Grob G102 Astir

Last updated
G102 Astir
Astir.jpg
Astir CS in flight
Role Club Class sailplane
National originGermany
Manufacturer Grob Aircraft
Designer Burkhart Grob
First flightDecember 1974
Introduction1975
Number built1241+
Grob G 102 Standard Astir III N17999, National Air and Space Museum Grob G 102 Standard Astir III N17999 20040514.jpg
Grob G 102 Standard Astir III N17999, National Air and Space Museum

The G102 Astir is a single-seat glassfibre Club Class sailplane, designed by Burkhart Grob and built by Grob Aircraft. It was the first Grob-designed sailplane, with the first flight in December 1974. Grob had previously built the Schempp-Hirth Standard Cirrus under licence.

Contents

Design and development

The Astir CS [Club Standard] is of composite (fiberglass/resin) construction, has a large wing area, a T-tail and water ballast tanks in its wings. The large wing area gives good low-speed handling characteristics but its high-speed performance is inferior to other Standard Class gliders. In early versions, some of the fuselage frame was wood but this was replaced with a light alloy casting which sometimes cracked after heavy landings. The tail dolly is unusual by being a loose fit into a vertical hole and able to fall free if take-off is attempted with the dolly in place.

A slightly improved Standard Class version, the CS 77, was introduced in 1977. It has a different rudder profile and a slimmer fuselage similar to that of the Speed Astir. The Standard II and Standard III versions followed in the early 1980s, reverting to the higher-profile fuselage and with a reduced empty weight and an increased payload.

The Astir CS Jeans was similar to the CS 77, but had a fixed mainwheel and a tailskid. Its cockpit was fitted in blue denim. Later versions were the Club II and the Club III which also had fixed gear, but the Club III had a tailwheel.

The numbers built of each type were: 536 CS, 244 CS77, 248 CS Jeans, 61 Club/Standard Astir II and 152 Club/Standard Astir III. A flapped version called the G104 Speed Astir was also produced.

The latest in the Astir line is the G102 Standard Astir III, designed by Burkhart Grob and built by Grob Aircraft as a development of the original G-102.

One Astir (now residing at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center), flown by Robert Harris, broke the world absolute altitude record at 49,009 ft (14,938 m) on 17 February 1986. This record lasted until 2006. [1]

G102 Standard Astir III Grob 102 Standard Astir III.jpg
G102 Standard Astir III
Astir CS Jeans launching Astir-JPM.jpg
Astir CS Jeans launching

Variants

Astir CS
The original production version of the Astir, produced up to 1977 (CS = Club Standard)
Astir CS77
Production aircraft from 1977, with revised fuselage profile and other modifications
Speed Astir
The Astir with a flapped wing to comply with the FAI 15m Flapped Class, for gliding competitions
Astir CS Jeans
Astir aircraft with faired fixed undercarriage, to comply with the Club Class for gliding competitions and to provide "glass-ship" experience at lower cost.
G102 Astir
Designation introduced by Grob for the Astir series in the 1980s, with each successive improvement given the suffix I, II or III etc.
G104 Speed Astir
The Speed Astir re-designated

Specifications (Standard Astir III)

Data from Grob G102 manual

General characteristics

Performance

See also

Related development

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Related lists

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schempp-Hirth Discus</span> German single-seat glider, 1984

The Schempp-Hirth Discus is a Standard Class glider designed by Schempp-Hirth. It was produced in Germany between 1984 and 1995 but has continued in production in the Czech Republic. It replaced the Standard Cirrus. It was designed by Klaus Holighaus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schempp-Hirth Ventus</span> Type of aircraft

The Schempp-Hirth Ventus is a sailplane produced during 1980–1994 by Schempp-Hirth, a German sailplane manufacturer. It was designed by Klaus Holighaus and replaced the Schempp-Hirth Mini-Nimbus. Schempp-Hirth manufactured 613 Ventus sailplanes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rolladen-Schneider LS4</span> Single seat German glider 1980

The Rolladen-Schneider LS4 is a Standard Class single seat glider manufactured by Rolladen-Schneider Flugzeugbau GmbH between 1980 and 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schempp-Hirth Mini-Nimbus</span> German single-seat glider, 1976

