As part of our post-convention coverage of SSA2014, the Café is pleased to present a short video interview with Tilo Holighaus. Tilo is co-owner and manager of Schempp-Hirth Flugzeugbau, one of the most successful glider manufacturers of all time. World class sailplanes with names like Cirrus, Ventus, Discus, Nimbus, Quintus, and most recently, Arcus, come to mind.

We caught up with Tilo at the Denver Airport on Sunday, March 2nd. By luck, we were both on an early morning flight from Reno. We both had a few minutes to spare before our connecting flights, so Tilo graciously agreed to an interview in the Denver terminal.

In the video, Tilo spends some time talking about the Arcus. The beautiful Arcus two-seater was a highlight of the SSA2014 exhibit hall. This 20-meter span two-seater was designed with the way most top competition pilots fly in mind in good conditions—by using energy lines rather than the strictly climb-cruise-climb mode. The handling is reportedly superb, even with the long wings, and the performance is, of course, outstanding. 

Here are a few photos of the Arcus exhibited at SSA2014 in Reno.

For U.S. pilots who want more information about the Arcus and other sailplanes in the Schempp-Hirth stable, contact Heinz or Monty at M&H Soaring. M&H, based in Elmira, NY, is the sole U.S. representative for Schempp-Hirth sailplanes.