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  ANNUAL 
  EEPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1927 
  

  

  after 
  the 
  World 
  War, 
  which 
  had 
  brought 
  a 
  tremendous 
  impulse 
  to 
  

   flying. 
  This 
  impulse 
  had 
  resulted 
  in 
  spectacular 
  improvements 
  of 
  

   design 
  and 
  engineering, 
  in 
  a 
  marvelous 
  perfection 
  of 
  piloting 
  and 
  

   performance 
  and, 
  simultaneously, 
  in 
  giving 
  scientists 
  a 
  chance 
  and 
  

   stimulation 
  to 
  advance 
  theoretical 
  and 
  sj'^stematic 
  empirical 
  knowl- 
  

   edge 
  to 
  a 
  very 
  satisfactory 
  degree. 
  

  

  When 
  gliding 
  was 
  resumed 
  in 
  Germany 
  in 
  1920, 
  it 
  was 
  done 
  with 
  

   the 
  intention 
  of 
  applying 
  this 
  accumulated 
  technical 
  knowledge 
  to 
  the 
  

   original 
  problem 
  of 
  duplicating 
  the 
  soaring 
  flight 
  of 
  birds. 
  A 
  meet- 
  

   ing 
  reunited 
  those 
  interested 
  in 
  the 
  idea 
  and 
  organized 
  the 
  first 
  

   experimental 
  gliding 
  contest. 
  A 
  camp 
  was 
  pitched 
  near 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  

   Mount 
  Wasserkuppe 
  in 
  the 
  Ehon 
  Mountain 
  district. 
  This 
  mountain 
  

   rises 
  about 
  2,000 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  plain 
  to 
  its 
  north, 
  surrounded 
  by 
  

   smaller 
  hills. 
  Its 
  slopes 
  ofl'er 
  all 
  topographical 
  varieties 
  from 
  gentle 
  

   grassy 
  grades 
  bare 
  of 
  trees 
  to 
  rugged 
  gorges 
  and 
  fir-covered 
  hollows. 
  

   Initial 
  success 
  was 
  modest, 
  but 
  we 
  soon 
  learned 
  to 
  make 
  prolonged 
  

   glides 
  and 
  we 
  saw 
  we 
  were 
  on 
  a 
  promising 
  track. 
  In 
  the 
  following 
  

   year 
  gliding 
  developed 
  into 
  soaring. 
  A 
  series 
  of 
  duration 
  flights 
  

   increasing 
  from 
  5 
  up 
  to 
  20 
  minutes, 
  some 
  of 
  them 
  covering 
  distances 
  

   of 
  a 
  few 
  miles 
  and 
  the 
  first 
  so-called 
  cross-country 
  flights 
  without 
  a 
  

   motor, 
  aroused 
  nation-wide 
  interest. 
  

  

  A 
  society 
  for 
  the 
  promotion 
  of 
  soaring 
  flight 
  was 
  organized 
  and 
  

   now 
  the 
  Rhon 
  Mountains 
  have 
  become 
  a 
  classic 
  stadium 
  of 
  the 
  air 
  

   where 
  annual 
  meetings 
  and 
  contests 
  are 
  held. 
  Glider 
  schools 
  and, 
  

   recently, 
  an 
  elaborate 
  permanent 
  research 
  institute 
  were 
  established 
  

   there. 
  Our 
  primitive 
  tents 
  were 
  gradually 
  replaced 
  by 
  more 
  per- 
  

   manent 
  buildings 
  ; 
  auto 
  roads 
  were 
  built. 
  No 
  more 
  the 
  flyers 
  them- 
  

   selves 
  have 
  to 
  carry 
  their 
  own 
  food 
  and 
  tools 
  uphill 
  in 
  a 
  two-hour 
  

   hike 
  from 
  the 
  nearest 
  little 
  town, 
  sometimes 
  getting 
  lost 
  in 
  the 
  heavy 
  

   fogs 
  or 
  clouds 
  which 
  only 
  too 
  often 
  justified 
  the 
  wet 
  name 
  of 
  that 
  

   mountain. 
  

  

  The 
  year 
  1922 
  brought 
  spectacular 
  progress. 
  It 
  was 
  due 
  to 
  favor- 
  

   able 
  weather 
  conditions 
  during 
  the 
  three 
  weeks 
  of 
  the 
  meeting 
  and 
  

   to 
  the 
  lessons 
  learned 
  by 
  designers 
  and 
  pilots 
  in 
  the 
  preceding 
  con- 
  

   tests. 
  The 
  slopes 
  of 
  the 
  Wasserkuppe, 
  which 
  formerly 
  had 
  not 
  even 
  

   been 
  known 
  to 
  many, 
  were 
  crowded 
  with 
  thousands 
  of 
  spectators, 
  who 
  

   were 
  thrilled 
  watching 
  the 
  human 
  birds 
  for 
  hours 
  soaring 
  above 
  their 
  

   heads, 
  three 
  and 
  four 
  at 
  a 
  time. 
  

  

  The 
  absence 
  of 
  any 
  motor 
  and 
  its 
  noise, 
  together 
  with 
  the 
  slow 
  

   speed 
  of 
  the 
  glider 
  flying 
  against 
  the 
  wind, 
  enables 
  the 
  pilot 
  above 
  

   and 
  the 
  crowd 
  below 
  to 
  carry 
  on 
  oral 
  conversation, 
  and 
  to 
  furnish 
  

   the 
  flyer 
  with 
  meteorological 
  information. 
  Great 
  emotion 
  prevailed 
  

   when 
  the 
  first 
  one-hour 
  mark 
  was 
  reached. 
  The 
  pilot, 
  cruising 
  at 
  

   some 
  distance 
  from 
  the 
  peak, 
  would 
  every 
  once 
  in 
  a 
  while 
  return 
  to 
  

   near 
  the 
  starting-point 
  and 
  the 
  Avatching 
  crowd 
  and 
  inquire 
  about 
  

  

  