The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1922-08-31
AVIATOR TELLS
Of PLANE FLIGHT
WITHOUT MOTOR
Nerve First Requisite, Says Ger
man Student
BIG FUTURE is PREDICTED
Mastery of Air Waves Secret of
New Art of Powerless
Flying

Gersfeld. Germany Aug 81
Gliding, theoretically peeds only a
continuation of the wind, either steady
or without gusts; practically It re-
CURES ability on the part Of the pilot
10 maintain his nerve, keep control OF
his machine and utilize favorable wind
conditions We have not yet solved
the problem of soaring"
This In brief, Is the summing up Of
II. p. Hent2en, the young student of
the Hanover Technical school, who as
tonlshed the world last Sunday by re,
manning IN the air two hours and
ten seconds and setting new world
record In glider or motOrless air
plane at the tests which are being
conducted here.
Hentzen Is modest young student
who was picked with his companion,
Martens because of their long expert
ence with combat planes to fly the
cider entered by their school. Pre-.
yious to Hent2ens record flight Mar.
tens had established a record OF &C
minutes with the same machine.
Hentzen today described his flight
and pointed out the different features
OF his machine Their glider is called
Vampire and 1t represents the com
bined work of the Hanover Technical
students. II has no sensational lines
but Is an especially light model OF
the parasol monoplane, with drop
ped cockpit and four-cornered front
wheel steering device.
HGnfVnp Ia 1auprtl,ft,fv =
lines said it was designed to ride
lightly on air waves. As a matter of
fact there Is no reason why the pilot
could not make ten hours flight or
stay up even longer if he were physi
ca.ly able, Hentzen and Martens
agreed.
But 1t isn't a question of indefinite
flight, said Hentzen. "The whole aim
OF the gliding tests Is to experiment
with air currents and solve the prob.
lem OF cheap energy for airplanes.
Every success along this line cheapens
the cost and makes more efficient
motor flying, which Is still being oper-
ated on the war time theory Of high
energy, regardless of cost Gliding is
merely tending towards that goal in
aircraft which will be something like
steam yacht with auxiliary sails
Professor Edward Warner. who is
here with the American gliders, de-
clares that the remarkable superiority
OF the German record over those made
at the French meet at Clermont is
due largely to the terrain about Was.
serkuppe the participation of highly
skilled aviators and the development
OF the Hanover Vampire type. Pro
lessor Warner is convinced that had
the American team been able to com.
pete at the German meet it would
have doubled the time it made at Cler-
mont.
The Wasserkuppe hill is $50 meters
High and in his flight Hentzen went
100 meters over the summit of the hill.
Then he settled down at a height of
less than 200 meters and flew with a
wind which blew at between seven and
nine miles an hour Instruments show,
ed that the maximum height of 1856 me
tres was attained by Hentzen after an
hour and three quarters. The course
ended ten kilometers Of the starting
point. AT one time during the flight
the wind died down to two meters a
second.
The gliding meet. which is likely tc
mean 50 much to the science of avia
tion,. is carried out in surroundings OF
picturesque simplicity Atop the Was
serkuppe hill are scattered barracks
tents and the kitchen where ex-officers
of the German army and their hum
ble5t assistants wait in line for meals
And it may be said here that theil
fare does not merely compare with
that of the A. f. F., being prime ,pally
soup, rice, bread and potatoes with
meat rare luxury. The teams are
entered principally by schools anC
none OF them have large funds There
are more than sixty types of gliders
here of many various types, for it mus
be remembered that the motorless air
pane is in its infancy and as yet ther,
is no standard type of construction.