HpH Glasflügel 304-S

22/09/2006 - New pictures of 304S wings and first prototype preassembly

Photo's taken just minutes after the first prototype fuselage was removed from the molds

Below, hand crafted "Mold" fuselage.
A complete new fuselage, though retaining the excellent design features of the Glasflugel 304 has been hand made to exacting standards, this fuselage is used to produce the actual molds that will be used in all production 304S/SE sailplanes
   
     
Computer designed, C&C produced molds have been formed and are now constructed for new modern processes  to a higher degree of accuracy than has ever been possible in the past. This revolutionary technology now produces accuracy until now never seen in the sailplane manufacturing process.

it should be quickly apparent to anyone the new 304S is more than a new wing....
while retaining the large roomy and so loved cockpit of the current production 304CZ the total wetted areas of the 304S have been greatly reduced. With the use of carbon fiber and other new materials the fuselage (already one of the strongest and safest in the industry) further strengthened while weight is reduced.

The new safety cockpit design in progress is being developed to be the strongest and most crashworthy of any design available. Careful development, through testing and outstanding craftsman (craft-woman)ship will insure the final product is the best the state-of-the-art can offer.

WINGS!
Totally new and very unique design... unlike any others.


Landing gear for 304S - Testing

 VUT Brno made comprehensive dynamical and static testing of 304S's landing gear.
Even  the landing gear is totally new and unlike any other glider produced today. HpH has set no limit on what "should" and "could" be engineered to make the 304S the BEST glider available in every respect. Every new component is being tested using the most modern techniques available today.

   
prototype shown next to current HpH 304CZ

Larger vertical fin for increased control and stability with 18 meter wing. Original "Glasflügel" innovations like automatic control connections on assembly, canopy integrated with lifting instrument panel and other designs now copied by nearly all manufacturers will be yet further improved and incorporated into the new 304S.

Cockpit Design is by  well know Academy Industry Designer Mr.Jiri Spanihel
information  about his Studio you can find on: http://www.spanihel.cz/

Our designer Richard Jensen slept for one night in this new designed cockpit.
He want to be sure that all ergonomics fit perfect.

Wing/Fuselage fillets and computer design used to further reduce drag.
     

Wing mold making

It's the "hands on" work that makes the difference. The molds used for the new 304S are the very latest in computer design and technology but it's the very skilled workers that insure the completion of perfect molds and perfect construction of the final product.

The shape of things to come!
Outside of the molds may give you a hint that this is no ordinary wing and a contrast to all other current designs! Until very recently it was not possible to make mold large enough for a 18 or even 15 meter glider in one single piece so even the best gliders were built from molds that were hand fitted in sections. These molds often have small imperfections and can and do change after several uses so the wing profile from these molds the designer intended will also change and in order to make the profile conform to the original design fillers must be used, and fillers shrink in time through normal curing. The latest technology employs building a one piece mold, using CNC (Computer Numerical Control)  with the latest laser technologies. In doing so a new and totally elliptical 304S wing  without the typical sudden bends or pronounced breaks  that was until now a compromise on other designs can be made to absolute perfection.

304S official début from
Aero Friedrichshafen Exhibition
More images on this link:

photos copyright: Jacob Boer
The new 304S "Scorpion" sailplane was met with rave reviews at the recently completed
International trade exhibition for general aviation, April 21th - 24th 2005, AERO Friedrichshafen, Germany.
The exceptional quality HpH has become known for throughout the industry along with the numerous technical innovations incorporated into the new design have already gathered pre-production orders including many of the worlds top competition pilots and competition teams. Following testing, we expect now that realistically the first flights will now begin end of 2006, full production should be soon thereafter and in full later this year.

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