Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-01-18

hill 5000 feet high, and landed near
the town of Gersfelt, six miles away,
which is $500 feet high. The duration
of the flight was more than IL min
utes. The beginning of the flight was
made into the wind, which was from
west-northwest. The hills running
nearly due north and south, Klemperer
turned south, following the ridge OF
the hills. II he had tried to cross ne
would have been caught in the down
ward air current which naturally fol-
lows the downward slope of the ground.
He did run into such a situation near
a spur called Pferdskopf, where
gorge ran through facing the wind. In
| order to get back to the previous up
| current he retraced his tracks, soar-
| ing upward until he was high enough
to cross the gorge safely. After this
he continued up the valley stream
through which he found favorably
! rising current, until after he had been
| In the air six minutes he had attained
a height of 400 feet above the starting
place.
'aThis was the highest altitude at.
tanned, for soon after he came out OF
the valley into flat, low country, the
slope Of the wind decreasing with that
of the ground. Later on he came to
other hills and found rising air cur
rents following their slopes, and ne
quickly took advantage OF these cur
rents to gain back some OF the anu
tude he had lost in the level, country t,
To the newest were still higher NUS
but Klemperer refused to take advan.
taxe Of the rising air currents because
thew would have brought him over high
country and SO reduced his gliding
angle. Instead, he kept to the val
lev. some thousand feet lower. where
he could glide for some distance far-
Their than he could if he were forced TO
land up on the high country. Several
times be would strike regions Of de.
ascending air currents, and instead OF
merely passing through these, he
would make q series Of turns,
circling about. losing little altitude
AZ he sailed away from the ridge but
gaining more as he turned again To-
ward the ridge.
Land Contours and Wind
'sThe route of klemperer demon
strates that his flight was influenced
by two things--by the direction OF the
wind and by the physical character
istics of the country. The normally
horizontal wind being influenced By the
underlying country, created upward and
| downward currents of air--and 1t is OF
these that Klemperer took advantage,
inst as the buzzard would do
: With the exception that it was
motorless, nothing is said concerning
the shape or character of the German
aviator's plane, but it was doubtless
Of type specially adapted for soar
J ing flight That the shape OF the
: plane is an important consideration IN
: : soaring flight is indicated by the mum
: Der of European inventors VINO are
{ working on new models OF wings
! Among the few to develop what is be
. lieved to be an efficient motorless ma
! chine is Gustav Lilienthal. who de
: clares that the mystery OF a PRO
soaring flight lies not only in the shape
: thickness and curve of its wing, bu
: also in the peculiar arched manner
! with the wing tip depressed, in which
: it holds it's wing. This results, &C
: cordinp to Lilienthal, '.in strong re
verse eddy being formed underneath
. the w;nr-an eddy which. sweepin'
: from front to back, is DETECTED b.
the cunning curve and made to SWEEP
I'm again under the thick center par
If the wing from back to front: Ihu
: !, acts as natural propeller and drive
), the bird forward through the air.
e Tho few experiments that have beef
r made in soaring flight have evoked ire
i mendous applause and interest. II
}, aviation circles all over the world. 1t Il
e the one thrilling subject OF converse
& ton. All authorities seem to agre
|, TINT in this latest development the eli
max has been reached in aviation Ever
the Wright brothers predicted that mel
, would never stop with 300 horsepowe
: motors. but would keep on studyln
: and experimenting until they could fl
= with the same economy OF power use
by turkey buzzards.