KRONFELD ON GLIDING AND SOARING.pdf - Lakes Gliding Club

3i2 KRONFELD ON GLIDING & SOARING
proof as to whether anything is to be attained in that
direction, but there are still other possibilities. With a
propelling force of one to two h.p. the most efficient types
of sailplanes can already fly horizontally, i.e. they can
keep themselves hovering without any upwind. We
must not even entirely deny the possibility of man one day
learning to fly by his own power.
Another need of the moment is a sailplane with an
auxiliary motor in the true sense of the word. Hitherto
no suitable light motor has been found. In that direction
lie new possibilities for soaring over level stretches of
country, achieving contact with clouds and the bridging
over of gaps.
There are also other resources which we can call to our
aid. The fast motor-car can and must be further developed
as a launching agent, while a slow sailplane can also be
sent up as a kite at the end of a rope and then set free
for further independent flight.
In the chapter on " Auto and Aeroplane Towing " we
have seen that auto-towed flight has been the means of
bringing soaring flight to the flat country. It has simplified
the organization of the soaring school to such an extent,
that auto-towed flight will be possible in training quarters
situated in the close neighbourhood of cities and towns,
where the business-man will be able to glide and soar during
the short leisure periods at his disposal. It is probable that
the beginner's entire training, sooner or later, will be
carried through by this method.
Both free and captive balloons can likewise lift soaring
planes, and it has been found feasible to tow them aloft by
means of aeroplanes. In future aeroplane towing will gain
more and more ground. To-day we are already at a point
where, even if we cannot soar, by means of a few minutes
of expensive towed flight we are able to do many minutes
of cheap gliding flight. Conditions are even more advantageous
when we think of soaring. Then the aeroplane
in cloudy or cumulus weather can take a squadron of
sailplanes up in an hour, and leave them under a cloud
where they then can fly on for hours. As we have shown
before, it will be possible in future to execute the whole of