MARCH 2021 VOLUME 14 - No 6

GLIDINGlNTERNATIONAL

March 2021 1 March 2021 VOLUME 14 - No 6

Editor: John H. Roake

Manager: Janice Armstrong

Correspondents: lNTERNATIONAL GLIDING Aldo Cernezzi Robert (Bob) Downe Joseph King Myles Hynde Arthur Liddington

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Subscriptions: Printed Version Air Mailed: INDEX 1 Year: $136 ($US82) or equivalent Germany and Japan Unite 4 2 Years: $259 ($US165) or equivalent (all prices quoted in NZ Dollars) or Wings and Wheels 18 the equivalent in your currency. One Way Ticket – Pandemonium 19 Digital Version emailed: Summing up - Wollf Hirth 21 1 Year $86 ($US56) or equivalent Gliding and the Olympic Movement 25 2 Years $163 ($US106) or equivalent Unresolved Battery Problems 26 (all prices quoted in NZ Dollars) Rebuilding a Wrecked Sailplane 35 or the equivalent in your currency. Personal cheques acceptable. New From Europe – Ground Marshalling 37 Obituary – Hans-Werner Grosse 38 New subscriptions can be originated International News For Glider Pilots 39 through the magazine’s secure web site Instrument Buy of the Month 39 by using a Visa or MasterCard credit card at: www.glidinginternational.com Cumulus Soaring 47 Advertising: Cover: Photographer, Tobias Barth tell us that this unique flight over the roofs of the Contact the magazine’s advertising megacity, Hamburg, Germany, was only possible due to the Corona Pandemic. Where usually big airliners from all over the world approach the city, the airspace was free for this planned department by email at: photo flight with a brand new JS3 made by Jonker Sailplanes, South Africa. Tobias took off [email protected] 30km away in his current hometown Stade, whereas the JS3 took off directly in Hamburg from a glider airfield named “Boberg”. We met in the air exactly on time at the agreed meeting point. By radio and hand signals Tobias directed the pilot to the right place. Thus this unique picture became a reality.

2 Gliding International March 2021 3 war on Germany. By the end of 1941, German forces and the from 1933 to 1945 (Fuhrer from 1934 to 1945). He was central to European Axis powers occupied most of Europe and North Africa. the perpetration of the Holocaust and his actions and ideology are Germany and Japan were These gains were gradually reversed after 1941, and in 1945 the regarded as evil. His racially motivated ideology called the “Nazi Allied armies defeated the German army. On April 29, 1945, he Regime” was responsible for the genocide of millions of Jews and married his longtime lover Eva Braun in the Führerbunker in Berlin. other victims. He and the regime were also responsible for killing Two days later, the couple committed suicide to avoid capture by an estimated 19 million civilians and prisoners of war, and more Closer Than Ever Imagined ! the Soviet Red Army. Their corpses were burned. than 28 million soldiers and civilians died from military action.

Hitler’s father, Alois Hitler Sr. (1837–1903), was the illegitimate Hitler was earning over $1 million a year from Mein Kampf royalties child of Maria Anna Schicklgruber. The baptismal register does at his peak. (That’s the equivalent of $12 million a year in today’s not show the name of his father, and Alois initially bore his dollars). In total, Mein Kampf sold over 10 million copies. Pre World War mother’s surname. Hitler earned enough money from his royalties to accumulate a II Gliding $10 million tax bill which he promptly forgave the day he became Germany’s involvement in aviation was rescinded under the Chancellor. Treaty of Versailles and therein became the catalyst that promoted research into gliding with strong support from the Japanese, Hitler used his new found wealth to purchase several lavish homes o history on the development of gliding would although historically little has previously been written on this including one that became the main headquarters of the Nazi be complete without reference to the Hitler subject. The Versailles Treaty and the economic, social, and party, the Berghof. Hitler invested millions of his own dollars into Youth movement, the organisation set up by political conditions in Germany after the World War I were later purchasing and renovating the Berghof property from what was NAdolf Hitler in 1933 for educating and training male exploited by Hitler for political gain. once a small chalet into what we would today consider a massive youth in Nazi principles. Under the leadership of Baldur luxurious estate complete with libraries, screening rooms, pools, von Schirach, head of all German youth programs, Hitler’s book (an autobiography and political manifest) entitled tennis courts, multiple car garages and much more. the Hitler Youth included by 1935 almost 60 percent Mein Kampf was published in two volumes in 1925 and 1926. He of German boys. On July 1, 1936, it became a state sold 228,000 copies between 1925 and 1932. One million copies And so our research goes on - The connection with Japan prior agency that all young “Aryan” Germans were expected were sold in 1933, Hitler’s first year in office. (For the record, when to World War II plus a story in our next issue that involves the to join. Gliding under state control was an important the U.S. stock market crashed on October 24, 1929, the impact development with the Japanese, the creation of the German facet of Hitler Youth, and played a very strategic part in Germany was dire: millions were thrown out of work and several Youth gliding division, and a story about a German student who in the creation of gliding as a world sport. major banks collapsed). spent a large portion of his youth in the U.S.A. prior to returning Upon reaching his 10th birthday, a German boy was to Germany, joining Hitler Youth, and then back to U.S.A. again. registered and investigated (especially for “racial Adolf Hitler at the time of his suicide had a net worth equal to purity”) and, if qualified, inducted into the Deutsches $150 million at the peak of his power (adjusting for inflation). He ENJOY ! Jungvolk (“German Young People”). At age 13 the was the leader of the Nazi Party and was Chancellor of Germany youth became eligible for the Hitler Youth, from which he graduated at age 18. Throughout these years he lived a spartan life of dedication, fellowship, and Nazi conformity, generally with minimum parental guidance. From age 18 he was a member of the Nazi Party and served in the state labour service and the armed forces until at least the age of 21. Two leagues also existed for girls. The League of German Girls (Bund Deutscher Mädel) trained girls ages 14 to 18 for comradeship, domestic duties, and motherhood. Jungmädel (“Young Girls”) was an organisation for girls ages 10 to 14. HITLER YOUTH RALLY, BERLIN 1933

