KRONFELD ON GLIDING AND SOARING.pdf - Lakes Gliding Club

362 KRONFELD ON GLIDING & SOARING
a man who while standing modestly in the background was
chiefly responsible for all the success, i.e. Captain G. T. R.
Hill. I listened with great respect to his reminiscences of
how, at night by moonlight, he had made his first flights in
order to avoid being ridiculed.
From thence we went to London. A lecture to the
London Gliding Club called me there, but immediately
afterwards I left for Ilkley in the north. How fortunate are
the clubs laying in the mountainous parts of England!
Beamsley Beacon was a place where I should like to have
stayed longer than was permitted at that time. Long
distance flights could have been made there, crossing
from mountain to mountain, and if cloudy weather came
then flights no less attractive from the sporting point of
view than those of the Rhon would have been possible.
However, we had no time to put all that to the test, for one
cannot do justice to the public and at the same time carry
out long distance flights. Our task was above all to arouse
interest in gliding, and this was successfully carried out here
as at all other places we had been to.
We now went on quickly to Scarborough in order to
fly in the north-east. The interest with which we were
expected there was really greater than ever. As before
there was very little time at our disposal in which to inspect
the country-side and nothing requires more care than the
selection of a soaring site. On account of its accessibility
we had to select Castle Hill as the only place in the immediate
neighbourhood which appeared to offer possibilities
for soaring. This was probably one of the most romantic
spots from which I had ever started. A cliff rose precipitately
from the mainland and jutted out to sea. On the day we
had to fly, the wind was really too strong. Magersuppe who
was the first to start grazed a railing erected around the cliff,
flew away over the Castle Hill and descended in the sea.
I started badly myself. The machine, which would not
climb, was caught by one of the launching crew, swung
round and landed somewhat damaged at the starting point.
Much thought has been given to the elucidation of the
two flights which were not so successful as the ones we had
hitherto made. Those who are acquainted with the currents