KRONFELD ON GLIDING AND SOARING.pdf - Lakes Gliding Club

PROGRESS OF SAILPLANING 325
Hurttig made two further distance flights exceeding
twenty-five miles (forty kilometres), in the case of
which he followed Nehring's well-known route along the
hillsides.
The most interesting prize offered in this competition
was the route prize. To secure this trophy the competitors
were required to make a return flight to the nine and a half
miles distant Kreuzberg (fifteen kilometres). This route
could not be negotiated simply by following the crest of
the hill. Hops had to be made across two valleys and a
mountain ridge intervened running practically parallel to
the wind. This latter obstacle could be overcome only
by squeezing through a kind of pass. In view of the awkward
relative position of the ridge to the wind exceptionally
strong eddying currents prevailed in this narrow passage,
setting up strong intermittent up and down currents,
involving a certain risk to the pilot attempting the flight.
Two machines were successful in this special venture but
they managed in quite different ways. On the day before
I set out for my long distance flight which took me to
Rehau, a line squall approached the Wasserkuppe which,
however, was rather remarkable for failing to show any
appreciable rising currents. Since the general trend of
the weather, in accordance with the forecast that morning,
was expected to be favourable several pilots were on the
qui-vive. Groenhoff on the " Fafnir " was the first to
be launched, closely followed by Mayer, "Aachen," myself,
and Kegel bringing up the rear with his " Kassel." We
all had the intention of carrying out a rainstorm flight.
Mayer covered a distance of twelve and a half miles (twenty
kilometres) ; Kegel reached Tann, a distance of nine and a
half miles (fifteen kilonetres), whilst Groenhoff returned to
the Wasserkuppe where he came down as the front of the
line squall failed to provide any lift. I, for my part,
followed the front of the squall towards the Milseburg,
but changed my programme at once on noticing the lack
of the required rising currents. After allowing the front
of the squall to pass O F/-V me I made my way back to the
Wasserkuppe, flying pvly in the clouds and partly with
ground visibility grea"! -estricted. I carried on past the