2 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. Schempp-Hirth Ventus 3 glider: Jmcc150· CC BY-SA 4.0
- 2. Schempp-Hirth Ventus 3 expo: Jmcc150· CC BY-SA 4.0
what is it?
The Schempp-Hirth Ventus-3 is a sailplane produced by Schempp-Hirth. It replaces the highly successful Schempp-Hirth Ventus-2.
base stats
Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).
fun facts
- First flew 10 years ago, in 2016.
- Top speed is 2.2× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
- Wingspan of 18 m: about 4 cars parked nose to tail.
no engine: No engine: it glides on rising air.
spec sheet
- first flight
- 2016-01-29
- number built
- 250
- role
- 18 metre-class sailplane
- origin
- 🇩🇪 Germany
- makers
- Schempp-Hirth
- engines
- none (glider)
- passengers
- 1
- length
- 6.6 m
- wingspan
- 18 m
- max take-off weight
- 600 kg
- top speed
- 280 km/h
- range
- —
Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q27901564, Wikipedia: Schempp-Hirth Ventus-3 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.