View source for Schempp-Hirth Nimbus-4

{{Short description|German single- or two-seat glider, 1990}}
{{Infobox aircraft
  |name = Nimbus 4
  |logo = <!--ONLY for an individual logo of the aircraft model, (NOT the main manufacturer logo)-->
  |image = Schempp-Hirth Nimbus 4 D-KHXX.jpg
  |caption = Nimbus 4M with powerplant deployed
  |type = high-performance [[FAI Open Class]] [[Glider (sailplane)|glider]]
  |manufacturer = [[Schempp-Hirth Flugzeugbau GmbH]]
  |designer = [[Klaus Holighaus]]
  |first_flight = 1990
  |introduction = <!--date the aircraft entered or will enter military or revenue service-->
  |retired = <!--date the aircraft left military or revenue service. If vague or multiples, it probably should be skipped-->
  |status = <!--in most cases, this field is redundant; use it sparingly-->
  |primary_user = <!--please list only one user – for military aircraft, the user is a nation or a service arm. 
                  Do NOT add those tiny flags as they limit horizontal space.-->
  |more_users = <!--limited to three "more users" total; please separate with <br/>-->
  |produced = <!--years in production, e.g. 1970-1999, if still in active use but no longer built-->
  |number_built = 144 ({{As of|2011|lc=on}})
  |program cost= <!-- total program cost. -->
  |unit cost = <!-- incremental or flyaway cost for military aircraft or retail price for commercial aircraft. -->
  |developed_from = [[Schempp-Hirth Nimbus-3]]
  |variants = <!-- variants OF the topic type -->
}}

The '''Schempp-Hirth Nimbus-4''' is a family of high-performance [[FAI Open Class]] [[Glider (sailplane)|gliders]] designed by [[Klaus Holighaus]] and manufactured by [[Schempp-Hirth Flugzeugbau GmbH]] in [[Kirchheim unter Teck|Kirchheim]], [[Germany]]. The Nimbus-4 first flew in 1990.

==Design and development==
The Nimbus-4 family is a direct derivative of its predecessors at the highest performance end of the Schempp-Hirth product range, the [[Schempp-Hirth Nimbus-2|Nimbus-2]] and [[Schempp-Hirth Nimbus-3|Nimbus-3]]. In total {{As of|2010|lc=on}}, 44 single-seat and 100 two-seat models have been produced.  The wing taper varies along the span, which is increased to 26.5 metres.  The [[aspect ratio (wing)|aspect ratio]] is 38.8.  The fuselage is also lengthened and a larger rudder fitted.

The manufacturer claims this glider has a [[glide ratio]] of better than 60:1 at a best glide airspeed of 110&nbsp;km/h (59 [[knot (unit)|knots]]), meaning it can glide over 60 kilometres on course for every 1000 metres of altitude lost in still air.<ref name="titleNimbus-4">{{cite web |url=http://www.schempp-hirth.com/index.php?id=nimbus-4&L=1 |title=Nimbus-4 |accessdate=2007-12-17 |publisher=[[Schempp-Hirth]] |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20061016163014/http://www.schempp-hirth.com/index.php?id=nimbus-4&L=1 |archivedate=2006-10-16 }}</ref>

There is a two-seat version, the 4D, and [[motor glider]] versions with either turbo engines (designation T) or self-launching engines (designation M).

==Nimbus-4DM==
The Nimbus-4DM is typical of the Nimbus-4 design, except for variations in cockpit and powerplant configuration and associated operating limitations. It  is a 2-seat, high-performance motorized glider, constructed from [[fiber reinforced plastic]] (FRP) composites, featuring full span [[Flight control surfaces|flight controls]] and a [[T-tail]] (with fixed [[horizontal stabilizer]] and two-piece [[elevator (aircraft)|elevator]]). The manufacturing process uses a hand lay-up of composite material plies and [[epoxy resin]]s.

The wing's 26.5-meter (87-foot) span consists of three sections per side, consisting of a [[wing tip]], outboard section, and inboard section. The inboard sections mate at the fuselage and the outer wing sections mate with the inboard sections approximately 12.6 feet outboard of the fuselage root chord. The wing shells are a [[carbon fiber]]/[[foam core sandwich]] construction with one main spar constructed of a [[glass fiber]]/foam core [[I-beam#Designation and terminology|shear web]] and carbon fiber [[spar (aviation)|spar]] flanges. A single-vane [[flap (aircraft)|flap]] spans the entire inboard wing section. Three sections of [[ailerons]] (that is, inboard, center, and outboard) span the outboard wing section with a fourth aileron, used to minimize the effects of adverse yaw, attached to the wing tip.

