Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-22
Gliders Haze No7O Been Developed to Such
q Point That zaOo Experts on A0iation
Predict They Can Be Scared From Los
angeles to San Francisco, Riding Air
Currents.

he can tell by the very nature Of the soil over
which he is flying whether there Is possibility
of a current of air rising to lift him upward
and onward.
And so he goes, silently, slowly, weaving
back and forth in figure Fights to gain height
in an advantageous wind, gliding slowly down
and ON in calm, sometimes pointing directly
toward his destination, at others headed for
the moment back toward the starting point.
His speed varies with the wind, sometimes as
low as 10 or "a miles an hour, sometimes up
to so miles an hour
Gradually he finds himself out of the region
Of Los Angeles, weaving in and cut, back and
forth along the Santa Monica range Of noun
tains. heading west He picks up height and
speed here from the abundance Of swift up
rushing winds, but he begins to lose some of
this as he leaves the range and finds himself
heading dangerously for the sea. But the
soarer weaves back along the coast, seeking a
cliff along the top Of which he can again form
his figure-eight maneuvers for height and
speed. Farther on there IS stretch of sandy
beach with . helpful sand dune over which he
may hover until he gains height.
Again the glider approaches short range
Of mountains above Santa Barbara, and again
he gains speed and height on his way to San
Francisco. Leaving this range, he guides his
light motorIess plane inland toward the San
Rafael Mountains, where he fights back and
forth with the varying winds for height and
speed
For rs miles or more he weaveS in among
the foothills, then back to the coast, where he
strikes the long coastal range of mountains all
the way to Monterey. In and out of valleys
and mountain passes he goes, always IN the
general direction Of San Francisco.
Monterey Is some $50 miles from Los Angeles
as the crow flies, but the imaginary glider of
this fight must have travelled at least twice
that distance to get there and have taken
full day for his flight. He has prepared for
nightfan, for he has chosen . time when the
full moon appears in the sky, so that he may
get its light in his maneuvers over the Cali
fornia hills.
In the full moonlight, therefore, the pilot
continues his flight beyond Monterey, skirting
the southeastern end Of the bay and sailing
inland toward another range Of hills almost
up to San Jose. Here and there ne strikes a
short plain, over which he hesitates and then
slides downward toward the spot where his
next upward air current win help him
So on to San Jose, where he can 60 directly
northward to Oakland, to the west Of San
Francisco, or turning westward follow the series
Of hills and mountains and valleys up the
peninsula to the capital city itself.
Clouds forming On the way do not bother
nAn1. IN I~cb Wnefe tney gamer over pam
they point out to him the places where he may
find an upward air current. The eumulus cloud
especially, which forms usually in the after
noon Of hot day. rests ut the top Of rising
current Of air. II 10 haven 10 the glider.
Many q glider has scared from the forward
edge Of one Of these clouds to the leading edge
Of the next while others have actually hung
underneath awaiting an opportunity to Jump
onward to another rising current Of air.
The whole night from Los Angeles has been
slow and nerve-racking. It has taken almost
a day and . night, with winds comparatively