Schemmp-Hirth Nimbus II

Single-seat, mid-wing monoplane w/ t-tail, retractable main landing gear.

In 1971, Schemmp-Hirth began to produce the Nimbus II, an assembly-line version of a high-performance sailplane that Klaus Holighaus first flew in 1969. Compared to the first sailplane, Holighaus and factory designers introduced many improvements to the Nimbus II. They revised the wing, fuselage, and flaps and added airbrakes to the wing and a tail parachute to slow the sailplane during landings. The Nimbus II could carry 160 kg (353 lb) of water ballast to help a pilot to penetrate into the wind and when flying at its best glide speed, 105 kmh (65 mph), the sailplane was flying at a 49:1 lift-to-drag ratio. The fastest maximum speed that a Nimbus II pilot could safely fly was 270 kmh (167 mph).

Flying examples of the Nimbus II, Goran Ax won the world meet in Yugoslavia in 1972, and Moffat won another world contest in Australia in 1974. Nimbus II pilots have set a number of world records. In 1990, American Joann Shaw set the women's declared goal flight distance record at 951 km (591 miles). At the controls of this particular Nimbus II glider, William Ivans set these United States national speed records: July 26, 1984, average speed around a 500-kilometer triangular course: 140 kmh (86.7 mph); July 28, 1984, average speed around a 300-kilometer triangular course: 149 kmh (92.5 mph).

In January 1969, Klaus Holighaus flew his Nimbus sailplane for the first time. Holighaus had designed the airplane and employees of the Schemmp-Hirth sailplane factory in Germany helped him build the aircraft in their spare time. The American soaring wizard, George Moffat, flew the Nimbus to victory in the World Soaring Championships held at Marfa, Texas, in 1970. The following year, Schemmp-Hirth began to produce the assembly-line version of this high-performance sailplane and named it the Nimbus II.

Holighaus and factory designers introduced many improvements to the Nimbus II compared to the first aircraft. Revised components included the wing, fuselage, and flaps. They added airbrakes to the wing and a tail parachute to slow the sailplane during landings. The Nimbus II could carry 160 kg (353 lb) of water ballast to help a pilot to penetrate into the wind. The best lift-to-drag ratio was 49:1 when the aircraft flew at 105 km/h (65 mph). The fastest speed a Nimbus II pilot could safely fly was 270 km/h (167 mph).

Flying examples of the Nimbus II, Goran Ax won the world meet in Yugoslavia in 1972, and Moffat won another world contest in Australia in 1974. Nimbus II pilots have set a number of world records. In 1990, American Joann Shaw set the women's declared goal flight distance record at 951 km (591 miles). Flying this particular Nimbus II glider, William Ivans set these United States national speed records: July 26, 1984, average speed around a 500-kilometer triangular course: 140 km/h (87 mph); July 28, 1984, average speed around a 300-kilometer triangular course: 149 km/h (93 mph).