Test pilots at Grob-Werke GmbH & Company KG in Germany first flew the Grob 102 Standard Astir II late in 1980. The Standard Astir III is one of several models that the Grob company designed specifically to conform to the international Standard Gladd category of competitive sailplanes adopted in 1958. On February 17, 1986, Robert Harris flew this Grob 102 Standard Astir III and set a world altitude record of 14,899 m (49,009 ft).