04.11.2014 Views

KRONFELD ON GLIDING AND SOARING.pdf - Lakes Gliding Club

KRONFELD ON GLIDING AND SOARING.pdf - Lakes Gliding Club

KRONFELD ON GLIDING AND SOARING.pdf - Lakes Gliding Club

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

336 <strong>KR<strong>ON</strong>FELD</strong> <strong>ON</strong> <strong>GLIDING</strong> & <strong>SOARING</strong><br />

tion flew straight into the storm, where he was caught<br />

immediately in a very strong up-current. At the same time<br />

a terrific hailstorm, accompanied by intermittent squalls,<br />

began to make matters serious. The hail pierced the thin<br />

top covering of the plane. Hailstones and rainwater<br />

accumulated inside the wing. Fortunately Groenhoff<br />

managed to get out of the danger zone before his wing<br />

had been completely broken up. Growing more careful,<br />

he continued to fly in front of the line squall, which had<br />

now become plainly defined. In this manner he reached<br />

Regensburg, which he passed flying in a northerly direction.<br />

Meanwhile he lost touch with the storm, and he was forced<br />

to work his way up to a height of six thousand six hundred<br />

feet at the crest of a low-lying hill. This enabled him to<br />

pick up the storm front again, which now carried him<br />

across the " Bohmer Wald." As is usual, the storm abated<br />

towards the evening. Groenhoff saw the valley of the<br />

Eger beneath him, and having lost height considerably,<br />

also in view of the fact that darkness was falling, he decided<br />

to land. The latter part of the glide was again fraught<br />

with difficulties. Nightfall made it difficult for him to<br />

see the country below, and the flying qualities of the machine<br />

had been greatly impaired by the damage. Nevertheless<br />

a good landing was made, after a flight of eight and a half<br />

hours, Groenhoff having covered a distance of one hundred<br />

and sixty miles in motorless flight.<br />

This effort had shown what could be done, even in<br />

flat country, after a towed start, for the Munich aerodrome<br />

is situated in the plains of Bavaria. In such places sailplaning<br />

had not been thought of before. The towed start<br />

permits high efficiency gliders being used from the ordinary<br />

aerodrome. This was corroborated by a flight from Berlin<br />

to Frankfurt on the Oder, by Fuchs on June 2nd. Fuchs,<br />

who had been demonstrating towed flights in Berlin,<br />

also started at the right moment in front of a squall. All<br />

the way the flight took him over flat country until he came<br />

down at Frankfurt on the Oder, a distance of forty-eight<br />

miles.<br />

About this time I resumed my own gliding activities.<br />

Among the sailplane experts who had put up exceptional

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!