Sky Sailing

In the sport of soaring, Germany leads the world. That is chiefly because the Allies, in the Treaty of Versailles, tried to clip her wings with restrictions upon military aeronautics and plane-building. Germany's War pilots turned to motorless flight, not mentioned in the Treaty, developed it as a science and a national pastime.

After a number of false starts characterized by high pressure promotion (gliding was once touted as the "salvation" of the U. S. aircraft industry), soaring is just beginning to get a foothold as a U. S. sport. In the third annual meet of the Soaring Society of America Inc. which ended at Elmira, N. Y. last week, flights were made which far surpassed previous U. S. records, but were still far short of Germany and Austria.

Although barographs had yet to be calibrated for exact measurements, youthful John K. ("Jack") O'Meara of New York and Martin Hermann Schempp of Pittsburgh shone as individual stars. In their sailplanes both pilots soared 68 mi. into Pennsylvania, O'Meara landing in the midst of a Girl Scout camp. The previous U. S. airline distance record was 10.9 mi., held by famed Hawley Bowlus. The world record of 136.8 mi. is Germany's. For altitude O'Meara's apparent 5,000 ft. was surpassed by Schempp's 5,400 ft. (world record: Austria's 8,494 ft.) but because he is a German citizen, Schempp must yield both U. S. titles to O'Meara.

One world record seemed to be within U. S. grasp. Walter Snell of Providence, R. I. flew a one-kilometre course at 38.7 m. p. h. Existing world record: Germany's 33.8 m. p. h.

Of the 65 pilots entered in the meet, 29 qualified for the first time, by making five-minute flights, for the three-gull emblem denoting the soaring pilot. While all motorless flight is technically gliding, there is a popular distinction between gliding and soaring. Gliding is simple descent, like coasting, from an altitude achieved by climbing a hill or being towed kite-wise into the air by an automobile or airplane. Soaring is sustained or climbing flight by use of up-currents in the air. Except for instruction there is small interest in gliding. But soaring appeals to its following as an exalted sport, related to powered flight as sail-boating is to motorboating.

Soaring is necessarily confined to regions where hills & valleys provide barriers over which the prevailing winds must jump, causing sustained updrafts; or where plowland, woods & water heat and cool the wind, cause rising convection currents. A skilled pilot may soar for hours from ridge to ridge, now & then picking out an arid patch of ground over which he can climb a rising flow of warm air as he would a circular staircase. A high development of the sport is "cloud-hopping," "hooking on" beneath a cumulus cloud, which always indicates warm air, and riding it for miles. Similarly an advancing thunderstorm always pushes a column of warm air ahead of it. Parachutes are worn on such flights.

Last week, while U. S. pilots were soaring over what they like to call "America's Wasserkuppe" (Elmira), Guenther Groenhoff, No. 1 soaring pilot of Germany, took off from the real Wasserkuppe, in the Rhoen Mountains, to ride before a thunderstorm. At about 250 ft. his sailplane's rudder carried away. Pilot Groenhoff jumped but his 'chute had no time to open. He plunged into a wood, was killed.

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