GLIDING

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXIII, Issue 73, 8 March 1933, Page 3

GLIDING

ACTIVITIES IN HASTINGS ANOTHER UNSATISFACTORY WEEK-END. MISS FLYING.

(By

“Sky Hawk.”)

’-“J —- — > Qvraii to the t act that there was little wind on Sunday, flying was •f a very poor standard . The highest altitude for the day wm only about 100 feet, and other pilots who flew the machine failed even to *et within 60 feet of this mark. However, as the engine of the powerful car was giving a little trouble owing to water in the carburettor, it was decided to put this in order while waiting for a stronger wind to rise, which it did, about 3 o’clock. An “A” license pilot took the con- • trols, and had risen only to about «>0 feet when he was forced to land again, and proved to strike hard enough to break a tail assembly support. Materials were not on hand, but the ’plane will ba in the air next week. The elub has been extremely unfortunate this year as regards flying conditions, so the writer sincerely hopes that next Sunday will show a marked improvement not only in the wind direction, but in the behaviour of the car, which has been exceedingly spiteful of late, despite the ground engineer’s effort*. Th* Value of Gliding. For efficient instruction of student aviators, for remarkable safety in flight and for sheer, downright sport, there is nothing to compare with glidng.

Glinding presents several distinct features and advantages. It is fundamentally right; that is, it teaches the elementary principles of flight correctly and develops a technique on the part of the student that is far superior to the instruction gained from the first few hours in motor-driven -'planes. Of more far-reaching importance, gliding is safe. The proportion of accidents in gliders is almost negligible, and injuries received have rarely been fatal. This is because the absence of the motor causes the glider to float gently to earth, even when out ox control; whereas powered ’planes under these conditions, because of the weight of the engine in the none, immediately go into a dive. On his first flight in a glider, the student is pushed only a few feet into the air. This suffices to give him tho feel and general conception of Low a ’plane acts when in flight, and by a gradual stepping-up process, he soon completes his tests. Moreover, he develops at the same time a basic knowledge of the subject.

A Wonderfnl Spoil. By no means the least of the attractions of gliding is that it is a great sport and an inexpensive one. A programme providing for glider clubs throughout this country, properly organised and effectively put over, would do much to popularise flying.

The subject will be absorbed by thou interested in flying as a sport, who will unconsciously become air-minded and well-informed on the subject of aeronautics. This will possibly contribute towards the sale of power ’planes, because it is only natural that the nest step after gliding is the aeroplane it-

It might be interesting to readers to outline briefly the three steps in mastering the art of gliding. First, the student goes aloft in a primary machine, where he learns the tnnetion of the controls laterally, longitudinally and directionally. He is catapulted into the air from small hills and makes consecutive flights, each time to a greater height as his skill increases, until he is able to maintain flight for 30 seconds. For the next step the student transfers to a secondary machine of lighter construction and greater wing spread, with a longer stay in the air. With this machine he must demonstrate his ability to remain aloft at least one minute and a-half, and he must learn to make left and right-hand turns. Having accomplished these he is placed in a soaring or sail ’plane, which is the most advanced type of glider. In this soarcr he is required to remain in the air for at least 15 minutes. When a glider pilot has reached the soaring stage, he has a very thorough knowledge of how to make good take-offs and landings and how to bank and turn. He understands the stalling angle—that is the angle at which a ’plane’s controls will no longer function —and has automatically become familiar with th* air currents which either help or finder his remaining aloft. Some remarkable records in soaring have been obtained. Pilots have remained in the air for more than 14 hours and have covered lineal distances exceeding 100 mi.es. This not only indicates great skill on the part of the pilot but gives evidence of the contributions which have been made to aviation by the designer and manufacturer of gliding and soaring machines.