The dream of gliding: soaring through the air as free as a bird, without an engine. In Kirchheim unter Teck, at the foot of the Swabian Alb, they’re working to make that dream a reality. In historic hangars, the family-owned company Schempp-Hirth builds gliders.

The challenge: They must be lightweight yet stable—because the forces in the air that lift the glider and pilot upward are immense. Yet the glider’s outer walls are only a few millimeters thick: carbon and glass fibers are cut by hand, placed in molds, and bonded with resin.

While the fuselage and wings are being built this way, the rest is also crafted by hand: welding steel, laying cables and wires, adjusting and installing the control systems. Filling, painting, sanding, and polishing the surfaces—until the aerodynamics are perfect.
The result is a glider made from over 10,000 parts that not only withstands the forces of the air but works with them—making the dream of gliding like a bird a reality.


IN THE VIDEO
Managing Director: Tilo Holighaus
Fuselage Construction: Oliver Breitkreutz, Christoph Schröder, Alexander Hemmann
Welding: Ramona Ullmann, Alexander Bel
Wing Construction: Herbert Porst, Heiko Nill
Control System Installation: Nils Maschkiwitz, Leon Eisenkoll
Painting: Lukasz Razniak, Parlos “Paul” Kapnopoulos, Roman Hreben
Final Assembly 1 and 2: Toni Mendes Andrade, Andreas Hill, Alexander Sich, Malachi Melicharek

CREDITS
Writer: Manuel Hollenweger
Camera: Lars Reuther
Sound: Paul Heydecke
Editing: Jonas Heiner
Color Grading: David Strack
Sound Mixing: Fabian Vossler
Narrator: Rolf Hüffer
Editors: Rolf Hüffer, Dorothee Eisinger
Social Media Editors: Land und Leute RP Online

We look forward to hearing your thoughts on the film in the comments, and don’t forget to subscribe to “Handwerkskunst”! - https://www.youtube.com/c/handwerksku...

In “Handwerkskunst,” each film showcases a craft—from the first step to completion. With long takes, close observations, calm editing sequences, and no distracting background music, everyone can follow how things are made and understand why good craftsmanship is also great art.

Legal Notice:
https://www.swr.de/impressum

Comments are welcome—but please follow our netiquette guidelines:
https://www.swr.de/netiquette

Privacy Policy:
https://www.swr.de/datenschutz

#Handwerkskunst #airplane #glider