RECORD ATTEMPT IN SAILPLANE

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27307, 25 March 1954, Page 6

RECORD ATTEMPT IN SAILPLANE

PILOT FAILS TO FIND FAVOURABLE WIND

A year ago Mr S. H. Georgeson, chief instructor of the Canterbury Gliding Club, flew his Weihe sailplane to Taieri in an attempt to win the.,Gold C award of the Federation Aerbnautique Internationale. This is based on a trip of 186 miles, and although Mr Georgeson travelled 200 miles, a formula of adjustments according to the height of release deprived him of qualification by one mile. A year ago he had sufficient height to go further had he realised the effect of adjustments. On Tuesday Mr Georgeson set out again l to win the award, and although he spent most of the afternoon in the air he failed to find suitable currents. "But I learned a lot,” he said.

Mr Georgeson took off from the Christchurch airport early in the afternoon towed by a Tiger Moth piloted by the Canterbury Aero Club’s chief instructor (Mr J. D. Neave). They flew toward the Torlesse range, and the height of release at 1.50 p.m. was 5100 ft over the upper end of the Eyrewell forests. A gain in height was made to 23,000 ft. Mr Georgeson said the wind was almost due west and he required currents north ot west. He also found himself in the wrong waves, so that any progress would have meant loss of height. Above 16,000 ft there Was icing, but it did not affect the controls. The sailplane remained within a 15-mile radius of Eyrewell and returned to the airport at SJO p.m.