SPORT OF GLIDING

Evening Star, Issue 20864, 6 August 1931, Page 9

SPORT OF GLIDING

PROGRESS m BRITAIN INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION TO BE HELD (British Official Wireless.) Press Association —By Telegraph—Copyright. RUGBY, August 4. In Hying circles amateurs who are devoted to the now sport of gliding are already looking forward to tho international gliding competition, which will ho hold under the auspices of tho British Gliding Association in the first week of October, while the International Commission for Motorless Flights is in session in London. It is thought that tho British entrants will ho able to show tho remarkable progress that has been made in British gliding since tho last international meeting in England in 1922, and enthusiasts point to tho new British duration record of six hours set up by Flying Officer Mole last week-end as proof of the high standard reached. British firms have taken up the construction of gliders, and arc now producing types of high efficiency. ACROSS THE CHANNEL DOUBLE FLIGHT IN ONE DAY The double flight across the Channel in a soaring glider was accomplished on June 9 by Herr Robert Kronfeld, the German glider pilot. The journey up-wind from St. Inglevert, tho aerodrome near Boulogne, to Dover occupied two hours. On the return flight, made for the most part in darkness, the actual sea crossing was completed in twenty minutes, though Herr Kronfold did not land until an hour and a-half after taking off. In both cases ho gained height at the start by means of a towing aeroplane, and started his glide about a mile inland. , Herr Kronfeld, who a year ago toured England giving exhibitions in the same soaring glider, the Wien, in which he made these flights, has thus won at the first attempt a prize of £I,OOO offered by the ‘ Daily Mail ’ for tho first double crossing of tho Channel in one day. Two other gliders, one German and one of British design and construction, had entered. Either would have had a good chance of succeeding. To Herr Kronfeld, with a towed start, the undertaking was a much smaller one than some ho has successfully carried out after launching by tho ordinary method from a hilltop. _ _ , Ho was towed to a height of some s,o(Joft for the start from St. Inglovort at about G o’clock in the evening, and, casting off tho towing cable, he began his glide against the wind. The fact that ho was meeting the wind meant that he could ho fairly certain of maintaining height, hut that ho would make comparatively slow headway. Ho also had some difficulty hi discovering lightships by which lo cheek his course, and visibility was not good enough to allow the distant snore to be scon. Ho landed at the old Swingato aerodrome east of Dover Castle at 8 o’clock, and began the return flight just after 9 o'clock. For this ho was towed up to about 10,000ft t ' and tho glide from that height involved little navigation. Ho had the wind behind him, and was constantly losing height while making progress. In this direction tho flight was similar to the practice of certain -.power-driven aeroplanes which climb to about 8,00011 lor tho channel crossing, so that they may he sure of gliding to the other side m tlio event of'engine failure. Aided by tho light on Cape Gnz Nez, ho found St. Inglevert oasilv, and after circling above it for half an hour landed in the darkness. Tho soaring glider used on tiicse flights is one of specially high aerodynamic qualities. It has a wing spread of about 60ft, and is a singleseater. In, Juno of last year Herr Kronfeld flew seventy miles from It ford Hill, near Lewes, to Portsmouth in it in three hours after a hilltop launching. He had previously used it at tho Wasserknppo ‘or his two best flights, one a distance of over 100 miles across country and the other a climb to more than 10,000 ft on the upward currents in front of a thunderstorm.

The towing of gliders by a powerdriven aeroplane is now being put forward as n moan# of using gliding commercially, Germany is at present examining the possibility of using a train of gliders for mail services. _ so that mails might be delivered without having to bring the power aeroplane to earth. It is claimed that the load whitrh can he transported by a given engine power in this way is increased by CO per cent., and flint tin's aeroplane, virtually a flying petrol tank, has a greatly increased range. GLIDER TOWED 100 MILES.

A successful experiment to demonstrate the possihilitv of using gliders for an inland mail service was made on done 19. when the Parham Qartlam: glider, piloted by Mr E. L. Mole, was towed from 'Maidstone to Heading in a little over an hour. Mr Mole, win is in the Royal Air Force, and a member of tho London Gliding Chib, carried a letter which lie delivered to the Mayor of Reading. Ho was then towed to Hanwortb, escorted by five aeroplanes led hv tho Master of Sempill. flying his I’nss Moth. Mr Mole said Unit he thought there were -great possibilities in l.lm use if gliders for rail services and for dropping passengers on long-distance flights. Me was towed just, over 100 miles. It was the first long-disance gliding low that liadybeen mado in England. •