The forward fuselage ([[cockpit]]) is constructed of [[Kevlar]], carbon and glass fiber laminate, reinforced by a double skin on the sides with integrated surrounding canopy frame and seat pan mounting flanges. The single-piece canopy hinges sideways and opens to the right. The aft fuselage section is constructed of a pure carbon fiber monolithic shell, stiffened by carbon fiber/foam core bulkheads and glass fiber webs.

The horizontal stabilizer is constructed of glass fiber/foam core sandwich with carbon fiber reinforcements. The elevator halves are a hybrid composite (carbon and glass fiber) monolithic shell. The [[vertical stabilizer]] is carbon fiber/foam core sandwich construction. The single-piece [[rudder]] is constructed of glass fiber/foam core sandwich.

The [[Aircraft flight control systems|flight controls]] are all push/pull tubes except for the rudder, which is controlled via cables.

The Nimbus-4DM is powered by a liquid-cooled 44&nbsp;kW [[Bombardier Aerospace|Bombardier]] [[Rotax 535C]] engine with a 3:1 [[belt (mechanical)|belt]] [[reduction drive]]. The powerplant is housed in the fuselage immediately aft of the wing. An electrically driven spindle drive ([[jackscrew]]) extends the propeller pylon upwards and forward from the engine bay. When stowed, two doors mounted to the rear fuselage conceal the powerplant. The jackscrew is attached between the airframe and the upper forward end of the pylon such that when the jackscrew is retracted (shortened) the pylon is pulled upwards and forward into its flight position.

A 4DM holds the world record for speed over a 500&nbsp;km course - 306.8&nbsp;km/h (190.6&nbsp;mph) which is in excess of its [[Vne|V<sub>NE</sub>]]. It was flown by [[Klaus Ohlmann]] and Matias Garcia Mazzaro on 22 December 2006.<ref>[http://fai.org/record/14392 Open class glider: speed over an out-and-return course of 500km]</ref>

==Accident history==
{{Unreferenced section|date=May 2022}}
U.S. [[National Transportation Safety Board]] (NTSB) investigators queried the German [[Luftfahrt-Bundesamt]] (LBA), Germany's equivalent of the U.S. [[Federal Aviation Administration]] (FAA), regarding the accident history of the Nimbus-4DM in conjunction with a 1999 accident near [[Minden, Nevada]] where both occupants of the aircraft were killed. In this accident, the glider broke up in flight during the recovery phase after a [[departure resistance|departure]] from controlled flight while maneuvering in [[thermal]] [[lift (soaring)|lift]] conditions. Airborne witnesses in other gliders who saw the beginning of the accident sequence said the glider was in a tight turn, as if climbing in a thermal, when it entered a spiral. With a 45-degree nose-down attitude, the speed quickly built up as the glider completed two full rotations. The rotation then stopped, the flight stabilized on a northeasterly heading, and the nose pitched further down to a near-vertical attitude (this is consistent with the spin recovery technique specified in the Aircraft Flight Manual (AFM)). The glider was observed to level its attitude, with the wings bending upward and the wing tips coning higher, when the outboard wing tip panels separated from the glider, the wings disintegrated, and the fuselage dived into the ground. Several witnesses estimated that the wing deflection reached 45 degrees or more before the wings failed. Examination of the wreckage disclosed that the left and right outboard wing sections failed symmetrically at two locations.

In this case, the NTSB determined "that the probable cause of this accident was the pilot's excessive use of the elevator control during recovery from an inadvertently entered spin and/or spiral dive during which the glider exceeded the maximum permissible speed, which resulted in the overload failure of the wings at loadings beyond the structure's ultimate design loads."

At the time there were three previous accidents worldwide on file with the [[Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Investigation]] (BFU), Germany's equivalent of the NTSB. The first was a non-injury long landing accident in [[Fayence]], France, on 4 September 1994. The second involved a collision with the ground during takeoff in [[Fuentemilanos]], Spain, on 27 July 1997, which resulted in two fatalities. The improper installation of the horizontal stabilizer led to the third accident in [[Lüsse]], Germany, on 13 June 1999, in which two occupants were injured during an attempted takeoff when the stabilizer separated from the [[empennage]] just after liftoff.

NTSB investigators became aware of another accident involving a Nimbus-4DM that occurred in Spain shortly after the Minden, Nevada, accident. According to the [[Comisión de Investigación de Accidentes e Incidentes de Aviación Civil]], Spain's equivalent of the NTSB, the glider broke up in flight following a high-speed excursion beyond Vne. According to preliminary information supplied by the Spanish authorities, the pilot stated they were in a turn when a heavy thermal caused the glider to enter a steep descending spiral. The pilot could not recover the aircraft from the spiral and the airspeed quickly exceeded Vne. The pilot then reported that the right wing failed and he bailed out.

