GLIDING AS A SPORT

Hokitika Guardian, 7 August 1930, Page 3

GLIDING AS A SPORT

DEVELOPMENT. IN BRITAIN. LONDON, June 19. Gliding as a branch of aeronautics'is nearly half a century old, but as nsport it is not more than ten years old in Germany and America, and only two or three in this country It is true that , an English soaring contest took place at lti’ord. Hill, a . Sussex, eight years ago, but for some inexplicable, reason interest in. it waned,. de- : •spite.,./l-ts,,demonstrably. .. gnique j and meritorious .(features. . .

A.:iew months ago, however, gliding suddenly came tp the fore again ~as . : a result of news of . its ainac/.iug dev'elop-liient-o.n tlie -Continent. -Gliding-clubs sprang into existence in a number:-df .centres, arid many people who had-al-way wanted to-, fly hut had never. risento .ownership of a light aeroplane, te.gun ito participate in the thrills - aiit i joys, of engineless flight.

Gliders were obtained from Germany and used experimentally over here Jong ! before a British firm of aircraft construction turned their, attention to ; nuikhng motorless aeroplanes in answer to the popular demand,’and now we have even schoolboys constructing ana : piloting these fascinating craft and becoming competent glider pilots.

The movement was recently gfven additional impetus by the.offer, by Air A. J. Vallance Barr, (if the firm of Ciellon, Limited',' of a’ prize of £IOOO lor the first flight across the .English {Oitjuiiiel 'm a soar-plane before Lay di, i&.}2, and in view of the high degree ol achievement now being reached . with these very, promising light aircraft, jt is predicted that the prize,will be won bei ole many months have elapsed.,: The .art of gliding.is-,.v;ictuail^.iv.-getting- ' back to the elemental flight of birds. .The large bird, apd particularly the sea • bird, will .fly for very long periods with ialmost motionless wings, and, by utilising the supporting air current cover large distances apparently without effort. Thus a bird displays a marked aero-dynamic efficiency, and the motorless glider-plane acts in almost the same way.