There are also trailing edge flaps with the exception of the Trainer and Orion variants.

The DG-500/18 is mainly intended for flight training, and is fully aerobatic with +7/-5 g rating.

The DG-500 once held the all-time altitude record for manned gliders, at 15,460 m (50,720 ft), set on 29 August 2006 by Steve Fossett and Einar Enevoldson, breaking the previous record by 1,713 ft (522 m).

The canopy had double-wall glazing and there was a drogue parachute for an emergency descent from high altitude.

[4] A new altitude record of 52,172 ft (15,902 m)[5] was set by the Windward Performance Perlan II on September 3, 2017.