FLIGHT TEST AS34 Me - ELECTRIC SELF-LAUNCH GLIDER

Is this the future of gliding? Electric self-launch glider with a reasonable range.
More information about the AS34 Me: www.alexander-schleicher.de/e...
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#AS33 #AlexanderSchleicher

[@rongendron8705]

I'm 76 & took 6 hrs. flight instruction at age 17 in a Piper Cub & Aeronca & later, went on one 'glider flight'! When the glider pilot pulled the cord, releasing us from the tow plane, I couldn't believe how quiet it was compared to the powered planes! This electric model seems like the "best of both worlds"!

[@onepalproductions]

Me too, 30-years ago I flew for the first time in a glider, and I thought the same thing when the tow plane left us - peaceful.

[@noclu4u384]

My mom had an Aeronca Champ and my dad had a super cub. I had a dragonfly .

[@JanPBtest]

I fly a paraglider so I totally sympathise with the quietness! 🙂But I have never tried a glider plane, all this towing (and other) infrastructure was a bit of a turnoff for me. This self-launch idea is great.

[@bryankincaid1912]

hi ron , just turning 70 in august and looking at getting back into a powered sailplane here in nz . wish you the best , cheers

[@janebates9068]

​@@JanPBtestno see by

[@colinbarnes705]

It's so cool how the propeller gently stops in the correct position for folding, the clunk of those doors closing is pretty satisfying too

[@phmwu7368]

Indeed but what a noise! Solum Volamus

[@joshb6993]

Am trying to figure out how they managed to get the blade to stop in the vertical alignment

[@combinacijus]

​@Josh B one of the ways could be by controlling motor position instead of speed (just like servo motor) which is not that hard if you measure rotor position Or to simplify imagine if you energized 2 motor coils on top and bottom it would attract magnets to it and keep propeller at known orientation

[@404NameN0tFound]

@@joshb6993 Motors can have a position sensor that gives the current angle the motor is at. The motor controller can say that if the angle of the sensor is not equal to straight up or straight down, keep turning slowly until the angle is straight up or straight down.

[@prabhakarkmv4135]

How high it can fly?

[@timwilde4200]

Wish I had the money. I learned to fly gliders many years ago in Waikerie, Australia, and much as I appreciated being towed up, the costs and tedium of waiting were something I often wished I could be independent of. The -petrol-driven versions of these offered that independence, but is also seemed a little too close to having a powered plane. These electric versions offer up the perfect solution.

[@0my]

How much does this toy cost?

[@lakingboss1045]

What u mean toy

[@0my]

@@lakingboss1045 how many dollars does it require to obtain one of those crafts

[@lakingboss1045]

@@0my idk

[@0my]

@@lakingboss1045 maybe ask your boss. Lol. Jk. Peace bro.

[@brianperry]

I have an RC controlled model ASW Glider. exactly like your full sized one .Air Brakes, retractable landing gear..and the retracting propeller.....covered with doors when not in use....Ive owned it for quite some time now, had a couple of ...less than perfect landings but it still flys...Interesting watching the real thing... thanks for the trip..

[@tadeksmutek5840]

Thank you, Stefan - very interesting video about this modern glider model. Looks very nice.

[@jondavidmcnabb]

In 1991 thru 1993 I was stationed in Germany and the Germans truly understand Gliders and Flight training. I should have joined then local glider club and gotten my cert. This is great stuff.

[@briangriffin5701]

They're crazy about RC Aircraft too. 😳

[@rustie4242]

That is a fantastic use of technology especially from a safety perspective, being able to climb again if you are not in a position to make a safe landing, and of course to extend flight time.

[@enterprise7585]

What if the engine stalls on takeoff? Do you think it's safe?

[@MrVTeta]

@@enterprise7585 Electric motors are even more reliable than gas/jet fuel powered ones. Just do proper maintenance of course. And a glider will require less altitude to be able to return to the runaway than a regular airplane due to a much better glide ratio.

[@pilotavery]

@@enterprise7585 less likely to happen than the tow planes single piston engine stalling on takeoff.

