Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1923-04-15

ME 8toAS A1ustsS~" es
meet Ter which arrangemsnss
are now being completed. ana
whose rendezvous ~ . matter
OF commerce tram coast 20 coast, 70
branEfuS back I certain vesuge OF
the burst OF gliding eathustasm thAt
developed last summer.
Soaring was at that time thought
by those unacquaintsd with aero
nautto history to be something en-
tirely new in kind, and It was the
common opinion that the seasons
German records were not likely soon
to be surpassed. especially since u
had been given out that SUCCESS lay
IN secrets which were to be won from
nature by dint Of no end OF pains and
industry.
Whatever was accomplished At the
French gliding meet held almost at
the same time near clermont could
not be thought to contradict that
opinion, and when, shortly after
the close OF the German concourse,
the records there established were
eolipsed by the feats OF allied avia-
| tors, public interest had shifted.
The German soaring record OF three
hours and six minutes, established
by Hentzen on August - at Gers
field, was nrst broken on October 81
ut the English gliding meet held at
Itfrod Hill. Sussex. Several me
flights had been recorded, notably
one by Raynham. who. on his second
experience at gliding, stayed up one
hour and fifty-three minutes. when.
on the last day Of the meet, Alexis
| Maneyrol few for three hours and
twenty-one minutes. On January 8
| Of the present year Lieut.. Thoret Of
the French army remained aloft for
twice as long-seven hours at
Biskra. Algeria. Not to be outdone,
Maneyrol again went up. on Janu-
airy 20, at Cherbourg, and. with the
same glider he had used at Itford.
succeeded IN staying aloft just over
eight hours. Finally Barbot. at Bisra,
remained in the air for eight hours
and thirty-six minutes, unofacial
| timing.
4 GREAT deal has been written on
! "A the subject OF gliding since the
subsistence OF the first blush OF pub
lie enthusiasm OF six months ago. and
from all this material It Is evident
frned what the present writer ex-
pressed In an article that appeared
in The Star Of September 10. written
shortly after the close Of the Euro
pean meets, and before any other
attempt had been made to give an
explanation OF the factors on which
the new feats OF soaring were based
the opinion. to wit:
t1) That the difference between or
binary gliding" which had been
known and practiced for a long time
and the new "saring" resides essen.
TALLY in the existence OF a wind rush.
ing up a steep ascent with a velocity
sufficient to give rise to an upward
component acting on the wings of the
/ machine with sufficient force to com.
pensate for the weight of the ma.
chine due to gravity. and that there.
fore the failure Of the contestants a.
| CleTHOnt *AS ouc 10 tAS COutOuf VI
the land and the nature of the wealth
er at the grounds where the French
meet was held. rather than to an,
fault Of design in the better ma
chimes. or to any deficiency OF skill IL
the pilots.
(2) That the value OF soaring a
a contribution to aeronautic scienc,
was being much overrated: that. il
fact. we might expect these expert
ments to influence the design OF pow
cred aeroplanes in no greater degre,
than a study Of the behavior o
yachts would influence the designs o
{ steamships.
(3) That there was no essential.
new principle embodied in the con
. struction OF the giiders with which
therecords were established.
; (4) That we are q very long way In
deed firm the perfection OF q machin
Z which will soar under the condition
OF wind and weather which are ade
: quate for buxxards. gulls and tn
, other soaring birds.
It is this last point especially