An Aircraft Makes History

It is almost 8.5 metres long, has a span of 23 metres and carries high-precision measurement instruments under its wings. This is the Stemme S-10 VTX, the motor glider of FH Aachen. A high-tech aircraft, which was acquired in 2011 for research purposes and for practical studies at the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering, then quickly gaining fame.

In 2014, the Stemme embarked on its first big mission, becoming the first motor glider worldwide to fly over the 8,848-metre-high Mount Everest. During this flight, the aircraft used a novel camera system from the German AerospaceCenter (DLR) to create a precise 3D model of Mount Everest, which aims to improve disaster control in the region. In 2016, the FH aircraft headed for the Baltic Sea, the southern Bornholm Basin off the Danish island of Bornholm, and, in 2019, the Cape Verde Islands. Once again, the motor glider took to the air for measurement flights as part of the “Uhrwerk Ozean” (Clockwork Ocean) project.

In 2016, the FH aircraft headed for the Baltic Sea, the southern Bornholm Basin off the Danish island of Bornholm, and, in 2019, the Cape Verde Islands. Once again, the motor glider took to the air for measurement flights as part of the “Uhrwerk Ozean” (Clockwork Ocean) project.

The next adventure is already awaiting the Stemme: In close cooperation with the Uniklinikum Aachen, it is now helping conduct research into the stress levels of pilots.