Schempp-HirthDiscus

First produced in 1984, the Discus was probably the most innovative glider of its time: it was the first to introduce the distinctive elliptic-like wing to reduce the induced drag (a triple trapezoidal approximation of an actual ellipse is the tradeoff between the ideal shape and viable construction costs). It also makes large use of carbon fiber to achieve robustness and reduced mass.

Despite being an outstanding race ship that literally dominated all Standard Class competitions in the '80s, the Discus is still one of the easyest sailplanes around. It is very stable in level flight even at high speed, it has a reassuringly benign stall and spin behavior and, once you hooked your thermal, you can basically trim it and let it climb on its own. As a plus, its powerful airbrakes and the low landing speed allow for easy and safe outlanding.

Discuses are also quite easy to rig, thanks to the lightweight wings and the automatic connections on all controls.

We are looking for an influential pilot to reviewDiscus. Maybe you?