From Schempp-Hirth's website (freely translated)

The long awaited Arcus M has flown successfully on the Hahnweide on the 1st
July.
The first flight was conducted by Schempp-Hirths engineer Swen Lehner and
the boss of the Solo Engine factory Wolfgang Emmerich, in beautiful sunshine
and temperatures nearing 30 degrees celcius in the shade.
Thanks to the flaps of the Arcus, the aircraft took off after a short roll
(approx 200m) and climbed quickly to altitude where the engine was switched
off and retracted. The propeller is automatically stopped from spinning via
a brake and brought into retract position via sensors without input from the
pilot.
Powered by the brand new computer controlled direct injection Solo engine,
restarting the engine in flight is effortless by simply turning the ignition
switch to ON. The new system controls all aspects of the engine ignition
phase including extension/ignition and fuel. The amount of fuel mix ratio is
controlled by the computer system and is adjusted according to altitude of
the aircraft.
The high wing loading of the Arcus is hardly noticeable, except in glide
performance, and the large airbrakes allow for pinpoint accurate landings.
The roll out is made much easier through the steerable tail wheel coupled to
the rudder.
All in all the factory is delighted with the Arcus M and it's performance.
There is a you tube clip of the launch at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84J3y-eEPl0 which indicates a climb rate of
around 3m/s.

Chris