall Olver, Grob Aerospace's former CEO, was appointed by the creditor to find new investors to buy the SPn assets with the aim of restarting the program by June 2009. Olver indicated in March 2009 that the plan was to complete certification and commence production near the middle of 2012.Aircraft Types
Produced by Grob Aircraft AG- Grob G 120TP - Turboprop Trainer
- Grob G 120A - Trainer
- Grob G 115E - Trainer
- Grob G 520 Egrett
Produced by Grob Aerospace GmbH
- Grob G 102 Astir - single-seat composite construction Standard Class sailplane
- Grob G 103 - two-seat sailplane
- G 103 Twin Astir
- G 103 Twin II (also available in Acro version G 103a Twin II)
- G 103C Twin III (also available in Acro versions)
- The Grob Viking T1 was the UK military version of the G 103 Twin II.
- Grob G 104 Speed AstirGrob G 104 Speed AstirThe Grob G104 Speed Astir was a competition sailplane produced in Germany in the late 1970s as Grob's first design in the 15 metre class. Taking the G102 Astir design as a starting point, the Speed Astir featured a new wing of narrower chord and different section, a fin and rudder of reduced...
- single-seat 15 metre Class sailplane - Grob G 109 - self-launching two-seat motorglider
- Grob G 115Grob G 115|- Incidents and Accidents :*In February 2009, two RAF Tutors operating air experience flights from RAF St Athan collided in mid-air. All four occupants were killed, a pilot and a female Air Training Corps cadet in each aircraft. The two cadets killed were cousins Nikkita Marie Walters, 13, and...
- Low wing all-composite two-seat aerobatic monoplane - Grob G 120Grob G 120-References:* * Grob G 115,120 and 140 Information brochure and Technical Datasheet -External links:* -See also:...
- Trainer - Grob G 140 four seat turboprop
- Grob G 520 Egrett/STRATO 1
- Grob SPnGrob G180 SPn|-See also:-External links:*...
business jet and variants - HALE G 600 High altitude long endurance variant of the SPn
- GF 200
- Grob G 850 Strato 2c