GLIDING WONDERS

Dominion, Volume 25, Issue 81, 30 December 1931, Page 10

GLIDING WONDERS

German Youth’s Work DIFFICULT STRUGGLE Fight for Air Sense (By a German Correspondent.) Locomotion by aircraft is making fantastic progress. Crossing the ocean, a South America trip by the Zeppelin, air. manoeuvres with squadrons of three hundred units and more, which only yesterday were considered sensations filling pages in the newspapers, will to-day be disposed of m a few Un A S 'climax of such sensations is the annual competition for the Schneider trophy. This year the victor, Stainforth, a member of the British naval air forces, attained a speed of over GOO kilometres per hour with his h.p. machine. „ « - Some months previous the German flyer Hirth on a small motorless Slider soared for hours above the city of New York; Dinort completed a non-stop glide of 15 hours; Groenhof covered 265- kilometres; -Kronfeld glided oyer London and Bruxelles and won the prize for gliding across the Channel and back after having previously reached a height of 2590 metres over the spot from which he started. These, too, are sensations, but of a different kind, rather the counterpart of the employment of gigantic machinal power, as in the races for the Schneider is not a mere coincidence that these “motorless” records were achieved in Germany and by permans. The 'race for the Schneider Trophy was always run without German participation, because Germany has no funds for .such costly machines- Also, the Treaty of Versailles up to 1926 permitted only the construction of inferior machines and denied Germany the right of supporting aerial sport and provide for the training of amateur pilots from public means—how much longer?—to say nothing of the absolute prohibition of the formation of fighting air forces. The Jonsequence was that, what there is of Gelman aviation developed solely thanks to private initiative and private contributions. ! ; .

Amateurs Beat Expense. Lack of means arid, the stipulations of the Treaty of Versailles compelled the German aerial sport to confine itself principally to gliding. Much has been achieved in Germany in that field because the youth of Germany became a deciding factor.in the cause devoting itself to it, heart and soul. There being no air forces that .might afford a chance to vent any sporting inclinations and no funds whatever, the youth of Germany, with unselfish enthusiasm, turned to the air gliding sport. To fly motor machines was a desire that only a few. could satisfy, despite the fact that the German aircraft industry, easily adapting itself to conditions, had constructed very inexpensive and lowpowered, though efficient light aeroplanes, and with these had twice achieved victory in the great international trial of sporting machines known as the “International Touring ' Competition.” The little money, without which even this sport was impossible, the youngsters saved from their earnings and they built, their machines themselves in the leisure hours they could snatch—students who as boys in school had already tried their hands at the construction of gliders, young teachers, clerks and tradesmen. \ With their first gliders they went to the Rhoen hills which offered special facilities, the “Wasserkuppe” becoming the traditional camping ground of the young flying men and has welcomed many foreign visitors. At first they hopped about and made short glides. They were seeking experience. Then, new Improved gliders were constructed and the battle with the obstinate air continued under severest privations. By and by the short glides from the hilltop downward extended into regular flights, the machine remaining at the same height for minutes by profiting 1 ' from the up-wind. Some of the new gliders succeeded even in passing the starting point at a height of from 20 to 50 metres. Then came the first flight at a height of one hundred metres that actually lasted a full hour. Soon after followed flights, some lasting fourteen hours. One triumph overtook another. Scientists —first of all the chairman of the Rhoen-Rossltten Society, Professor , Dr. Georgii, aided by investigating the air currents. With unparalleled rapidity this fine sport now became popular and gained friends. New constructions were tried, new discoveries made every day. Today the German youth soars without a motor 3000 metres up in the air for stretches of 260 kilometres over mountains and flatlands, in the up-wind of mountains and the air currents rising from the cities. They built more than 1000 gliding and soaring machines, in the most primitive shops and shanties. It is almost as a miracle born of severe privations and a will that knows no difficulties, combined with a strong sense of technique and a wealth of scientific knowledge, A small example of German efficiency, just a glimpse of the never ceasing process of German regeneration. Air Gliding Research. With such splendid results the wish was natural to let foreign nations who had attended the annual gliding competitions in the Rhoen hills profit from the knowledge gained. To that end the “International Commission for Air Gliding Research” was founded in 1930 with a German chairtnan, and a seat at Frankfort on-Main at the offices of the Rhoen-Rossitten Society and the following nations as members: Germany, Great Britain, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Hungary, and Spain. Besides close co-opera-tion and exchange of experience much has already been achieved, even in countries not belonging to the “International Commission.” Some of them have adopted German methods in introducing the gliding sport, using German gliding and soaring machines such, of course, being also supplied to the members of the “International Commission.” The German rules and regulations for competitions have been internationally accepted, likewise the German badge for members of the glider fraternity. As a compliment to Germany she is allowed to continue the original badge, whereas the other countries have distinguishing letters in their badges.

An American request to send German gliding instructors to Cape Code, U.S.A., where a gliding school is to be established, was a special recognition of Germany’s merits in this field and at the same time a noble demonstration of sportive solidarity. It is this spirit that has promoted the gliding sport movement in Germany and paved the way for international co-operation, thus establishing closer connections between nations in sport and traffic, motor-driven or motorless. The spirit is the same overywhora.