The BFU has recorded four incidents/accidents with the single-seat versions. Three events are known of non-injury accidents during [[off-field landing]]s, and one fatal accident was due to collision with a mountain.

Additionally, during training for the [[World Gliding Championships]] in New Zealand in 1995, a Nimbus-4 (owned by the [[French Air Force]]) was destroyed in a midair breakup accident. The glider entered a wave cloud, lost control, and broke up at a speed beyond 400&nbsp;km/h (The never exceed speed, or "[[Vne]]" is 285&nbsp;km/h, and the design dive speed, or "[[V speeds|Vd]]", is 324&nbsp;km/h). The pilot survived by bailing out.

According to the LBA, "As far as we know, none of the incidents/accidents recorded indicated a technical failure."

==Variants==
The Nimbus-4DM is a model of the "Nimbus-4 Family," which consists of single-seat and two-seat gliders and motor gliders. The engine in each motor glider retracts into the fuselage, behind the cockpit. The different models are (production data {{As of|1999|lc=on}}):

* Nimbus-4: a single-seat glider, type certified in Germany January 1, 1994. Total number produced: 11
* Nimbus-4T: a single-seat self-sustaining motor glider, type certified in Germany June 15, 1993. Total number produced: 12
* Nimbus-4M: a single-seat self-launching motor glider, type certified in Germany January 1, 1994. Total number produced: 10
* Nimbus-4D: a two-seat glider, type certified in Germany February 24, 1995. Total number produced: 9
* Nimbus-4DT: a two-seat self-sustaining motor glider, type certified in Germany May 5, 1995. Total number produced: 6
* Nimbus-4DM: a two-seat self-launching motor glider, type certified in Germany November 7, 1995. Total number produced: 37
* Nimbus-4DL: a two-seat glider with extended fuselage for tall people
* Nimbus-4DLT: a two-seat self-sustaining motor glider and extended fuselage for tall people
* Nimbus-4DLM: a two-seat self-launching motor glider and extended fuselage for tall people

==Specifications (4DM unless otherwise specified)==
{{Aircraft specs
|ref=<ref>[http://www.schempp-hirth.com/index.php?id=nimbus-4dm0&L=1 Nimbus 4DM technical data] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071014202505/http://www.schempp-hirth.com/index.php?id=nimbus-4dm0&L=1 |date=2007-10-14 }}. Accessed 1 February 2008.</ref><ref>[http://www.schempp-hirth.com/index.php?id=nimbus-4dt&L=1 Nimbus 4DT technical data] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011045437/http://www.schempp-hirth.com/index.php?id=nimbus-4dt&L=1 |date=2007-10-11 }}. Accessed 15 March 2008.</ref>
|prime units? = met
|crew=1 (or 2 in type "D" variants only)
|length m=7.83
|length ft=25
|length in=8
|span m=26.5
|span ft=87
|wing area sqm=17.86
|wing area sqft=192.24
|aspect ratio=38.8
|empty weight kg=595
|empty weight lb=1312
|gross weight kg=820
|gross weight lb=1808
|eng1 number=1
|eng1 note=(in type "M" variants only)
|eng1 name= [[Rotax 535C]]
|eng1 kw=33
|eng1 hp=<!-- prop engines -->44
|eng2 number=1
|eng2 note=(in type "T" variants only)
|eng2 name= SOLO 2350
|eng2 kw= 19.6
|eng2 hp= 26.3
|max speed kmh=285
|max speed mph=177
|max speed kts=157
|cruise speed kmh=142
|cruise speed mph=88
|cruise speed kts=78
|glide ratio=60:1
|sink rate ms=0.38
|sink rate ftmin=75
}}

==See also==
*[[List of gliders]]

==References==
{{reflist}}
{{USGovernment|url=https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/AAB0206.pdf|title=NTSB Aviation Accident Brief NTSB/AAB-02/06}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Schempp-Hirth Nimbus 4}}
* [http://www.schempp-hirth.com/ Schempp-Hirth's homepage]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_oOJPY9K2M Movie of Nimbus-4D]

{{Schempp-Hirth}}
{{Italian military aircraft}}

[[Category:Schempp-Hirth aircraft|Nimbus-4]]
[[Category:1990s German sailplanes]]
[[Category:Aircraft first flown in 1990]]
[[Category:Motor gliders]]
[[Category:T-tail aircraft]]