With the increasing correspondence coming in from outside North America, we made the somewhat reluctant decision that the website should be expanded - - there were just too many neat stories to resist! Our biggest problem, of course, will be language - - we’re engaged as I write in a correspondence with an Argentinian Cirrus owner, and having to have the e-mail laboriously translated by a friend here in Virginia. Still, there are so many owners who can provide data in English it seems worth the effort. The additions are few right now (a Slovenian and one UK one), but should grow in the next few months.

That’s a bit of a segue to the theme of this newsletter - - several bits of news and comment from outside the US and/or Canada!

One of the little known incidents that #15 was involved in was when John was to sell it, the buyer wanted to fly it. The brake was either inop or disconnected. The buyer was told this before the flight. The buyer, when he landed tried to roll up to the hangar to show everyone his splendid aircraft handling capabilities and ran into the hangar. There was substantial damage dollar wise, but the structure was not damaged. I think the canopy and the nose took the brunt of it. Big John could tell you I guess, but once again, it was a long time ago. Big John placed third in the nationals about as often as Wally Scott placed second.

At a Sequatchie fly in we had a thunderstorm moving up from the south. Everyone landed except for Sandor. He couldn't seem to understand why we were telling him to put down. When he did the hail was on the south end of the field. We had several Discus drivers as well as 2 Open Cirrus owners ready. Schempp-Hirth gliders all come apart the same way. Sandor found himself standing on the runway as his ship disappeared behind a 3 wheeler. We didn't even put it on the dolly. We just took it apart and held the parts in the air while we found the right fittings to put them on. That was the fastest Open Cirrus disassembly in history. The hail hit while we were still running for the hangar.

Klaus Holinghaus' first job at Schempp-Hirth was to convert the SH-1 (originally the Austria designed by Rudi Kunz for the Austrian Aero Club) into an open class ship. Klaus added 2 meters to the wing, increased the tail area by 50%, lengthened the nose a little and the new sailplane was designated the SHK (I believe the K is for Klaus). Previously while working at the Darmstadt Akafleig, he was a member of a team (including Gerhard Weibel, Wolf Lemke and Walter Schneider) on the ground breaking D-36 project. This aircraft lead directly to the Schleicher AS-W 12 (Weibel's first project with Schleicher). Holinghaus used his experience to develop the Cirrus, his first full aircraft project at Schempp-Hirth, but the design philosophy was completely different. The D-36 (and subsequent AS-W 12) had a thin wing, flaps, a tail chute in lieu of dive brakes (AS-W 12 only), extremely supine seating and was built on a male (internal) mold. The concept of the Cirrus relied on a thicker airfoil and the use of water ballast to improve the run, a more upright seat, the use of PCV foam instead of balsa as a core material and the use of a female mold (the adapted technique by all manufacturers).

In Slovenia we currently have only two Cirruses, both VTC, mine and one in Aeroclub Velenje (with new finish this year). There were about 10 Cirrus VTC in Slovenia, but all were destroyed soon after delivery, the problem being bad quality. . (VTC made about 60 gliders; it is reported most of them were broken, because of bad quality of fuselage in the rear part of the fuselage, at the tail.) One of the German products was in Aeroklub Celje, but was destroyed too, at low pass at high speed.

Luka and his father have owned No. 108 for more than 9 years. In that time, they flew it ca. 1400 hours. Luka now has approximately 650 hours in this glider. It was produced in 1971, serial number 108 (Originally YU-4200, now S5-3059 (LZ)). It was built in Germany, and only finished in Yugoslavia, but in papers is written as the first Yugoslavien Open Cirrus, but is of better quality than later VTC machines In the winter of 1995-96 this Cirrus was completely renewed by Luka and friends from ELAN (where there is now Slovenian production of DG gliders) .They made a completely new finish of exterior surfaces and cockpit interior. This glider is in really excellent condition - like new. In summer 1996 Luka won the Slovenian national in Standard Class with this "like new glider". This was his first time in such competition, and was the youngest pilot (only 19 years old). This glider was also 3 times national champion of Yugoslavien championships-open class. It has 2400 hours and 950 starts. But now is the time for new glider and they want to sell it.

There is also one Cirrus I-VITA in Italy (near Slovene-Italian border). The owner is Mr. Cammaroto Guido. It is interesting that he has manual for Cirrus V-1 which was the prototype.

265 - 1 S/N 2 - 33. Rudder damper.
265 - 2 All. Trim travel limit plate.
265 - 3 S/N 19, 46, 47, 50, 53, 55, 57-69, 71 - 75, 79, 82. Ball bearing rod ends.
265 - 4 Germany only. Red anticollision paint.
265 -5 S/N 1 - 107. Identification plate.
265 - 6 All. Elevator drive, Tail parachute, Horizontal tailplane.
265 - 7 Flight manual changes for CG positions and loading.
265 - 8 S/N 1 - 50. Airbrake control system.
265 - 9 Extension of service time.
265 - 10 All. Dive brake coupling balls.
265 - 11 All. "L ‘Hotellier" ball and swivel joints, use of safety clip.
265 - 12 All "Wedekind" safety sleeves for "L ‘Hotellier" ball and swivel joint connectors having wedge shaped locking plates.

We’re still looking for English translations of all these tech notes so they can be posted on our website. Heck, if we could find a copy of each in the original German, it’d be better than nothing!!