05.28.2006: Successful first flight of the Antares 18S
After some long days waiting for flyable weather at our home airport Zweibrücken our latest Product Antares 18S made its successful maiden flight Sunday May 28th, 2006 in best VFR conditions.
The youngest member of our ANTARES-family then was put to the acid test during several test flights to give good chance to our first Antares 18S customer to pick up his glider as soon as possible and participate the World Gliding Championships in Sweden (www.wgc2006.se) starting competition on Sunday June 4th, 2006. (We just got note that he has arrived in Sweden, where the other competitors were making bets, if he would arrive in time…[May 31st])
In its first flights, the new sailplane clearly exceeded the development team’s expectations of gentle and nimble handling, and the test pilots decided to start flutter and spin testing the same day. At this point it had also become clear that the aerodynamic design, aiming for outstanding glide performance especially at middle and high speeds, has yielded the expected results. The wings filled up with 208 litres of water, flying fast at moderate sink rates makes you think of new horizons in soaring. Of course, the Antares 18S comes equipped with our comfortable safety cockpit, which our Antares 20E customers have learned to appreciate. The Cockpit incorporates a reinforced survival space and energy absorbing crash-elements utilizing Formula 1 technology, and it can be adjusted to comfortably fit almost any pilot.
We are convinced that the glider Antares 18S (or as self sustainer Antares 18T) set new standards for the 18m class in the areas of performance, handling and safety, next to our electrical glider Antares 20E having defined the state of the art in self launching sailplanes.
Now we would like to invite you to visit the Antares 18S relating page of our Homepage to see a more in-depth description of our new glider, or - even better for sharing our enthusiasm - to make an appointment to visit Lange Flugzeugbau in Zweibrücken and test-fly the Antares 18S.
 |
 |
 |
| Concentration before the first flutter test |
Preparation for the maiden flight |
First aerotow of an Antares 18S |
 |
 |
 |
| Over the clouds... | Let the fun begin… | Let the fun begin… |
 |