48 Years at AS: Rolf Schulze Retires

After almost half a century at Alexander Schleicher, a new chapter begins for Rolf Schulze as he heads into his well-deserved retirement.

Rolf began his career at AS in 1978 with an apprenticeship as a metalworker. He later continued his education to qualify as a technician.

After spending some time in final assembly, he moved to spare parts sales in 1990 – the role that most of our customers probably associate him with today.

Whether it was a screw, resin, a tailplane or a complete engine unit, for more than three decades Rolf was THE person to turn to whenever our customers needed spare parts.

Same desk, same role - back in 2003

Most of the time this meant helping customers by phone or email, but in the early years he also attended exhibitions, giving him the opportunity to meet and assist many of them in person.

Over the years, Rolf built up an impressive knowledge of our aircraft and their technology. With almost 100 years of Schleicher history and the wide variety of aircraft models that comes with it, this is no small achievement.

Often, just a few pieces of information were enough for him to identify the required spare part or find the right solution.

Customers and colleagues alike benefited from the experience and expertise of our very own “spare parts encyclopedia”.

Johannes Füller is now stepping into these big shoes. Over the past few months, he has already been working closely alongside Rolf, supporting him wherever possible – and taking every opportunity to pick his brain.

Dear Rolf, thank you for 48 years of dedication, helpfulness and an incredible wealth of expertise!

We wish you all the very best for this new chapter, good health, and plenty of time to enjoy your well-earned retirement.