Schempp-Hirth
Encyclopedia
Schempp-Hirth Flugzeugbau GmbH is a glider
manufacturer based in Kirchheim unter Teck
, Germany
.
founded his own company in Göppingen
in 1935, with the assistance of Wolf Hirth
. The company was initially called "Sportflugzeugbau Göppingen Martin Schempp". In 1938, Wolf Hirth, mainly responsible for the design work, officially became a partner in the company, which then became “Sportflugzeugbau Schempp-Hirth”. The company relocated to Kirchheim-Teck the same year.
The company's first product was the Göppingen Gö 1 Wolf glider, conceived as a rival to the ubiquitous Grunau Baby, but real success came with the Göppingen Gö 3 Minimoa the same year.
During World War II
, the company built DFS Habicht
training gliders, as well as tailplane assemblies for the Messerschmitt Bf 109
. The company also built a research aircraft, the Göppingen Gö 9
to investigate Claude Dornier's rear-mounted "pusher
" propeller plans. With its cruciform tail, this aircraft was to be a stepping-stone towards the revolutionary Dornier Do 335
Pfeil.
After the war, forbidden by the allied occupation from building aircraft, the company manufactured beds, wheelbarrows, radio cabinets, and other furniture. In 1951, the prohibitions were lifted and the company returned to sailplane building.
Wolf Hirth died in 1959 but it was not until 1964 that Martin Schempp found a new designer: Klaus Holighaus
who had just graduated from Darmstadt
Technical University, where he was a member of its Akaflieg
. Holighaus was also an excellent pilot and became a regular member of the German gliding team. Additional technical expertise was recruited in 1970 and Holighaus became Chief Executive in 1972. From 1977 Holighaus was the sole owner of the business. After Holighaus's death in a gliding accident in 1994, control of the company passed to his widow and sons, all of whom are keen glider pilots. It employs about 100 people, and is currently managed by Tilo Holighaus and Brigitte Holighaus.
The company has often sub-contracted work and has issued licences for other companies to build its designs.
Glider (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...
manufacturer based in Kirchheim unter Teck
Kirchheim unter Teck
Kirchheim unter Teck is a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, in the district of Esslingen. It is located on the small river Lauter, a tributary of the Neckar. It is situated near the Teck castle, approximatively 25 km southeast of Stuttgart...
, Germany
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...
.
History
Martin SchemppMartin Schempp
Martin Schempp was a glider pilot and founder of Schempp-Hirth, a major manufacturer of gliders.Martin Schempp was born in Stuttgart. After completing his commercial education, he helped out in his father's craftsman's business. In 1926, at the age of 21, he emigrated to the USA in the hope of...
founded his own company in Göppingen
Göppingen
Göppingen is a town in southern Germany, part of the Stuttgart Region of Baden-Württemberg. It is the capital of the district Göppingen. It is situated at the bottom of the Hohenstaufen mountain, in the valley of the river Fils....
in 1935, with the assistance of Wolf Hirth
Wolf Hirth
Wolfram Kurt Erhard Hirth was a German gliding pioneer and sailplane designer. He was a co-founder of Schempp-Hirth, still a renowned glider manufacturer....
. The company was initially called "Sportflugzeugbau Göppingen Martin Schempp". In 1938, Wolf Hirth, mainly responsible for the design work, officially became a partner in the company, which then became “Sportflugzeugbau Schempp-Hirth”. The company relocated to Kirchheim-Teck the same year.
The company's first product was the Göppingen Gö 1 Wolf glider, conceived as a rival to the ubiquitous Grunau Baby, but real success came with the Göppingen Gö 3 Minimoa the same year.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the company built DFS Habicht
DFS Habicht
-External links:**...
training gliders, as well as tailplane assemblies for the Messerschmitt Bf 109
Messerschmitt Bf 109
The Messerschmitt Bf 109, often called Me 109, was a German World War II fighter aircraft designed by Willy Messerschmitt and Robert Lusser during the early to mid 1930s...
. The company also built a research aircraft, the Göppingen Gö 9
Göppingen Gö 9
The Göppingen Gö 9 was a research aircraft built to investigate the practicalities of powering a plane using a pusher propeller located far from the engine and turned by a long driveshaft....
to investigate Claude Dornier's rear-mounted "pusher
Pusher configuration
In a craft with a pusher configuration the propeller are mounted behind their respective engine. According to Bill Gunston, a "pusher propeller" is one mounted behind engine so that drive shaft is in compression...
" propeller plans. With its cruciform tail, this aircraft was to be a stepping-stone towards the revolutionary Dornier Do 335
Dornier Do 335
The Dornier Do 335 Pfeil was a World War II heavy fighter built by the Dornier company. The two-seater trainer version was also called Ameisenbär . The Pfeils performance was much better than other twin-engine designs due to its unique "push-pull" layout and the much lower drag of the in-line...
Pfeil.
After the war, forbidden by the allied occupation from building aircraft, the company manufactured beds, wheelbarrows, radio cabinets, and other furniture. In 1951, the prohibitions were lifted and the company returned to sailplane building.
