Grob Aircraft - History

History

The company was founded in 1971 by Dr Burkhart Grob, son of Ernst Grob, who had started producing internal combustion engines in 1926 and later made other parts for the automobile industry. Grob Aerospace became involved in glider manufacture in 1971 when it was sub-contracted by Schempp-Hirth to build the Standard Cirrus under licence. Burkhart Grob was a power pilot and a glider pilot already.

Two hundred Standard Cirruses were built by Grob at its own Tussenhausen-Mattsies airfield between 1971 and 1975. In 1974 Grob decided to continue with glider production independently using its experience with fibre-composite construction. Instead of building competitive gliders, they decided to build for the club market at competitive prices. The result was the G-102 Astir. The two-seat G 103 Twin Astir followed shortly after.

In the late 1970s Grob also decided to build the G 109, the world's first production all-composite motor glider which was certified in 1981. This was following by the G 115 which was certified by the FAA in 1987. In the late 1980s the G 520 Egrett/STRATO 1 high-altitude aircraft was produced which established five world records. Glider production ceased in 1996 and production concentrated on powered aircraft.

The Grob G180 SPn, six-passenger jet, first flew in 2005. The second prototype crashed shortly after takeoff on November 29, 2006 near the production plant in Germany. Chief test pilot Gérard Guillaumaud, the aircraft's sole occupant, was killed.