Gliders

GLIDER DEVELOPMENTS

The JS5 Rey at the World Championships

A New Contender Takes the Stage The 40th FAI World Gliding Championships are underway at Rudniki airfield near Częstochowa, Poland, running from 16 to 30 May 2026. Three classes are being contested — Open, 18 Metre, and 20 Metre Multi-Seat — and among the most closely watched…

Gliders

The JS5 Rey at the World Championships

The Diana 4 ER: Avionic's New 18-Metre Self-Launcher

There is a particular kind of anticipation in the gliding community whenever a proven lineage produces something new. The Diana family, built on the competitive pedigree of the original 15-metre Diana 2, has earned that kind of attention. The latest aircraft from Polish…

The Jonker JS5 Rey: South Africa's Open Class Contender

Jonker Sailplanes has been producing competitive composite gliders from Potchefstroom, South Africa, since 2004. For most of that time the company's open class presence rested on the JS1C, a 21-metre sailplane. The JS5 Rey — named in the tradition of Jonker's Spanish-themed…

Jonker Sailplanes: March 2026 Progress Update

Jonker Sailplanes has released a comprehensive update covering developments across its engine, certification, production, and facility programmes. The picture that emerges is of a company working through a period of significant complexity, with most of the critical issues now…

AK-X

The AK-X: A Flying Wing Glider Still Taking Shape For over a decade, a group of engineering students at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany has been working on one of the most unconventional sailplane projects in the world. The AK-X, developed by Akaflieg Karlsruhe,…

Ventus E Maiden Flight

Schempp-Hirth made the maiden flight of the Ventus E electro self launcher Sport fuselage on the Hahnweide airfield 25 April 2024 with pilot Andreas Lutz, manager engineer of the Ventus E project, at the controls. A first flight was made during the late morning by aerotow. After…

The JS5 Rey at the World Championships