Wolf Hirth died in 1959 but it was not until 1964 that Martin Schempp found a new designer: Klaus Holighaus
Klaus Holighaus
Klaus Holighaus was a glider designer, glider pilot and entrepreneur.Klaus Holighaus was born in Eibelshausen, Germany. He started his career in gliding when he was an engineering student at the University of Darmstadt, where he was a member of its Akaflieg...
who had just graduated from Darmstadt
Darmstadt
Darmstadt is a city in the Bundesland of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Rhine Main Area.The sandy soils in the Darmstadt area, ill-suited for agriculture in times before industrial fertilisation, prevented any larger settlement from developing, until the city became the seat...
Technical University, where he was a member of its Akaflieg
Akaflieg
Akaflieg is an abbreviation for Akademische Fliegergruppe, an academic group of pilots in pre and postwar Germany.-History:Otto Lilienthal published his book Der Vogelflug als Grundlage der Fliegekunst in 1889. This described the basics of modern aerodynamics and aircraft construction...
. Holighaus was also an excellent pilot and became a regular member of the German gliding team. Additional technical expertise was recruited in 1970 and Holighaus became Chief Executive in 1972. From 1977 Holighaus was the sole owner of the business. After Holighaus's death in a gliding accident in 1994, control of the company passed to his widow and sons, all of whom are keen glider pilots. It employs about 100 people, and is currently managed by Tilo Holighaus and Brigitte Holighaus.
The company has often sub-contracted work and has issued licences for other companies to build its designs.
Aircraft produced
Schempp-Hirth aircraft include:- Göppingen Gö 1 Wolf sailplane,1935
- Göppingen Gö 2 improved Grunau 8, 1935
- Göppingen Gö 3 Minimoa sailplane, 1936
- Göppingen Gö 4Göppingen Gö 4The Göppingen Gö 4 was a German sailplane of the late 1930s used for training pilots. Its most notable features included a side-by-side seating format and dual controls, making the plane ideal for use as a trainer...
two-seat sailplane, 1938 - Göppingen Gö 5 Hütter H 17 sailplane, 1938
- Göppingen Gö 6 Minimoa Mo 2a two-seat sailplane, 1937
- Göppingen Gö 7 two-seat sport aeroplane (not built)
- Göppingen Gö 8 scale model test airframe for Dornier Do 214Dornier Do 214-See also:-References:*D. Herwig & H. Rode Luftwaffe Secret Projects - Strategic Bombers 1935-45. ISBN 1-85780-092-3...
, 1939 - Göppingen Gö 9Göppingen Gö 9The Göppingen Gö 9 was a research aircraft built to investigate the practicalities of powering a plane using a pusher propeller located far from the engine and turned by a long driveshaft....
development aircraft for Dornier Do 335Dornier Do 335The Dornier Do 335 Pfeil was a World War II heavy fighter built by the Dornier company. The two-seater trainer version was also called Ameisenbär . The Pfeils performance was much better than other twin-engine designs due to its unique "push-pull" layout and the much lower drag of the in-line...
Pfeil, 1941 - Standard Austria sailplane line
- Schempp-Hirth SHKSchempp-Hirth SHK|-See also:-Bibliography:* Gliders and Sailplanes Of The World, Michael Hardy, Ian Allan, 1982, ISBN 0711011524* Schempp-Hirth Flight and Maintenance manual for SHK #49, Schempp-Hirth KG, kirchheim-Teck,March, 1965-External links:*...
- CirrusSchempp-Hirth Cirrus|-See also:-References:* Selinger P, Segelflugzeuge vom Wolf aum Discus, Motorbuch Verlag Stuttgart, 1989* Ryan J, Cirrus Test Pilot Report, Soaring, July 1967* Foley W, The Schempp-Hirth Cirrus, Soaring, July 1967...
- Standard CirrusSchempp-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* * ....
- Discus
- Discus-2Schempp-Hirth Discus-2|-See also:-External links:*...
- VentusSchempp-Hirth Ventus-References:**Thomas F, Fundamentals of Sailplane Design, College Park Press, 1999*Simons M, Segelflugzeuge 1965-2000, Eqip, 2004*-External Links:**...
- Ventus-2Schempp-Hirth Ventus-2|-References:*...
- NimbusSchempp-Hirth Nimbus|- References :*Moffat G, Winning on the Wind, Soaring Press, 1974*Thomas F, Fundamentals of Sailplane Design, College Park Press, 1999*Simons M, Segelflugzeuge 1965-2000, Eqip, 2004...
- Nimbus-2Schempp-Hirth Nimbus-2|-See also:-References:*Thomas F, Fundamentals of Sailplane Design, College Park Press, 1999*Simons M, Segelflugzeuge 1965-2000, Eqip, 2004***...
- Nimbus-3
- Nimbus-4Schempp-Hirth Nimbus-4The Schempp-Hirth Nimbus-4 is a family of high-performance FAI Open Class gliders designed by Klaus Holighaus and manufactured by Schempp-Hirth Flugzeugbau GmbH in Kirchheim, Germany...
- Mini-Nimbus
- JanusSchempp-Hirth Janus|-See also:...
- Duo DiscusSchempp-Hirth Duo Discus|-See also:-References:*...
- ArcusSchempp-Hirth Arcus|-References:*...
- QuintusSchempp-Hirth Quintus-See also:...