[@BigRigWA]

​@enterprise7585 just as safe as a rope break if being towed and far safer than the cable snapping on a winch

[@1337Jogi]

@@enterprise7585Electric motors do not really break. Never heard of such a thing. It is much more likely to have a failure in the wiring, voltage regulation and especially battery pack. As for the battery pack you could split it to have redundancy - if one breaks you are left with half the capacity. The rest is of the components do not weigh alot and you can easily oversize them by a large factor so even at max power they are way under their tolerance and thus do not wear out.

[@ckandrew]

Saw a glider like this in the air for the first time today and was baffled by what I was hearing and seeing! So cool!

[@paulw176]

Wow! I miss flying so much that looks like a blast!

[@alishanmao]

what a beautiful aircraft. you are so lucky to have this job. we can only dream of it.

[@theeventhorizon-valebridge9512]

A superb machine. Thanks for sharing Stefan.

[@4by4squared88]

That’s a dream come true. Always wanted a glider with some type of motor to take off and land if you need it. Always thought the ones with the jet engines would be great but I love this one.

[@SteFly]

Jet engines are bad at low speeds, so it's not the best for a self launch.

[@estebita_lato]

I believe this is better than the ones using a turbine, because you need at least 4 to have enough power to take off, and as any turbine, specially those very small ones, they don't operate very well below 70% spin speed, mostly because of the size. On the negative side, this glider is probably kinda heavy, because of the batteries .

[@MrEnyecz]

Actually, there is jet engines too (although not for self launching): kzbin.info/www/bejne/pnrLfHyNh7KXrc0

[@Resinous-Fn2]

@@SteFlywhat’s the price for a AS34 ME I can’t find the price anywhere

[@haraldschevik5213]

Stefan, thank you for sharing these wonderful videos, very useful for us trying to keep up with the newer models! AS made an incredibly fast progress in the AS33, 34 and now the 35 it looks like. Fliegen Sie sicher und glückliche Landungen! :-)

[@SteFly]

Thank you! Really looking forward to fly the AS33 Me and the AS35, hopefully soon 🙂

[@NoobieToob]

@@SteFly ayo, isn't self launch glider just a plane, dawg? I'm confused cause a glider ain't supposed to have no propulsion dawg

[@Resinous-Fn2]

@@SteFlywhat’s the price for the AS34 Me

[@skylarkman2000]

Wonderful little aeroplane.

[@freesk8]

Wow! Nice! Things are getting better!

[@williamscoggin1509]

Airplanes with parachutes, and now gliders with engines. That's the way to do it! 👍🏻🇺🇲

[@SniperSnake50BMG]

Motors... 👍

[@neehooya]

Great video Stefan, thanks for sharing with us!

[@wearemany73]

Nice elewaiter! 😉 Great video…First ten seconds of video I thought I was watching an RC glider clip, I was very impressed with the scale cockpit until I realised. 😜

[@robertlock6041]

What an amazing machine! Good harmonisation, good performance, particularly the 18m, and this wing span should go some way towards compensating for the battery weight compared with the 15m version. The only problem with this glider is that there isn't one with my name in the log book 🙄... Thank you Stefan for sharing this with us. I can see that you had a really good time. Cheers aus England 😀

[@SteFly]

Thanks Robert 🙂

[@chrisneu3487]

@@SteFly ICH finde es unten immer schöner als open

[@arturoeugster7228]

Robert, The maximum Lift to drag ratio does not change, it occurs at slight increase in speed, the sinking speed increases in the same proportion. In competition sailplanes a lot of water ballast is carried to substantially increase the cruising speed between thermals. This ballast is drained before landing or in weak lift (meaning thermal or upslope wind vertical component) at the end of the day.

[@arturoeugster7228]

@@chrisneu3487 Besonders wenn etwas schief geht und man wünscht dass man den Absturz am Boden beobachtet

[@robertlock6041]

@@arturoeugster7228 I know all that, but all other things being equal, the machine with the longer span has a better performance than one with a shorter span. That's why Open Class gliders generally have a better L/D ratio than 15 Metre Class gliders. I prefer the flying characteristics of shorter span machines, but that wasn't the talking point.