The Schempp-Hirth Mini Nimbus is a 15 Metre-class glider designed and built by Schempp-Hirth GmbH in the late 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schempp-Hirth Standard Cirrus</span> German single-seat glider, 1969

The Standard Cirrus is a Standard-class glider built in Germany by Schempp-Hirth. The Standard Cirrus was produced between 1969 and 1985, when it was replaced by the Discus. Over 800 examples were built, making it one of the most successful early fibreglass glider designs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schempp-Hirth Nimbus-2</span> German single-seat glider, 1971

The Schempp-Hirth Nimbus-2 is an Open Class glider built by Schempp-Hirth during the 1970s. The Nimbus-2 first flew in April 1971 and a total of over 240 examples of all subtypes have been built until the beginning of the 1980s. It replaced the Schempp-Hirth Cirrus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schleicher ASK 21</span> German two-seat glider, 1979

The ASK 21 is a glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) two-seat glider aircraft with a T-tail. The ASK 21 is designed primarily for beginner instruction, but is also suitable for cross-country flying and aerobatic instruction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schleicher ASW 27</span> Single-seat German glider, 1995

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grob G103a Twin II</span> German two-seat glider

The G103 Twin II is a high-performance two-seat sailplane manufactured in Germany by Grob Aircraft. The aircraft is of T-tail configuration, and is fitted with upper-surface airbrakes and a non-retractable undercarriage. Of fiberglass construction, it is designed for training, high performance cross-country racing and simple aerobatic flying.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schleicher ASK 18</span> German glider, 1974

The Schleicher ASK 18 is a single-seat sailplane that was built by the German manufacturer Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co. It was designed to be a sturdy aircraft for inexperienced solo pilots and so uses a simple and rugged construction and has docile handling characteristics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schleicher ASK 23</span> German single-seat glider, 1983

The Schleicher ASK 23 is a single-seat Club Class sailplane that was built by the German manufacturer Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grob G104 Speed Astir</span> Competition sailplane built by Grob Aircraft, 1978

The Grob G104 Speed Astir was a competition sailplane produced in Germany in the late 1970s as Grob's first design in the 15 metre class.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grob G103 Twin Astir</span> German two-seat glider, 1976

The Grob G 103 Twin Astir is a glass-reinforced plastic two-seat sailplane that was developed in Germany in the 1970s by Grob Aircraft AG as a counterpart to the single-seat G 102 Astir then in production. Construction throughout is similar, although to preserve the centre of gravity of the design, the wings were given a slight forward sweep. While many two-seat derivatives of single-seat sailplanes have fixed undercarriage, due to the added space restrictions created by the second seat, Grob devised a novel retraction system for the Twin Astir. The single wheel was designed to rotate 90° sideways before retracting "flat" under the rear seat, resulting in a rather unusual seating position. This was only incorporated in early examples, later on, the wheel was fixed. Factory options offered to customers included whether the front seat should be equipped with flight instruments, and whether water ballast capacity should be installed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allstar SZD-59</span> Polish single-seat glider, 1991

The SZD-59 Acro is a single-seat glass composite glider for aerobatics and cross-country flying by PZL Allstar of Bielsko-Biała, Poland.

The Torva 15 was a single-seat glider designed and built in the United Kingdom from 1970.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SZD-48 Jantar Standard 2/3</span> Polish single-seat glider, 1977

The SZD-48 Jantar Standard 2 is a Standard Class glider that was designed and produced in Poland starting in 1977.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glasflügel 205 Club Libelle</span> German single-seat glider, 1975

The Glasflügel 205 Club Libelle is a high wing, T-tailed, single seat glider that was designed and produced in West Germany by Glasflügel for club and rental use.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SZD-51 Junior</span> Type of aircraft

The PZL Bielsko SZD-51 Junior is a Polish single-seat training and club sailplane.

The Centrair 201 Marianne is a training glider seating two in tandem, designed and built in France in the 1980s. It was intended to replace the numerous but ageing gliders equipping French gliding clubs; when Centrair ceased trading in 1988 some eighty Mariannes had been sold, fewer than hoped.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grob G103c Twin III</span> German two-seat glider, 1989

The G103C Twin III is a high performance tandem two-seat sailplane made by Grob Aircraft. It replaced the Twin II in production and features a new triple-trapezoidal wing, automatic elevator connection, lower control forces and higher airspeed limitations.

References