VGC News/Newsletters - Lakes Gliding Club

THE VERY EARLIEST DAYS OF SWEDISH
GLIDING:
The Swedish Pioneers gel Iheir wings al Ihe Wasserkuppe.
It all started on a chilly day in January 1923 when the 23 year
old Swede, Rolf Bergwrk, arrived at the Wasserkuppe. He
would be the first Swedish pilot with the C-diploma. It was
also said that Rolf was the first "clean" glider pilot without
former power flying experience. In that year some other
Swedes found their way to the Wasserkuppe. They looked for
adventure and lived like k.ings on their Swedish money
because of the galloping German inflation. Teachers were
Alexander Lippisch, Fritz Stamer and Willy Pelzner. The
Swedes helped Lippisch with! his gl:ider and sometimes, when
hitting their fingers by mistake, they burst out in Swedish:
"Djavlar ~lI1aml11a", or in German "Hol's del' Teufel", which
was going to be the name of the glider. That Lippisch design,
sometimes a bit modified, was later bu,ilt privately in great
numbers as were eight al the Schleicher's factory. Below is a
famous picture of Wolf Hirth in "Hol's del' Teufel".
that they had briefly tried places like Halmstad and Gothenburg
(where Bergwik inspired the pupils at the Chalrners Institute
of Technology to build two samples of the later ill fated
"Griine Post"). At Hammars Backar Pelzner produced 227
gliders and sailplanes. Hamilton promoted the idea of gliding
in magazines, newspapers and by lectures all over the country.
They founded Svenska Sportflygf'rbundet, "Swedish Sportflyers
association" 1927. All together they examined almost
200 pupils through the years. It is said however that there was
a lot more work for the pupils in the workshop than gliding on
the hills (As it was everywhere during the pioneer years!)
Epilogue: Bergwik worked hard to introduce the new sport
in Sweden. However with minor success. It took thirteen years
until Sweden got C-diploma number two. Bergwik was
instructor and developed his own glider "Anftinger". Pelzner
returned to Germany 1935 where he started a career in an airplane
factory and later as "Flieger Hauptingenj"r" in the
Lufwaffe. Pelzner died in 1977. Hamilton, the father of
gliding in Sweden, was never accepted in the leading Establishment
of Swedish aviation organizations and we will never
know his reason for serving as volunteer in the armies of
Finland, France and Germany. We can only guess that he
thought he was fighting Communism. Hamilton died of warwounds
in a respirator in 1943.
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One of the Swedes who paid a visit 10 ,the Wasserkuppe in
1923 was a very handsome, charming and' welIllrained pilot.
(Swedish licence number 98), ,twice member of the Swedish
Olympic team. His name was Count "der Conte" Douglas
Hamilton, a captain in the army. His primary goal was to
cross the water between Sweden and Denmark with a glider
and get some prize"money (He made many attempts which all
ended in the water). For that purpose he bought a Messerschmitt
S-12 (which crashed at its first start) and an Espenlaub
E 4 which was going to be 'the submarine in the Swedish
waters. Hamilton and and Pelzner had a lot in oommon, in
spite of, or because, of different characters. They probably
thought Sweden in those days was the country where they
could make a living in gliding. So Willy P.elzner packed his
suitcases and gliders and joined Hamilton in Sweden already
in the year 1925. Their idea was to found a private gliding
school. The place would be Hammars Backar (Ham mars
Hills) outside the southernmost Swedish town Ystad. Before
An original Pelzner glider P2 from 1927-28 was recently
discovered in a bam ,in the middle of Sweden and brought to
Arlanda Air Space Museum in Stockholm where it is
exhibited.
Thorslen FridlizillJ
Vice President, SVS, Segelflygetas Veteran Sallskap (Swedish
Veteran Gliding Association)
OCTAVE CHANUTE, ENGINEER AND
SCIENTIST
by Simine Shorl (from Falconer 2000, the journal ofthe Dassauls
Falcon Jet)
In the decade before the Wrighl brothers' historic 1903 flight,
French-born, American Civil Engineer Octave Chanute developed
and flew the world's most advanced aircraft. Chanute's
no,vel biplane glider, an engineering masterpiece in the world
of 1896 flying machines, was the foundation for 20th-Century
aircraft. His craftsmen and engineers became experienced
glider pilots, breaking all existing heavier-than-air flying
records.
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