[@stuartcarefoot4804]

The guy in the red shirt did an excellent job of steering the questions and bigging-up the products

[@mirkoreinl3132]

Eines der schönsten Maschinen As34me war schön zu sehen wie sie vom Rumpfbau bis zur Auslieferung immer kompletter wurde wie ein Zeitlupenbau. Einfach super

[@markreed9853]

Ive done a few duel seat flights in small gliders as a cadet BUT the one aircraft towed glider flight I did in the 90's was amazing! - I recommend everyone try one as its so quiet and such an amazing view ! - hope they make a duel seater version of this which will make is available and easier to operated in more locations.

[@haroldkreye8770]

Magnificent. My compliments.

[@ozarklanding]

Now this seems to be the perfect application of electric power in aviation!

[@charliearmour1628]

Wow, definitely on my bucket list.

[@nattsurfaren]

That engine is really powerful. I can feel the vibrations on the computer.

[@gkdresden]

I think, this self-launch possibility makes this glider really interesting. I think some propeller optimization is still necessary to use the power of the motor more efficiently.

[@claytonpozzer]

Beautiful glider!!

[@Sqeptick]

The perfect use for electric power in aircraft. Very cool.

[@moonobservergilles5730]

what a beautiful glider

[@binksterb]

That is awesome wish I had access to one of those when I was learning in Wales.

[@timothyvaher2421]

Impressive victory over gravity & the hire of airplanes ✈️ to get cruising altitude! And the ability to get the craft into proper landing 🛬 approachs! Cool 😎!

[@knowledgebyte]

Thanks for sharing. Really interesting noise it makes whilst holding the prop in position. The two side struts transmit and amplify the noise. Very impressive power delivery and low consumption.

[@BoltRM]

I thought it was loyd for an electric motor, but suppose that could be the reason. Seems like it shouldn't vibrate so much?

[@knowledgebyte]

@@BoltRM they could program the motor to just pulse, but have chosen to vibrate it constantly so people know it is alive.

[@BoltRM]

@@knowledgebyte I'm guessing pulsing might increase odds of vibration & failure? I have no idea, total speculation.

[@knowledgebyte]

@@BoltRM actually I think it has to lock the prop with a constant signal, so that it doesn’t rotate during lowering and rising. And that’s why it is humming constantly

[@forrestallison1879]

the part where the blade lines itself up is wild that is some NICE engineering

[@SteFly]

Yes, very cool system 👍

[@dennisliebig7622]

Wow, erstaunliche Leistung. Prima Entwicklung.

[@patrickfox-roberts7528]

I love that despite all the decades of new tech there is STILL a thread on the canopy :)

[@thelastninja4825]

that is an amazing progress for gliders

[@jamesmaybrick2001]

Or a step back for aeroplanes? lol.

[@Dzordzikk]

Hi Stefan, thx for nice video. Electric self launch is future of gliding. But that future in now ...

[@grantsmythe8625]

Enjoy yourself and Life itself, young man. Live, Live, Live Life!

[@Quack62]

I like this glider alot, the cockpit looks really finished with the nice finished, cloth interior.. most gliders lack that

[@user-xv1dx8cs7s]

Божественно,Фантастика,БРАВО!!!

[@spinning_cirrus]

I could get used to a video every day:). They are great

[@SteFly]

Great, thank you! But I can't get used to film and edit one video at the same day :D

[@fredford7642]

GREAT video! I think everyone would want one.

[@KathrynLiz1]

Brilliant concept nicely executed.....

[@ThermalWave]

Wir haben gestern auch bei Schleicher Probeflüge gemacht, und das elektrische Antriebssystem hat wirklich überzeugt. Einfache Bedienung und satte Leistung! Und auch ein sehr nettes und kompetentes Team, das uns alles erklärt hat 👍 Kann ich nur empfehlen, das mal auszuprobieren 😃

[@jeffreywing6004]

Damn, I love this Glider. 👍👍👍

[@theblytonian3906]

Were I a rich man and a few years younger. This is my type of (crew support independent) soaring. Had it only been available 50 years ago!

