He built and flew an early type of Superfloater ultralight sailplane. As a young man, Messerschmitt befriended German sailplane pioneer Friedrich Harth. For more experienced pilots there are glow plug engine, electric powered and sailplane aircraft. The sailplane was canard-configured, with a retractable engine ahead of the cockpit. The sailplane pilot releases the rope after reaching the desired altitude. In 1968 a Slingsby Gull sailplane was acquired. There was also a club version of this sailplane with fixed landing gear. It was the first Grob-designed sailplane, with the first flight in December 1974. All were based on the Schweizer SGS 2-32 sailplane. The DG-800 was planned primarily as a powered self-launching sailplane. During the filming of "Superman III", he raced his sailplane in his free time. Bob Carlton made his debut appearance in the Super Salto Jet Sailplane. The 1-26 is the most numerous sailplane found in the US. The Schempp-Hirth Discus-2 is a Standard Class sailplane produced by Schempp-Hirth since 1998. The Schempp-Hirth Ventus-2 is a sailplane produced by Schempp-Hirth since 1994.