Adolf Hitler, the Nazi party leader (who was undoubtedly he joined the German Workers’ Party, the precursor of the Nazi a major behind the scenes promotor of gliding), was born April 20, Party, and was appointed leader in 1921. In 1923, he attempted 1889 and committed suicide at 56 years of age on April 30, 1945. to seize governmental power in a failed coup in Munich and was He was an Austrian-born German politician (born in Braunau am imprisoned with a sentence of five years. After his early release Inn, a town in Austria-Hungary in present-day Austria). in 1924, Hitler gained popular support by attacking the Treaty of Versailles and promoting Pan-Germanism, anti-Semitism and He rose to power as the chancellor of Germany in 1933, then anti-communism frequently denouncing international capitalism. as Führer in 1934. He initiated World War II in Europe invading Poland on September 1, 1939. Central to the perpetration of the By November 1932, the Nazi Party had the most seats in the Holocaust, he was declared responsible for the genocide of six German Reichstag but did not have a majority. He was appointed million plus Jews. Germany’s chancellor on January 30, 1933. His first six years in power resulted in rapid economic recovery from the Great He moved from Austria to Germany in 1913 and was decorated Depression, restrictions imposed on Germany after World War I. during his service in the German Army in World War I. In 1919, His invasion of Poland resulted in Britain and France declaring

4 Gliding International March 2021 5 much-needed pool of young pilots who had the knowledge, skills, and spiritual readiness to fight Japan’s air wars. Studying Japan’s emerging “We must learn from Germany” glider movement offers an opportunity to re-examine the mechanisms technology transfer from Germany to Japan. Previous studies increased knowledge about the transfer of cutting-edge technology during the This - from Japan, 1935. interwar and wartime years.

