Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-23

air and in a rising current 1t is pos
sible to fly in any direction, regardless
of whether 1t is up or down wind. The
pilot may fly along the windward side
of range of hills as far or long as he
desires, and in high wind velocities he
will find upward currents for a consid-
cradle distance away from the hills. He
can also fly above the range, but he will
lose altitude as soon as he passes to the
lee side. In croSs-country gliding he
can take advantage of the ascending
currents over hot fields and dry areas
to increase his gliding angle between
bluffs and hillsides.
One of the advantages of the glider
lies In the ease of landing. It Is, of
course, desirable to land into the wind
and in an open field, but it is entirely
possible to land down or cross wind,
and even in thick brush, without doing
any particular damage. A well designed
glider will stop within is feet after it
first touches the ground when properly
landed. If the wind i blowing, the
run will be even shorter.
There is nothing particularly mys-
terious or difficult about motorless
flight. It is probably easier to pilot
glider than to drive a motor car in |
city traffic. The glider has less mech |
anism and fewer controls than an auto |
mobile or a motor cycle and its land
ing speed is well within the low-gear
range on a highway. Gliding repre-
sents the simplest and most economical
form of flying and 1t shows promise
of becoming one of our leading outdoor
sporting activities. Probably the great
est Importance, however, lies in its
value for training in aerodynamic de-
sign, aircraft construction and practI-
cal flight in schools and colleges.
Record Holder Tells of Gliding.
SAN DIEGO, Calif.-Gliding is a
safe and fascinating sport, according
to Hawley Bowlus, who holds the
American endurance record for motor
less gliding, having remained contin-
uously In the air here for hours
minutes q 2-5 seconds. In the follow
ing interview he gives his impressions
Of gliding.
Gliding is among the least danger
Gus of sports" said Mr.. Bowlus ct is
no more dangerous than riding a BIZ
cycle and certainly newhere near as
dangerous as riding motor car. The
upward current Of air Is the elders
driving force. The greatest speed a
glider can attain with that force is Is
miles an hour. As that force decreases
so does the speed and lifting power
of the glider. Unless the glider pilot
tits his machine backward there is no |
possible chance of his falling. AS the |
wind dies down 1t is possible for the |
glider pilot to land at a much lower |
speed than that at which airplanes have |
to land. The elders speed is between |
5 and 10 miles an hour. At landing he |
just sits down on the ground as quietly |
and as gently as bird.
1.-THE weight Of the glider is so small |
Sex1ao 4 aleN wzI
such great wing spread that 1t ma !
turally acts ike parachute. II a |
boy on a motor cycle speeds up hill |
that Is too steep, he Is likely to fall |
backward, but once q glider pilot has |
gained some experience, he viii know |
that he must not tilt up his machine. |
Accidents Rare.
"An accident such as happened re-
Gently In San Francisco Is. only pos |
sible when the glider is tilted up. The |
very word gliding indicates that that |
must not be done. The glider glides |
air currents are not lifting it. When |
the air current is stronger than the |
minimum rate of the descent Of the |
machine, the glider rises. The pilot |
aScends on a rising current Of air; he |
scars when he rises above the level OF |
his starting point and Is kept above It, |
81 am unable to describe by words |
that sublime pleasure one experiences |
in gliding over hills and valleys-silent- |
ly. like the eagle, cruising or lowering, |
rising or descending at will. The ample |
controllability makes you feel, like them, |
master of the air. The constant alert |
ness watching for favorable currents |
and studying their relation to varied |
scenery below provides thrill and chal- |
lenge. A few weeks In a glider camp |
is outdoor life in the words fullest |
meaning. Soaring flight requires scien-
tiflc training, engineering sense and |
physical skill.
Like ChiId's Play.
Gliding is like child's play, and |
though the take of Is spectacular, 1t |
is done just as you would fly a kite, |
The ground crew, with the rubber |
shock-cord which shoots me into the |
air, much as boy shoots missile from |
slingshot, run for only about |
10 or is feet before the glider |
gets away. In my record flight scared |
laterally for about 100 feet. Then
struck an updraft Of air and rose to an |
altitude Of about 800 feet. Then for |
more than nine hours few back and |
forth about the point.
About ! am. the wind, which ha6 |
been blowing steadily from the west, |
shifted to northwest and had little |
more trouble in staying aloft. Soon |
after am. 1t swung to the north and |
the velocity decreased, so that, with less |
than SIS minutes between myself and the |
$4,000 prize, was forced to come down. |
landed within 200 feet of the take |
on, dropping the motorless craft to a |
perfect landing on the road In spite OF
the total darkness.
Highest Altitude Was 1900 Feet.
my highest altitude flown in a glider |
Is 300 feet. This was unofflcial. The |
height we can climb depends entirely |
on the currents of air into which we |
run. AS we take off from a high point |
against which the wind currents are |
blowing, we are pulled as we would run |
with kite, which takes the wind and |
climbs to the highest attitudes as our
string attached will permit.
We have from three to four men
each pulling two cords attached to a
hook on the front of the glider, which
rides on wooden or metal keel along
the ground from where we take on on.
AS we leave the high point we run into
the first currents of air, which shoot us
skyward, all depending, Of course, on
the velocity Of the wind. The glider
VIII sail along nicely In an 8-mile
or 20-mile wind, and as we dip we
run into other pockets or currents Of
air, which send US upward again.
This we do constantly as long as the
wind keeps up. AS my plane weighs
about $50 pounds and weigh about
100, you can see that the air is not
carrying very heavy burden. Gliding
is the sport Of the air. Gliding never
will have any commercial value, but
it will always be the sport Of the air
as relocating is on ice and sailing is
ON the water. The planes cost from
$500 to 5000"