Alexander Schleicher was a German pioneer of sailplane design. The company that he founded and which bears his name - Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co - is today one of the world's leading sailplane manufacturers.
Centrair was a French glider manufacturer that was founded by Marc Ranjon and his wife Genevieve in 1970. It started as the agent for glider manufacturer Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co, but it manufactured Schleicher's ASW 20 under licence from 1977. Later, Centrair also manufactured the Scheibe SF 34 as the Centrair SNC-34 Alliance.
The ASW 28 is a Standard Class glider with a fifteen-metre span built of modern fibre reinforced composites. The manufacturer of the ASW-28 is Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co. The 'W' indicates this is a design of the influential and prolific German designer Gerhard Waibel. Serial production started in 2000.
The ASH 25 is a two-seater high performance Open Class glider manufactured by Alexander Schleicher from 1986 until September 2008, originally with a 25-metre wingspan. It was superseded in production by the ASH 30.
The ASW 27 is a 15 metre Class glider built of modern fibre reinforced composites, which first flew in 1995 and was certified in 1997. The manufacturer of the ASW 27 is Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co. The "W" indicates this is a design of the influential and prolific German designer Gerhard Waibel.
Competition classes in gliding, as in other sports, mainly exist to ensure fairness in competition. However the classes have not been targeted at fostering technological development as in other sports. Instead classes have arisen because of:
The ASW 22 is an Open Class glider built by Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co which first flew in 1981. The 'W' in the designation indicates that this is a product of the German designer Gerhard Waibel. An ASW 22 broke the world 750 km triangle speed record in 1985 and ASW 22s have won first place in six World Gliding Championships.
The ASH 26 is an 18 metre Class glider, built of modern fibre reinforced composites. It first flew in 1993. It is manufactured by Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co. The 'H' indicates this is a design of Martin Heide.
The Schleicher ASG 29 is a German sailplane manufactured by Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co since 2006. It can be flown as an 18 metre Class glider or as a 15 metre Class glider. The 'G' indicates a design by Michael Greiner. It is a refinement of the popular ASW-27 and for certification purposes it is designated the ASW-27-18. It has been replaced by the Schleicher AS 33.
The ASH 30 is a two-seater Open Class glider manufactured by Alexander Schleicher, developed as a replacement for the ASH 25. The Mi version is powered by a 41 kW (55 hp) Wankel engine. The prototype made its maiden flight on 7 April 2011 from Wasserkuppe.
The ASH 31 is a single seat Open Class glider which can also be flown in the 18 metre class configuration.
Rudolf Kaiser was a designer of gliders who worked for Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co.
The Schleicher Rhönbussard, otherwise known as the DFS Rhönbussard was intended as an intermediate glider trainer which could also fly competitively. It was designed by Hans Jacobs in Germany in the early 1930s. More than 200 were built.
The Schleicher Rhönadler, DFS Rhönadler or Jacobs Rhönadler is a high performance, single seat competition sailplane built in Germany in the 1930s. More than 65 were built.
The Schleicher Ka-2 Rhönschwalbe is a tandem two-seat training glider designed and built in Germany, in 1952.
The ASG 32 is a Two Seater Class glider manufactured by Alexander Schleicher. The prototype had its maiden flight in Poppenhausen on 31 May 2014. Deliveries began in 2015.
The Schleicher AS 33 is a German glider manufactured by Alexander Schleicher. The prototype had its maiden flight from Huhnrain Airport, Poppenhausen near Frankfurt on 23 January 2020. The design can be flown in the 18 metre class or in the 15 metre class.
The Schleicher AS 34Me is a German glider manufactured by Alexander Schleicher. It is a self-launcher that uses an electrical propulsion system.
