AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2014 - 60

While the Stemme does have some exotic attributes, it's actually fairly straightforward when it
comes to flying-once you've had a bit of education.
What's more, the engine and propeller installation inflicts
no penalty on the Stemme's gliding and soaring performance.
Where some motorgliders use feathering propellers that remain
in the breeze, the S10-VT's propeller stows in a unique sliding nose cone compartment. Want power? Open the nose cone,
start the engine, and advance the throttle. Want to fly as a pure
sailplane? Slow to the recommended 54 KIAS, shut the engine
down, stop the propeller rotation by using a propeller brake
control, center the now spring-folded prop using the propeller
positioning handle, move the fuel selector to the Off position,
and turn off the generator switch.
You say you want your avionics powered while soaring? No
worries. The S10-VT can have up to eight dorsally-mounted
solar cells and a second battery that can keep the panel alive.
In addition to a standard complement of flight, navigation, and
communications instruments many Stemmes are ordered with
Dynon EFIS-D10A displays; Garmin 695, 696, or G3X GPS units,
soaring computers with electronic variometers (very sensitive
vertical speed indicators that help pilots identify the areas of
strongest lift), and specially designed FLARM collision-avoidance gear. The latter generates TCAS-like warnings when flying
in competitions where several gliders may be working the same
thermal. For targets to be detected, the other gliders must also

be FLARM-equipped. For more information about FLARM
units, visit the website (www.flarm.com/).
During powered flight, the Rotax can deliver true airspeeds
as high as 140 knots. However, that's with the engine running at
its 5,500 rpm maximum continuous power setting. A more typical cruise speed setting would be 5,000 rpm, which yields 120
KTAS at 6,000 feet and a fuel burn of 5.5 gph.
The Stemme's 75-foot wingspan and 201-square-foot wing
area make its soaring performance possible, but a span that huge
poses issues during ground operations. That's why the Stemme
uses a folding-wing design that lets you pull the outer wing sections away and fold them over the inboard sections.
While the Stemme does have some exotic attributes, it's
actually fairly straightforward when it comes to flying-once
you've had a bit of education. The cabin entry procedure is one
example. In the interest of drag reduction, there are no entry
steps. Instead, you have to back your rear end into the junction of the wing root and fuselage, and then muscle yourself
up onto the canopy sill. From there, you swing your legs over
and climb in.
Once inside, you'll find the reclined seating position very
comfortable, and the cabin surprisingly wide for such a slippery design. And if you're not a glider pilot, you'll also find some

FOR A LONGISH TAILDRAGGER, there's plenty of visibility over the nose
for taxi, takeoff, and landing. At a remote strip in Switzerland (below),
a Stemme poses with its jettisonable canopy, propeller dome, and engine
cooling doors (beneath the wing) in the open positions. Nav lights atop
the new winglets permit night flying (top right). Up to eight solar cells-for
powering avionics in soaring flight-can be mounted on the fuselage
(bottom right).

60 | AOPA PILOT November 2014

http://www.flarm.com/

AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2014

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