Attempting to combine two genres in one aeronautical vehicle requires compromises that have historically generated less than stellar results. The mating of airplanes and cars has, for generations, given us offspring that were eminently forgettable performers as airplanes or cars. Flying boats have proven a little better—although, on the water, they are fragile beings requiring great care and, in the air, pay a penalty in fuel burn, speed and payload for shoving the weight and shape of a boat hull through the sky.
Yet, the arranged marriage, by Dr. Reiner Stemme (Stem-E), of closer relations, a glider and an airplane, has been notably successful. A few years ago, the S6 motorglider twins emerged, differing only in the ability of their landing gear to retract. We flew the S6RT (retractable, turbocharged) and found that it provides the pure joy of a high-performance glider while being a surprisingly efficient, two-place, traveling airplane.