GLIDING

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXIII, Issue 16, 30 December 1932, Page 3

GLIDING

PROGRESS IN GERMANY TECHNICAL DEVELOPMENT. AIR MAIL SERVICE. Wasserkuppe, December 12. The first glider air mail service was inaugurated at this year’s glider competition in the Rhon Mountains in central Germany. The engineless planes carried the mail swiftly and silently from the Wasserkuppe, the summit, down to Gersfeld, a little village and railway terminus in the valley. On the first day 1500 letters and postcards were despatched. One day no less than 101 flights—not mere hops—were performed, three of them averaging ten hours. On another day the total mileage flown was 500 miles. Once about 20 gliders started out on cross-country flights following one another like a flock of geese. Large flocks of gliders hovering over the Wasserkuppe or flying swiftly from slope to slope were no uncommon sight. All in all, 523 flights ■were made.

The longest flight was performed by Hedd Schleicher on a glider constructed for light wind flying. It lasted 12 hours and is a record for the Rhon Mountains. DURATION RECORD MADE. While the competition was being held on the Wasserkuppe, a duration record of 16 hours 13 minutes was established by Police Captain Hentschel, in Kassel, central Germany. The greatest altitude reached during the Rhon competition was 7200 feet. The plane returned covered with ice. Numerous crosscountry flights of more than 62 miles were performed. This year's competition was the thirteenth. Eighty-two gliders had been entered, about 60 of which had arrived before the competition commenced.

Three distinct features in the technical development of the planes were apparent. They are: the prominence of the high-grade, super-sensitive glider which has gradually taken the place of the primitive planes of previous years; the standardisation of types, welcomed as a sign of consolidation but regretted as holding up fruitful experimentation, and, finally, tho return to smaller wing spans.

there appears to be a standstill in span enlargement. At this autumn’s competition the span averaged 53.6 feet, as compared with 53.8 feet a year ago, and 49.6 feet in 1930. Students of Darmstadt University had a glider measuring only 39.6 feet from tip to tip, and weighing only 1171 b.

The structure of the ailerons of the Darmstadt glider are made of light

metal. Another glider, built by students from Dresden, used duralumin for the wing ribs. COLLAPSES IN THUNDERSTORM. The exact opposite of this tendency toward smaller and lighter gliders was Herr Robert Kronfeld's Austria, with a span of 98 feet and a wing surface of 376 square feet. The wing lacked any outside support such as struts or cables and was carried high above the cockpit, which gave the plane a most peculiar aspect. But this position protected the wing tips against collision with the ground just as in seaplanes the propelllers are often mounted high above the fuselage to protect them against contact with the waves. While flying in a thunderstorm ’the wings collapsed. Kronfeld saved himself with his parachute. As a counterbalance to standardisation of construction threatening to check progress if carried too far, the construction of planes designed for special purposes is now being advocated. Two such planes participated in the Rhon competition. One had been designed by the Rhon-Rositten Company, which has performed such excellent pioneer work for gliding, for trailing behind engined planes. It can be used most excellently for meteorological research work, as the instruments, owing to the absence of an engine, are not exposed to vibrations or magnetic influences. The other special type was a glider designed, for light winds. With a span of 57.5 feet, it weighed only 234 pounds, inclui’.i.g instruments, and could stay up wbeu heavier planes had to remain on the ground. Among the many technical improvements were completely closed cockpits end ailercns wl.i'-L could be moved simultaneously in one direction. One plane ifturned to tin old system of wing warping instead o> ailerons. Startr.g behind engined planes became quite a fashion on w unless dcys. .