﻿236 
  ANNUAL 
  EEPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1927 
  

  

  tractor 
  airplane. 
  One 
  can 
  see 
  to 
  the 
  last 
  second 
  the 
  very 
  spot 
  Avhere 
  

   he 
  is 
  going 
  to 
  land. 
  In 
  fact, 
  tliere 
  was 
  hardly 
  anything 
  as 
  thrilling 
  

   as 
  the 
  various 
  spot-landing 
  contests 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  a 
  regular 
  fea- 
  

   ture 
  in 
  glider 
  meetings 
  since 
  1922. 
  A 
  plot 
  is 
  marked, 
  a 
  few 
  square 
  

   feet 
  on 
  a 
  lawn 
  on 
  a 
  plateau 
  a 
  couple 
  of 
  miles 
  distant 
  from 
  the 
  hill 
  

   where 
  the 
  gliders 
  take 
  off, 
  and 
  only 
  about 
  100 
  feet 
  lower 
  in 
  level; 
  a 
  

   place 
  which 
  could 
  never 
  be 
  reached 
  by 
  mere 
  gliding 
  without 
  soaring. 
  

   At 
  the 
  1923 
  Rhon 
  contest 
  the 
  prospective 
  victor 
  having 
  alighted 
  only 
  

   50 
  feet 
  from 
  the 
  goal, 
  was 
  quite 
  surprised 
  to 
  be 
  beaten 
  in 
  the 
  

   last 
  hour 
  by 
  some 
  one 
  who 
  made 
  35 
  feet. 
  This 
  was 
  considered 
  pretty 
  

   good 
  among 
  aces. 
  It 
  was 
  only 
  the 
  average 
  in 
  last 
  year's 
  contests 
  

   when 
  the 
  records 
  followed 
  in 
  rapid 
  succession 
  : 
  210, 
  131, 
  105, 
  65, 
  62, 
  

   48, 
  32, 
  28, 
  20, 
  19, 
  18, 
  15, 
  11, 
  8, 
  and 
  6 
  feet. 
  There 
  would 
  be 
  no 
  sense 
  in 
  

   trying 
  to 
  beat 
  such 
  performances. 
  But 
  this 
  reflects 
  very 
  strikingly 
  

   the 
  wonderful 
  training 
  the 
  glider 
  pilots 
  acquire, 
  too. 
  

  

  Glider 
  training 
  is 
  lots 
  of 
  fun. 
  On 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  slov/ 
  velocity 
  

   against 
  the 
  wind, 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  any 
  combustible 
  fuel, 
  the 
  

   danger 
  and 
  hazards 
  are 
  remote. 
  A 
  smart 
  high-school 
  boy 
  of 
  16 
  once 
  

   learned 
  gliding 
  in 
  his 
  own 
  homemade 
  machine 
  by 
  being 
  towed 
  like 
  a 
  

   kite 
  and 
  his 
  instructor 
  running 
  alongside 
  and 
  shouting 
  up 
  to 
  him 
  

   what 
  to 
  do 
  with 
  the 
  controls, 
  A 
  preferred 
  method 
  of 
  training 
  is 
  

   now 
  to 
  first 
  give 
  the 
  student 
  some 
  rides 
  in 
  a 
  two-seater 
  glider 
  with 
  

   dual 
  control, 
  before 
  he 
  is 
  turned 
  loose 
  to 
  solo 
  on 
  a 
  very 
  sturdy 
  and 
  

   foolproof 
  training 
  glider. 
  Then 
  he 
  is 
  put 
  on 
  a 
  more 
  sensitive 
  type 
  

   for 
  advanced 
  training 
  until 
  he 
  may 
  try 
  to 
  compete 
  in 
  the 
  contests 
  

   on 
  the 
  highly 
  refined 
  champion 
  machines. 
  

  

  A 
  very 
  striking 
  development 
  of 
  glider 
  design 
  is 
  the 
  single-track 
  

   landing 
  gear. 
  Wheels 
  have 
  been 
  abandoned 
  not 
  only 
  for 
  their 
  

   resistance 
  in 
  the 
  air 
  but 
  also 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  difficulties 
  in 
  coming 
  to 
  

   a 
  stop 
  when 
  landing 
  on 
  an 
  incline. 
  Most 
  gliders 
  are 
  equipped 
  with 
  

   skis 
  as 
  originally 
  used 
  by 
  the 
  Wrights. 
  Some 
  sort 
  of 
  springs 
  are 
  

   preferably 
  inserted 
  between 
  skis 
  and 
  body. 
  It 
  was 
  found 
  quite 
  

   feasible 
  to 
  land 
  on 
  one 
  single 
  central 
  ski, 
  in 
  spite 
  of 
  the 
  largest 
  

   wing 
  span. 
  The 
  pilot 
  can 
  manage 
  lateral 
  stability 
  with 
  the 
  flaps 
  

   until 
  the 
  machine 
  comes 
  to 
  a 
  standstill. 
  Then 
  it 
  may 
  tilt 
  over 
  so 
  

   one 
  wing 
  tip 
  may 
  rest 
  on 
  the 
  ground, 
  A 
  glider 
  can 
  safely 
  be 
  landed 
  

   in 
  places 
  that 
  would 
  scare 
  any 
  motor 
  airplane 
  pilot 
  to 
  death, 
  in 
  

   underbrushes, 
  in 
  hollows, 
  on 
  steep 
  inclines, 
  or 
  jumping 
  over 
  boskets 
  

   and 
  fences. 
  After 
  having 
  stalled 
  in 
  the 
  air, 
  flying 
  speed 
  may 
  be 
  

   recovered 
  after 
  a 
  drop 
  of 
  something 
  like 
  25 
  feet. 
  

  

  Quite 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  rather 
  imorthodox 
  designs 
  have 
  been 
  built 
  and 
  

   flown 
  as 
  gliders 
  with 
  interesting 
  success. 
  Among 
  them 
  are 
  tandem 
  

   wings, 
  tailless 
  planes, 
  v/ith 
  pronouncedly 
  swept-back 
  wings, 
  slotted 
  

   wings, 
  machines 
  having 
  the 
  control 
  planes 
  in 
  front 
  of 
  the 
  main 
  wings, 
  

  

  