﻿SOARING 
  FLIGHT 
  ' 
  

  

  By 
  WOLFGANa 
  Klempeiier 
  

  

  [With 
  11 
  plates] 
  

  

  I 
  consider 
  it 
  a 
  very 
  great 
  privilege 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  a^ked 
  to 
  speak 
  

   to 
  yon 
  within 
  these 
  venerable 
  walls 
  which 
  have 
  witnessed 
  the 
  infancy 
  

   of 
  many 
  a 
  discovery 
  that 
  later 
  became 
  a 
  milestone 
  of 
  the 
  progress 
  of 
  

   civilization. 
  Flying 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  them. 
  It 
  was 
  the 
  dream 
  of 
  man 
  for 
  

   several 
  thousand 
  years. 
  To 
  this 
  generation 
  this 
  dream 
  came 
  true 
  

   by 
  the 
  most 
  remarkable 
  development 
  of 
  aviation, 
  in 
  which 
  American 
  

   genius 
  played 
  an 
  important 
  role. 
  Man 
  now 
  can 
  fly 
  higher 
  than 
  the 
  

   highest 
  mountain, 
  faster 
  than 
  the 
  swiftest 
  bird 
  or 
  cloud; 
  the 
  power 
  

   of 
  thousands 
  of 
  horses 
  can 
  be 
  concentrated 
  in 
  an 
  engine 
  occupying 
  

   but 
  a 
  few 
  cubic 
  feet 
  capable 
  of 
  lifting 
  many 
  tons 
  of 
  freight 
  into 
  

   the 
  air. 
  On 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  we 
  have 
  also 
  learned 
  to 
  soar 
  in 
  the 
  air 
  

   for 
  hoTlrs 
  without 
  any 
  motor 
  at 
  all. 
  

  

  Many 
  people 
  wonder 
  how 
  this 
  is 
  done, 
  whereas 
  the 
  motor-driven 
  

   airplane 
  is 
  quite 
  familiar 
  to 
  them. 
  Strange 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  the 
  other 
  

   way 
  around. 
  For 
  the 
  great 
  soarers 
  among 
  the 
  birds 
  — 
  the 
  albatross 
  

   and 
  seagull, 
  the 
  eagle, 
  buzzard, 
  hawk, 
  and 
  vulture 
  — 
  are 
  masters 
  of 
  

   the 
  art 
  of 
  flying 
  without 
  any 
  expenditure 
  of 
  motive 
  power. 
  They 
  

   display 
  it 
  before 
  our 
  very 
  eyes, 
  sailing 
  without 
  flapping 
  their 
  

   wings 
  for 
  hours 
  at 
  a 
  time. 
  Had 
  their 
  secrets 
  been 
  understood 
  earlier, 
  

   they 
  could 
  have 
  taught 
  man 
  to 
  fly 
  long 
  before 
  any 
  motor 
  Vv^as 
  

   invented. 
  

  

  In 
  fact, 
  the 
  pioneers 
  of 
  aviation, 
  such 
  as 
  Lilienthal 
  and 
  the 
  

   Wright 
  brothers, 
  started 
  on 
  this 
  track. 
  It 
  was 
  by 
  coasting 
  down 
  

   from 
  hills 
  in 
  their 
  early 
  motorless 
  gliders 
  that 
  they 
  acquired 
  the 
  

   first 
  real 
  flying 
  experience 
  necessary 
  to 
  understand 
  the 
  basic 
  

   mechanics 
  of 
  flight. 
  Had 
  not 
  the 
  automobile 
  engine 
  happened 
  to 
  

   be 
  developed 
  just 
  at 
  that 
  time, 
  the 
  history 
  of 
  flying 
  might 
  have 
  

   assumed 
  an 
  entirely 
  diiferent 
  aspect. 
  But 
  thus, 
  the 
  rapid 
  suc- 
  

   cess 
  of 
  the 
  motor-driven 
  airplane 
  seemed 
  to 
  render 
  further 
  gliding 
  

   experiments 
  unnecessary 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  earnestly 
  resumed 
  until 
  

  

  * 
  Lecture 
  presented 
  at 
  a 
  meeting 
  of 
  the 
  Franklin 
  Institute 
  Iicld 
  February 
  10, 
  T1927. 
  

   Reprinted 
  by 
  permission 
  fioiii 
  the 
  Tournal 
  of 
  tlie 
  Franltlin 
  Institute, 
  vol. 
  204, 
  No. 
  3, 
  

   September, 
  1027. 
  

  

  221 
  

  

  