Lange Aviation
The Lange Aviation GmbH was founded in 1996 as Lange Flugzeugbau GmbH. The company is located two bridges. Long develops, builds and sells motor gliders and gliders. Company founder and CEO Axel Lange. The company currently employs 42 staff.
As far (2009) the world's only company builds and sells Long a self-launching motor glider with high-performance electric drive, the Lange Antares 20E, the first of which were delivered in 2004.
The new drive system uses lithium - ion batteries, inverters and Asynchronaußenläufermotor. Flight testing began in 1999 in a DG- 800B, internally called Long LF 20 E. The demonstration machine was launched on 7 May 1999 for its first flight. With this pattern, the basic utility of the concept could be proven.
On 28 May 2006, took over as the new development Lange Antares 18S, a glider, the 18- m- class, its maiden flight.
In July 2007, insolvency proceedings, the Lange Flugzeugbau GmbH was opened; the insolvency administrator led the business operations continue. End of September 2007 acquired the long fiber composite GmbH all tangible and intangible assets of the Lange Flugzeugbau GmbH. She sat at the location Zweibrücken continue the production of the Antares series. Since 2008, the company operates under the name Lange Aviation GmbH.
On 23 December 2011, the first flight of the Antares 23E Lange development took place. This aircraft has essentially an extended three meters wing as well as a significantly increased take-off weight. It was developed in cooperation with Schempp- Hirth and has the same inner wings like the Schempp-Hirth Quintus.
Lange Aviation GmbH is building next to the Antares 23E, 20E and Antares Antares 18S / T and the research aircraft Antares DLR -H2 fuel cell-powered for the DLR. 2010 gave the company announced its intention to take the successor Antares H3 with a wingspan of 23 meters and an expected range of up to 6,000 kilometers in 2011 testing.