Volume 32 No 1 Feb-Mar 1981.pdf - Lakes Gliding Club

I BOOK REVIEWSThe Story of Gliding (second edition) byAnn Welch. published by John Murray at£9.75,A new book from the pen, of Mrs, Welch isusual,ly an event of note, in the gliding worldand th,is book is no exception. Strictlyspeaking I1 is not a new book being thesecond edition of the original work by Annand her husband Lorne pUblished wayback in the 19605, However it has beenextensive,ly re-researched, revised andrewri,uen and in its present form it deservesa place on the bookshelves of anyoneinterested in our sport and ,indeed o,f anyoneinterestedl in an excellently written,informative and 'entertaining book.In the last decade or so there has been agreatly increased interest shown in the historyofman's efforts to Hy and Mrs Welchhas kept up to date with the latest researchand has included many anecdotes andincidents which one has not previouslyheard of. But this is no dry as dust historicalchronicle. It is essentially a book abouthuman endeavour and human idiosyncrasiesand the great characters andeccentrics who pioneered and developed,human flight lo its present advanced state.Perhaps -the best description of the lbook isin lheautho'ress's own words in her introduction"This book ... is about some of thepeople w1:lo wanted 10 fly in the same manneras the birds - on their own wings.using the ener9Y of the sun and the wind".Fascinating anecdotesPart 1 lightly sketches in the early beginningsof aeria:1 knowledge from the Chinese'kites of 3000 years ago. through the fumbl·ing development of airborne man-carryingdevices and on to the Wrlght brothers andthe start of the first World War. There arefascinating anecdotes, mostly with ahumorous touch, and much speculation onthe reasons why it took mankind so long toreal'ise his dreams of flight. A splendidlywritten mixture of legend, fantasy and factfrom which the scientific basis of modern«light slowly emerges. but without any ofthe often tedious theory of flight andaerodynamics which can often confuseand bore the layman.Part 2 takes us through the early days ofsoaring in Germany. :Britain and elsewherewith scor,es of stories of the pioneers ­exciting, humorous and sad, and all excellenllytold within the framework of historicalfact. Many famous names and manyless famous ones are included and there ismuch lively desc:ription of what Ann callsthe "Golden Age" - the discovery of howto use thermal currents and waves and tosoar across country. This Go'fden Age endswith the starl of the second World War.There are many photographs and drawings·of the early 9liders and their pilots inthis first half of the bOok which, add muchinterest and w.ill bring nostalgic memories44to !hose of us old enough to remember the1930s.The third part covers ,the early Britishsoaring pilots and the developments thattook place in this country from 1929 to thepresent day. The enthus'iasm and spirit ofthose days is well captured in the stories ofthe first gliding camps and competitionsand of the personalities who~bounded andwho 'left their mark on. the sport. The firstcross-country flights, the first Channelcrossing and the first British Gold C(In umber three in the world) are all here,often in the words of the pilot himse'lf andalways graphically and sometimes l.yricallydescribed. Some splendid photographsaccompany the text.Finally the last section is devoted to awor'ld-wide review of progress, still with thesame personal touch and filled with anecdotesof people, places and things. Muchfactual information is given with manyphotos of modern gliders, pilots and per·sona'lities together with personal accountsof great pioneering and record fligl'lts. In afinal chapter there is a detailed account ofhow the wheel has come full circle in thedevelopment of the hang glider. Ann isPresident of the British Hang GlidingAssociation and as such is better qualifiedthan most to describe this latest of aerialsports which she does in considerabledetail including the two World Hang GlidingCtlampionships so far held.All in all th1s book is a story of people firstand foremost and gives a fascinating pictureof the struggles of the pioneers andtheir successors. The first half of the bookis especial,IV good and of interest to anyonewho enjoys a gOOd story well told. The secondhall i,s of more interest to the devoteesSTORCOMMRugged' reliable communlcaUonTIR 760(3 - 2 watt, two-unit air setTR 7804 - 5 wait, dash mount vehiclesetBoth sets have four channel capabilitywith 1-30.4, 130.1 and 129.9 fitted asstandard.Receivers have ll-pole crystal filter todefine selectivity.Supplied absolutely complete and readyto use.Send for de/ailed information /0:George StoreyH.T. CommunicationsP.O. Box 4SUNBURY ,ON THAMESMiddlesex, TW16 7TAMaking glider radios since 1967of gliding and contains enough informationto settle many an argument about whodid what and w.hen. The illustrations aoreexcellent throughout and the book is verywell printed and produced. A worthy addi,­tlon to anyone's bookshelf it will undoub·tedl,y take its place among the classics ofgliding literature.J. SfANLEY ARMST'RONGtn search of World Records by GeorgeWorthililgton. Published by Hang GlidingPress 1980. Price $9.95 plus .$1.50 p&p. POBox 22552-6, San Diego, Calif 92122, USA.In this book the author describes his tremendousneed for personal recognitioliland in trying to achieve this pursued manysports Includililg gliding which he took upin 196,7, gaining his Diam.ond and someCalifornian State records in the course ofthe next few years. He bougl'lt an ASW-12 in1970 and relates some hair-raising storieswhile he was leaming to fly this glider. Inthe end he became r.ather scared of it andvery wisely sold it.He moved over to hang gliding in 1975and at last has lound his niche, getting therecognition he so badly wanted by becominga well·known American hang gliderpilot with lour world records to his name.The book, is crammed full with incidentsand close calls, however, he has been lIyingfor forty years, first as a US Navy pilot,then glider pilot and now hang gliderpilotand has amassed over 10 OOOhrs withoutpersonal injury. So. pe:rhaps, taken overthis large amount of hours the incidentsare few and far between.Unforlunately there are rather a lot ofprinting errors In Ihe book which is rat;herirritating for the reader.RIKA HARWOODBritish Gliders, edited by P. H. Butler andpublished by the Merseyside Aviation SocietyLtd. Available from the BGA for £3.90.plus 35pp&p.This third edition of British Gliders hasbeen completely revised and given morephotographs and pages. It is a comprehensivelisting of sailplane registrations aMidentities used in the UK from 1930 to June1980, the last entry being: S8·58 - No,2690.The register makes fascinating reading,allowing us to follow up the fortunes ofgliders flown and known, and the columnfor extra details about the sailplane addsgreatly to the interest.A new trend noted by the editor since thelast edition in 1975 is the variety of vintagetypes brought to the UK through the effortsof our enthusiasts.GILLlAN BRYeE-SMITHSAILPLANE & GLIDING