[@robertschnobert9090]

You still need a crew. Gliders can't be used by "lone wolfs" or antisocial rich men. Gliders are perfect to purchase in a gliding club. 🐦🌈

[@Freddy456]

​@@robertschnobert9090Actually you don't need screw. Already more than 30 years we have existing tools for mounting the wings alone and with a self launching glider and a wheel ot the wingtip it's fine.

[@productguru8323]

Awesome aircraft!

[@aaronpahler5410]

WOW what a glider!!

[@bfarm44]

Seems like the addition of some small retractable wing tip gear would be a good idea too and eliminate the need for someone to balance out the wing

[@vgrof2315]

Thanks. What a great toy!

[@itchy108]

Wow what a awesome power system, such simple controls and impressive performance

[@AndrewSheldon]

What a cool glider. My only bugbear would be 'low or no storage space'. i think ideally you'd want 300kg spare for touring. I'd love to be able to hope around the country. Needing to carry a charger is another I guess. Love the minimalist solution.

[@glidingadventures]

Great video. I definitely prefer the Me to the Es. On a side note are you going to post some more videos of your 7 day adventure, I have been unable to fly for 8 months and am living through your videos. Thanks for all your hard work :)

[@SteFly]

Thank you! There will be one last video about the 7 day travel by glider adventure. Unfortunately I had no time to edit this video up to now because work and other projects.

[@atom7nine]

Textron is absolutely fabulous

[@LoftechUK]

This video is so cool. I love it

[@argonwheatbelly637]

Brilliant, this!

[@MilesCobbett]

I am 68 now but used to dream about building a similar vehicle when I was 16. I took glider flying lessons at the glider port in Hemet CA.

[@mojtabajamal3457]

very beautiful and power full . good for you

[@flare242]

Wow, this thing is LOUD!!!

[@hamunami]

にこにこしてパワフルと言ってるからパワーがあることが良く伝わった。プロペラの格納の様子も良く分かった。

[@MuzixMaker]

Very cool! Suggest adding wingtip wheels that retract 😊so no wingwalker needed

[@JavierRodriguez-zb9ju]

These are the videos that make KZbin great. // Estos son los videos que hacen grandioso a KZbin.

[@OnerousEthic]

Wow that is sooo cool!

[@robertschnobert9090]

I love you, Mr Langer 🌈

[@steveanacorteswa3979]

Pretty amazing, I am glider rated but having' flown since my California days almost 20 years ago, lots of time in the Grob 102 & 103, really miss those days, don't have the same lift here in Washington, would have liked to hear what the cruise time would be if you were to ferry it back from somewhere.

[@douglasmackinlay7574]

You could drop the heavy batteries by parachute. As a emergency dumping weight procedure.

[@garrykennedy5484]

You can get rid of those creaking noises from the canopy by rubbing Irish Spring bar soap on the edges and it shouldn't hurt the longevity of the foam I don't think. Maybe an experiment should be done, but I used it on 4x4 trucks that had the same issue and it worked well. Very annoying and maybe worth a slight degradation in the foam rubber????? It also has a FINE FRESH SCENT! LOL

[@Mywhtjp]

Wow... Very nice. You need some solar panels on the wings to recharge while your gliding..

[@MonostripeZebra]

Super nice aircraft

[@pilotmiami1]

Bravo.thenks

[@robertmatch6550]

Thank you for the 'ride'. A very good idea for self launching. What is the approximate glide ratio when the motor is folded?

[@kiwijonowilson]

Thanks Stefan, these look great! Certainly looks simple and quick to deploy and stow (which is good for safety too). Did he mention which chemistry the batteries use? Hoping its something pretty stable like LFP or newer similar variants, which are good for cycle life and stability if damaged (unlikely to catch fire).

