The Grob G 103 Twin Astir is a glass-reinforced plastic two-seat sailplane that was developed in Germany in the 1970s by Grob Aircraft AG as a counterpart to the single-seat G 102 Astir, then in production. Construction throughout is similar, although to preserve the centre of gravity of the design, the wings were given a slight forward sweep. While many two-seat derivatives of single-seat sailplanes have fixed undercarriage, due to the added space restrictions created by the second seat, Grob devised a novel retraction system for the Twin Astir. The single wheel was designed to rotate 90° sideways before retracting "flat" under the rear seat, resulting in a rather unusual seating position. This was only incorporated in early examples, later on, the wheel was fixed. Factory options offered to customers included whether the front seat should be equipped with flight instruments, and whether water ballast capacity should be installed.
Production continued until around 1980, when it was replaced in production by the Twin II, a new and not directly related design originally designated G 118 but later redesignated the G 103a. The G 103a was in turn replaced by the Twin III in production in 1989.
^"AAFC". Australian Air Force Cadets - Gliding. 1 January 2018. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. p. 441.
Hardy, Michael (1982). Gliders and Sailplanes of the World. Shepperton: Ian Allan. p. 49.
Coates, Andrew (1978). Jane's World Sailplanes and Motor Gliders. London: MacDonald and Jane's. p. 61.
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March 17, 2024
grob, g103, twin, astir, this, article, includes, list, general, references, lacks, sufficient, corresponding, inline, citations, please, help, improve, this, article, introducing, more, precise, citations, december, 2012, learn, when, remove, this, template, . This article includes a list of general references but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations December 2012 Learn how and when to remove this template message The Grob G 103 Twin Astir is a glass reinforced plastic two seat sailplane that was developed in Germany in the 1970s by Grob Aircraft AG as a counterpart to the single seat G 102 Astir then in production Construction throughout is similar although to preserve the centre of gravity of the design the wings were given a slight forward sweep While many two seat derivatives of single seat sailplanes have fixed undercarriage due to the added space restrictions created by the second seat Grob devised a novel retraction system for the Twin Astir The single wheel was designed to rotate 90 sideways before retracting flat under the rear seat resulting in a rather unusual seating position This was only incorporated in early examples later on the wheel was fixed Factory options offered to customers included whether the front seat should be equipped with flight instruments and whether water ballast capacity should be installed G 103 Twin AstirG103 Twin Astir landingRole SailplaneNational origin GermanyManufacturer Grob AircraftFirst flight 31 December 1976Number built 291Production continued until around 1980 when it was replaced in production by the Twin II a new and not directly related design originally designated G 118 but later redesignated the G 103a The G 103a was in turn replaced by the Twin III in production in 1989 The Twin was one of the first two seat sailplanes built from fibreglass and has higher glide performance than most similar sailplanes of the time e g Schleicher ASK 21 Scheibe SF 34 and SZD 50 Puchacz Contents 1 Operators 2 Specifications 3 See also 4 References 5 External linksOperators edit nbsp Australian Air Force Cadets using the Twin Astir for gliding training 2010 nbsp ItalyItalian Air Force operated 9 Grob G103 Twin Astir from 1975 until 1999 1 nbsp AustraliaAustralian Air Force Cadets currently operates 2 Twin Astirs as of 2020 2 Specifications editGeneral characteristics Crew one Capacity one passenger Length 8 1 m 26 ft 7 in Wingspan 17 5 m 57 ft 5 in Height 1 60 m 5 ft 3 in Wing area 17 8 m2 191 6 sq ft Aspect ratio 17 1 Empty weight 390 kg 860 lb Gross weight 610 kg 1 345 lb Performance Maximum speed 250 km h 160 mph 140 kn Maximum glide ratio 38 Rate of sink 0 60 m s 120 ft min See also editGrob G103 family Grob G103a Twin II Grob G103c Twin IIIReferences edit aeroflight AAFC Australian Air Force Cadets Gliding 1 January 2018 Retrieved 20 April 2020 Taylor Michael J H 1989 Jane s Encyclopedia of Aviation London Studio Editions p 441 Hardy Michael 1982 Gliders and Sailplanes of the World Shepperton Ian Allan p 49 Coates Andrew 1978 Jane s World Sailplanes and Motor Gliders London MacDonald and Jane s p 61 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Grob G 103 Twin Astir Homepage of Grob Aircraft AG Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Grob G103 Twin Astir amp oldid 1186605587, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
