﻿SOARING 
  FLIGHT 
  KLEMPERER 
  223 
  

  

  how 
  long 
  he 
  had 
  been 
  up 
  in 
  the 
  air. 
  When 
  he 
  had 
  climbed 
  too 
  high 
  

   for 
  the 
  voice 
  to 
  be 
  intelligible, 
  then 
  scores 
  of 
  spectatoi's 
  would 
  be 
  

   grouped 
  to 
  form 
  huge 
  live 
  numerals 
  on 
  the 
  ground 
  indicating 
  the 
  

   number 
  of 
  minutes 
  flown. 
  

  

  Since 
  then 
  soaring 
  has 
  been 
  taken 
  up 
  in 
  various 
  other 
  countries 
  as 
  

   Avell, 
  especially 
  in 
  England, 
  in 
  France 
  (on 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  the 
  English 
  

   Channel), 
  in 
  the 
  Alps 
  of 
  Switzerland, 
  Italy, 
  and 
  Austria, 
  in 
  the 
  hills 
  

   of 
  northern 
  Czechoslovakia, 
  on 
  the 
  North 
  African 
  coast 
  of 
  the 
  Medi- 
  

   terranean 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  Crimea 
  range 
  of 
  southern 
  Russia. 
  In 
  Ger- 
  

   many, 
  Rossitten, 
  on 
  the 
  East 
  Prussian 
  coast 
  of 
  the 
  Baltic 
  Sea, 
  became 
  

   another 
  center 
  of 
  soaring 
  flight 
  sport 
  and 
  research. 
  Not 
  to 
  mention 
  

   all 
  the 
  scattered 
  hills 
  where 
  local 
  glider 
  clubs 
  have 
  taken 
  up 
  training 
  

   for 
  the 
  bigger 
  national 
  annual 
  events. 
  

  

  In 
  spite 
  of 
  all 
  this 
  surprising 
  development, 
  soaring 
  flight 
  has 
  not 
  

   so 
  far 
  revolutionized 
  the 
  aspects 
  of 
  commercial 
  or 
  military 
  aviation 
  

   nor 
  could 
  anybody 
  earnestly 
  expect 
  it 
  to 
  do 
  that. 
  The 
  main 
  reason 
  

   is: 
  Soaring 
  depends 
  primarily 
  upon 
  the 
  wind 
  exactly 
  as 
  a 
  sailing 
  

   vessel 
  on 
  the 
  water 
  does. 
  Then 
  many 
  people 
  will 
  ask: 
  What 
  is 
  it 
  

   good 
  for? 
  This 
  would 
  be 
  a 
  question 
  similar 
  to: 
  What 
  is 
  yachting 
  

   good 
  for 
  in 
  the 
  age 
  of 
  ocean 
  liners? 
  There 
  are 
  three 
  purposes 
  for 
  

   which 
  soaring 
  flight 
  is 
  pursued. 
  

  

  First 
  of 
  all, 
  it 
  is 
  an 
  unrivaled 
  sport. 
  I 
  am 
  unable 
  to 
  describe 
  by 
  

   words 
  the 
  sublime 
  pleasure 
  one 
  experiences 
  in 
  gliding 
  over 
  hills 
  and 
  

   valleys, 
  silently, 
  like 
  the 
  eagle, 
  cruising 
  or 
  hovering, 
  rising 
  or 
  de- 
  

   scending 
  at 
  will. 
  The 
  ample 
  controllability 
  makes 
  you 
  feel 
  like 
  them, 
  

   master 
  of 
  the 
  air. 
  The 
  constant 
  alertness 
  watching 
  for 
  favorable 
  

   air 
  currents 
  and 
  studying 
  their 
  relations 
  to 
  the 
  varied 
  scenery 
  below 
  

   provides 
  thrill 
  and 
  challenge. 
  A 
  few 
  weeks 
  in 
  a 
  glider 
  camp 
  is 
  out- 
  

   door 
  life 
  in 
  the 
  word's 
  fullest 
  meaning. 
  Soaring 
  flight 
  requires 
  also 
  

   a 
  certain 
  amount 
  of 
  scientific 
  training, 
  engineering 
  sense, 
  and 
  physi- 
  

   cal 
  skill. 
  Thus 
  it 
  most 
  perfectly 
  blends 
  all 
  the 
  elements 
  requisite 
  for 
  

   a 
  recreational 
  and 
  educational 
  sport 
  such 
  as 
  the 
  rising 
  generation 
  

   so 
  appreciates. 
  

  

  Aside 
  from 
  this 
  pedagogical 
  value, 
  the 
  scientific 
  research 
  labo- 
  

   ratories, 
  both 
  those 
  governmental 
  and 
  those 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  aero- 
  

   nautic 
  industry, 
  discovered 
  a 
  treasure 
  in 
  gliding. 
  The 
  most 
  diffi- 
  

   cult 
  problem 
  in 
  aeronautical 
  science 
  is 
  the 
  proper 
  correlation 
  between 
  

   theory 
  and 
  research 
  experiments 
  on 
  one 
  side 
  and 
  the 
  complex 
  phe- 
  

   nomena 
  of 
  practical 
  flight 
  on 
  the 
  other. 
  The 
  application 
  and 
  veri- 
  

   fication 
  in 
  practice 
  of 
  the 
  results 
  of 
  theoretical 
  investigations 
  is 
  often 
  

   just 
  as 
  difficult 
  as 
  the 
  laboratory 
  investigation 
  of 
  some 
  acute 
  prac- 
  

   tical 
  problem. 
  The 
  aerodynamical 
  conditions 
  in 
  the 
  wind-tunnel 
  

   laboratory 
  where 
  models 
  are 
  tested 
  in 
  an 
  artificial 
  air 
  stream 
  are 
  in 
  

   many 
  respects 
  far 
  from 
  identical 
  with 
  those 
  prevailing 
  in 
  actual 
  

   flight. 
  Gliding 
  and 
  soaring 
  flight 
  now 
  offer 
  supplementary 
  experi- 
  

  

  