KRONFELD ON GLIDING AND SOARING.pdf - Lakes Gliding Club

332 KRONFELD ON GLIDING & SOARING
Five prizes had been offered, mostly by firms interested
in gliding, such as glider and " Dope " manufacturers.
Unfavourable weather did not permit of notable
performances, and this will explain why the best duration
flight lasted only four minutes thirty-seven seconds. This
performance was put up by Capt. Matheson of New Zealand,
who had just obtained his " C " Certificate on the Wasserkuppe.
Further pretty flights were made byStratton in a
Dagling, by Mole, and also by the Portsmouth " A " Team,
and the Surrey u B " team. The flights of Matheson,
who together with the Master of Sempill and Mole was a
member of the " B " Team of the London Gliding Club,
greatly contributed to the success of the meeting. The
British-built machines, which appeared for the first time,
also did very well.
Proof of the rapid progress of gliding was also provided
by reports received from Australia to the effect that, even
in that country, soaring was becoming more and more popular
after Mr. Pratt had set up an Australian duration record
on September 2ist by remaining in the air for one hour
thirty-five minutes.
In France, too, interest in gliding has been revived.
Auger, who with Abrial had always devoted the closest
study to the Rhon competitions, managed a soaring flight
of twenty-eight minutes in his " Rapace," completing a
closed circuit of eighteen and three-quarter miles whilst
competing at a meeting in his own country.
Nothing much happened during the winter of 1930-31.
A good flight by Jack O'Mearawas reported from New
York, the pilot in his Bowlus sailplane having been towed
up by an engined aeroplane from North Beach, Long Island,
to a height of three thousand eight hundred feet on February
12th. O'Meara then carried out a soaring flight over
Manhattan. He was caught in a rising gust over the
East River, lifting him to four thousand feet. After twenty
minutes he landed on the aerodrome.
The many record-breaking flights carried out during the
Spring of 1931 began during the first half of March. On
the tenth of that month Wolf Hirth made a soaring flight
over New York City. This effort is particularly noteworthy