The new LS4 ‘jet’ retrofit option by M&D Flugzeugbau is being well received by glider pilots after the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) approved the jet modification in November 2022.
The pilot in the video demonstrates how much fun it is to fly the jet-powered glider and lists its advantages. The LS4’s jet engine can sustain the glider’s flight and prevent glider pilots from landing-out from an airfield in suboptimal weather conditions.
Unlike propellers the jet does not impede the glide ratio significantly giving the LS4 good climbing and level flight performance. The LS4 jet is capable of a two ft per second climb at 135 km/h, and can attain a maximum level flight cruising speed of 200kph. The jet engine requires no aviation fuel and uses regular diesel.
The Rolladen-Schneider LS4 is a Standard Class single seat glider manufactured by Rolladen-Schneider Flugzeugbau GmbH between 1980 and 2003. The LS4, successor to the LS1 in the Standard Class, is the fifth most produced non-military glider.
