Antares 18S Maiden Flight

Hi All - I just received the following press release from Lange
Fleugzeugbau:

Maiden flight ANTARES 18S

The first ANTARES 18S made its successful maiden flight Sunday May
28th, 2006. The youngest member of the ANTARES-family of sailplanes
then was put to the acid test during several test flights at the home
airport of Lange Flugzeugbau in Zweibrücken (Germany). In its first
few flights, the 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.

The first flights of the ANTARES 18S have also shown that the
aerodynamic design, aiming for outstanding glide performance especially
at middle and high speeds, has yielded the expected results without
compromising on pilots comfort. The remaining flight testing will be
performed rapidly in the next months.

Unlike her larger sister, the self launching electrical glider ANTARES
20E, the ANTARES 18S has been designed as a pure glider for the
18m-class and can be retrofitted or ordered as a self sustainer, the
ANTARES 18T.


This glider is on its way to Sweden to fly in WGC, where everyone hopes
it will stop raining some day...

Best Regards, Dave