Stemme, a German glider company that also has a U.S. subsidiary, Stemme USA, in South Carolina, brought its newest aircraft to Aero Friedrichshafen this week, the S12 motorglider. The new model flew for the first time just a few weeks ago, and was unveiled to the public here at the show, company spokesman Francesco Iarz told AVweb. It features a retractable foldable variable-pitch prop, a Rotax 914 F2/S1 turbo engine, a roomy side-by-side cockpit for two, a glide ratio of 1:53, and a cruising range of up to 950 nm at speeds up to 140 knots. The wings stretch 82 feet, an increase of 7 feet compared to the company’s S10 glider.
The company is already taking orders for the new model at Aero, Iarz said. It sells for about 300,000 euros, and will soon be available in the U.S. market as well. The U.S. is the biggest market for the company’s products, Iarz said.
