Schempp Hirth Quintus Me

NEWS FROM SCHEMPP HIRTH QUINTUS ME

The Quintus ME is an absolutely new 23 metre sailplane, the result of co-operation between partners Lange Aviation and Schempp Hirth Flugzeugbau. The companies presented the new fruits of their co-operation for the first time at the AERO trade fair in Friedrichshafen. The consistent and uncompromising development will set new standards in the open class.

The Quintus ME reinterprets the designs of two gliders which could be fraternal twins - Lange’s Antares 23 E and Schempp Hirth’s Quintus M. A manageable 23 metre wingspan allows agility on the ground, but even more so in the air. More span does not necessarily mean more performance.

This aircraft has a very slim wing, with high aspect ratio and water ballast of up to 250 litres, allowing for an extremely wide range of wing loadings - between 39 and 58 kg/m². This makes it both outstandingly flexible and gives us best glide at high speeds. It is a sure bet for gliding competitions. We expect this new concept should make it possible to reach completely new ranges of speed.

The main difference between the Antares 23 E and Quintus M is their fuselages which have been developed independently by each of the respective manufacturers, but there is also a difference in their propulsion systems. Lange Aviation installs the well proven, EASA certified Lange-electric system in the Antares. The Quintus is provided with a SOLO combustion engine, using a computer controlled injection system with optimal start performance, providing maximum power output at high altitude.

With the Quintus ME, Lange Aviation with Professor Loek Boermans was responsible for the conception and layout of the wing development. Nine wing profiles were designed with laminar airflows of 95% at the lower surface and 75 % at the upper surface of the wing, based on a super elliptical shape. All airfoils were smoothly and accurately co-ordinated. Structural construction and dimensioning, ballast system and the patented, extremely low-friction control system, is also from Lange Aviation. The conception of the outer wing and the winglet design of Professor Mark Maughmer, with the typical swept back leading edge of the outer wing panel, guarantee the typical Schempp Hirth flight characteristics of the Quintus M.

The partners expect their new interpretation of the open class to add a new dimension of performance, but more than that, it will become the aircraft for cross country and record flying and multi day gliding expeditions. It is not the first time that the two high-tech sailplane manufacturers have co-operated successfully. Similarly, the Antares electrical propulsion unit is already used in Schempp Hirth’s Arcus E.