[@Fastvoice]

From the AS website: "960 Li-Ion metal-clad single cells connected in parallel and in series with a total capacity of 8.6 kWh, divided into 2 battery strings (one per wing) with BMS."

[@erichetherington9899]

So cool TY! How 2 whata ride! Good job

[@alch3myau]

that was awesome.

[@johngalloway156]

Regarding high aileron forces, it sounds similar to the V3. I wonder if that might be because the most recent aerofoils maintain laminar flow extending so far aft towards the flaperons? If the aileron forces are much lighter on the ground then it is likely to be airflow resistance that makes the difference in flight.

[@SteFly]

I can't remember the forces on the V3M I flew in Namibia. It was not as memorable as at the AS33, that's for sure. Perhaps it's caused by the thinner wings and shorter leverage. The only funny thing is that a South African glider manufacturer is able produce a gliders with light controls.

[@arjaysmithjr9083]

That is SO COOL!

[@AndysEastCoastAdventures]

Very cool piece of kit, I fly an electric r/c model of a similar type too. Done real gliding too, winch launch, tow launch too but never self powered. The winch launch was the most exhilerating thing I've ever done! How many ascents do you get out of 1 charge of this system once in the air on an average day?

[@JonathanLR160]

That look so cool

[@Krankenstein105]

What is the battery maintenance requirements? How often do you have to change the batteries and how many charging cycles can be made?

[@TheRedRaven_]

Omg, 80% battery remaining? I was thinking the battery would be around 15-20% at that point. That's incredible.

[@nighthawk0077]

Motor was running for only a few mins before shutdown. Like 20-25 mins runtime is possible depending on power setting

[@zulfchoudhary2746]

Amazing ❤❤❤

[@IgorVolkov]

Super!

[@tehhasrussian5714]

SUPER!😇😇😇🙏🙏🙏

[@raimundoofilho]

Beautiful, how much weight is added to the set, the aircraft would have larger dimensions to balance it, thanks. Good flights

[@RainytheNB]

I would LOVE something like this... hopefully one day I'll have the money to own one outside of a simulator

[@siiv7973]

Браво! Много красив, много модерен и много икономичен самолет! Добро пилотиране, браво! Каква е цената на един нов такъв самолет?

[@rollyherrera623]

This just changed everything. Like a shuttle launch; This uses the same propulsion/return principles. Great re-use of a past rocket use to glider technology...Add some solar panels in glide mode to re-charge batteries; infinite flight?

[@jeffreywitty3088]

neat, moving the prop to a pusher, mounted lower on the tail boom might give better (more nimble) flight characteristics

[@ThaSouthMU]

Don’t know which one I like better, this one or the jet engine propelled one?! The ability to self launch is a game changer!?!? Thank you for the video.

[@stanislouse4168]

Thank you for posting!!!

[@johannesdolch]

That's awesome.

[@PureGlide]

Looks like they need some fluff in the air vent! I have the creaking in my glider too, I put just a tiny bit of vaseline on the canopy frame and it stopped it.

[@nicothien488]

Yeah the fluff is good, and/or the 'stack of drinking straws' kind of material. I'll try your canopy frame solution!

[@dmkellett]

amazing !

[@dr123hall]

EZ liftoff idea…retrac wing tip “ squashing hoop slider” manual, pull in from cockpit - weight 1-1/2 lb ea?

[@arnenelson4495]

Now THAT is cool!

[@jimsvideos7201]

Great fun! I wonder if you could put a small generator on one end of the fuselage to trade excess lift for battery power. 🤔

[@christopheRC64]

Suberbe machine, incroyable :-)

[@williamscoggin1509]

I don't really know anything about gliders per se and this may be a dumb question. But have you tried rubbing some armor All on the rubber seal that the plexiglass cockpit seals against to see if that would help with the racket? 🤔

[@somadama8425]

Good usage for the old ASW28 forms, Langes Antares 20E had this 15 years ago. With flaps. And much less noisier, water ballast and 20m