Evening star., 1922-09-10

ments Just concluded by them have
put observers in a fever of expectancy
and suspense. They are GREATNESS
to know Just what these advances
g. going to be and in what way they
will affect the present design OF arr
pIanes and their present capabilities
in flight.
1rne Germans have applied the
te,sas soaring" and aerial yachting"
to their feats to distinguish them
from nere gliding. At first blush one
might be inclined to regard this as
lust a verbal trick, calculated TO put
the achievements in an entirely new
rank ard category, but closer eX-
animation will show that the coinage
may be justified.
WHAT is the difference between
w plain gliding" and the new
"soaring'r' 1t consists only In this
a good wind. Any well-constructed
plane will glide If launched at
sufficient speed, even if the air be
perfectly calm 1t will glide down
ward at certain angle until 1t
strikes the ground. IL the plane be
launched from the top Of sufficiently
steep hill, it will glide to the bottom.
If we imagine a good breeze to ne
blowing up the hill, the airplane Will
descend much more slowly and at a
smaller angle, but 1t Will still glioe
until it I, uches earth. However, if
the hill is very steep and the wind
comes up at a very high velocity IN
deed. the plane will not descend at
all. because the lifting force pro-
duced on the wings of the machine
will he sufficient to balance its own
weight. 1t may be made to remain
nearly stationary in the air or it may
he maneuvered around to an extent
limited by the location of suitable
ascending currents or flown at de-
sceuding angle from one area or ris-
ing current to another. These latter
maneuvers are presumed to be what
are referred to by the term aerial
yachting.
There is. therefore. nothing In any
wav mysterious in the recent slluer
performances The essentially novel
feature introduced by the Germans
in their experiments is merely that OF
taking advantage of very strong
ascending wind, which Will give rise
to an upward component acting on
the glider with sufficient force to COM
peusate for the weight of the machlne
due TO gravity. Under the proper
conditions of wind any kind OF mo-
torless airplaine, if 1t possesses sta
bility and the ability to stay In the
air at all, will fly as long as the
nd nner3tOr cares 10
ait in his seat and steer it. flight
Of one two or three hours Is, there-
fore no more inherently difficult than
one of ten minutes. and these very
extended flights stand more as
record Of the pilots endurance Una"
of his skill.
r,,HE two continental glider meets
held. respectively. at Comner-
uasse about thirteen miles southeast
of C1ermont Ferrand. and at iersfeld'
in the Rhoen mountains, naturally at
,rscted worldwide attention. Inc
contestants at the two meets were TO
ba in connection not only with the
.Ismants but also virtually with each
other.
NV
French set up duration record OF
little under three minutes ana tne
ceruans a record of little more
than three hours. The event anu tiie
outcome had unpredecented advertls-
ing possibilities, and the HERMAN
journalists could not be said 10 nave
neglected their opportunities. lheS
have told of the uncannY cleVerhess
shown in the design of the macnlnes
and the superlative skill or thelr
piIots, and they hint at an inner
knowledge of secrets of flight whose
consequences may be limitless.
Yet though the best of the German
n,cbines were undoubtedly better IN
design than the greater NUMBER Oh
,bosa aeen at Clermont, 1t cannot be
ton strongly emphasized that 1t Is 10
q common-sense selection OF the ny
ing ground that their success Is iuh-
damentally due.
The decision to hold the French
meet at Combernasse would seem 10
have been particularly unfortunate
It was one for which no rehnement III
dasirn and construction, no skill IN
tho piIot could compensate. There
the conditions essential to sustained
soaring flight simply did not exist.
Compare the steep, scoop-shaped
contours Of the extensive German
grounds at Gersfeld. we'll adapted 10
direct and In way to concentrate
the wind, with the sugar-loaf hiiiocks
At the French grounds at Ciermoht'
which would do little more than stir
m a local and decidedly Limited up
heaval in the air.
As for the character OF the wind at
the two localities, although the
vr,,sr ha. seen no statement OF the
v.Iocities that obtained during the
r,ides at Clermont, the general ch-
pathology of that region does not seem
favorable for sustained and steaos
Winds of the velocity required for
.uccessrul soaring. During the Ger
man flights the thermometer Is re-
norted to have shown WIND Veioelty
of twelve to sixteen meters second'
MT 10 to say, from twenty-six to
tbIrty-nye miles an hour. This Is
r,i1bty stiff wind. Anything moro
han thirty-ive miles an hour Is gen
orally classed as gale.
working, as they were, under this
double disadvantage. 1t Is little won
dor that the "alled'' flyers, In spite
or constructors such as Breguet, Gle
want Farman and De Monge, and
pi,ot, such as Boussoutrout. Sardier'
ca.ale and Coupet, did not do better.
II must be obvious that had the Ger
man flyers been at Clermont tney