xploring the prominent role of Germany in the The Japanese eagerly adopted German know-how about the skilful emergence of Japan’s pre world war II gliding arrangement of fabric, wire, and wood and built several thousand boom, few appreciate that Japan actually had gliders based on German blueprints. In addition, the successful E nationwide diffusion of glider technology reveals the central role a (then sophisticated) gliding development program in the mid 1930s. of an underlying ideology of “air-mindedness” that Japan readily imported from Germany as well. The Japanese extended an invitation to Germany’s elite specialists to Japan which started a “glider Wolf Hirth, the German the Japanese idealised. Seen here in the most German enthusiasm for gliders emerged in direct response to the spectacular glider of the time - Berlin 1931 fever” that enabled the Japanese military to forge 1919 Versailles settlement. When the German delegates signed the Treaty of Versailles, they accepted substantial losses of territory close bonds with the press and an air-minded Japan’s failure to adopt the Fascist model. public. Developing a new concept of aviation and heavy reparations payments. Part five of the treaty moreover training unprovided an organisational blueprint required the destruction or surrender of all German military aircraft, An analysis of the Japanese Army’s role in the cooperation with banned the production of aircraft, and prohibited all military flying. for a comprehensive aviation education that Germany, provides evidence for substantial German influence in a mobilised all aviation activities of Japanese youth wide variety of fields. Accounts of interwar business ties between Gliders, unpowered aircraft used by amateur pilots, were not in the service of Japan’s national defence. Japanese Japan and Germany emphasises the role of private enterprise. Visits anxieties about the expansion of foreign air power included in the Versailles restrictions. Thus, facing the bleak of Hitler Youth representatives to Japan and their strong influence prospect of the demise of German aviation, many Germans saw thus were successfully channelled into a wave of on Japanese youth education shows the effect that the National popular enthusiasm and participation that became glider flying as the only opportunity to keep alive in the 1920s. The Socialist leisure organisation (Kraft durch Freudeand) had on the Rhön, a region of rolling hills in central Germany, developed into instrumental for Japan’s military buildup and scene. mobilisation. a Mecca for gliding enthusiasts. German glider pilots created an impact on the Japanese recreation movement. Jürgen Melzer, a former glider pilot and airline captain set out to research this issue when he Germany founded the Akademische Fliegeruppe Darmstadt, in 1921, The influence of Nazi ideology on Japanese policies for establishing the first of several Akafliegs associated with German universities. studied during a one-year stay at the University of a “technocratic new order” provides valuable insight into the role The concept captured the imagination of the Japanese as Darmstadt Tokyo - a project that was generously funded by the of engineers and the transfer of aero-engine technology. The rapidly acquired a reputation for inventive glider design. As well as Japan Foundation. technological assistance Japan received from Germany in the design designing and building aircraft as part of their academic programme, of jet fighters and of rocket-propelled interceptors emphasised the they started receiving orders from individuals and clubs. Sales brought role of ideology and symbolism in technological choice. By the early 1940s Japan had become a “nation of flyers.” More conclusion of the 1936 Anti-Comintern Pact. It calls into question welcome funds to the group. In 1928-9 Paul Laubenthal, then at the than ten million school children were engaged in building model a widely held assumption about German-Japanese cooperation Akaflieg, designed a Darmstadt sailplane, which was a development With a new flight technique known as “ridge soaring”, the Germans aircraft, and tens of thousands of high school students actively as a story of conflicting interests, distrust, and false hopes that of an earlier Darmstadt glider named after the club. The new machine introduced the concept to the Japanese who used upward practiced glider flying. At the same time, activities that had rendered the alliance ineffective and limited its strategic and was flown by Wolf Hirth and it was one of the most successful airstreams at a hill’s windward side. Further research led to the started as playful or adventurous pursuits became serious efforts economic consequences. competitors at the 1929 Rhön glider contest. Named the Musterle and built in Kassel, it was taken by Hirth to Japan and was the catylist that discovery of thermals to gain altitude. Henceforth, soaring was no for national defence. A new taxonomy emerged: every sailplane generated Japan’s immense interest in Gliding in the 1930s. longer limited to mountain ridges; and by skilfully using thermals, became a “national defence glider,” and a Japanese schoolboy with glider pilots could set out for long-distance flights of several his model aircraft, Jürgen Melzer was no longer a boy with a toy but Hirth was the first to soar using blue sky thermals, thermals hundred kilometres. a “wild eagle” aiming toward the “decisive battle in the sky.” Such unassociated with cumulus clouds. state-sponsored air - was a transnational phenomenon, rooted German glider activity in the 1920s and 1930s had important in a new ideology that emerged after World War I. Strategists Musterle was a high, cantilever wing aircraft. Its wing, like the rest implications: it led to significant progress in aeronautical science and military planners concluded that any future war would be of the aircraft, was wooden and covered with a mixture of plywood and technology, stimulated military aviation, and promoted a a total war requiring the mobilisation and control of a country’s and fabric. It was built around a single spar with ply covering from it nationalistic air-mindedness. Ironically, these were precisely the entire population and resources. Any distinction between military around the leading edge forming a torsion-resistant D-box. Behind the fields the Allies had wanted to crack down on with their ban combatants and civilian populations became meaningless, and the spar the wing was mostly fabric covered. Musterle’s wing was mounted on German aviation. German influence on the development of struggles on the home front would be as decisive as those on the over the fuselage on a low, ply covered pylon which blended into the Japanese glider flying was intense. front lines. fuselage and extended well behind the wing’s trailing edge, gradually decreasing in height. The fuselage was ply covered. Both the tall rudder and elevators were all-moving and balanced, with straight edges and In 1930 the Nippon Guraidā Ku-rabu (‘Nippon Glider Club’) built a The new doctrine profoundly transformed military and civil aviation. Germany’s support of the Japanese Gliding movement (1930-45) was more rounded tips. This was “ground-breaking” new aircraft design! simple, open-cockpit glider based on the design of the German The individualistic World War I fighter ace became an icon of a involved than most historians ever imagined. The German co-operation Zögling (‘pupil’) aircraft. In May 1930 Kataoka Bun-zaburō took off bygone era. Aviation now had to become a mass movement that started with plans for the Zogling (SG28) shown here. The Zogling was Musterle had a landing skid under the forward fuselage, reaching back with the group’s glider from the Tokorozawa airfield and established could count on the public’s enthusiasm, participation, and support. inexpensive and an ideal home build glider project for the exploading almost to the wing’s trailing edge, and a spring type tailskid. a new Japanese record with a five-second flight that covered a New slogans emerged. Meanwhile, the Soviet Communist Party movement. distance of 80 metres. launched nationwide campaigns to turn “peasants into pilots”. It is now easy to see how Japan’s fascination with what gliding had to offer developed and why their involvment with Germany became such In 1932 German-trained meteorologist Fuji-wara Sakuhei founded Mussolini envisioned a Fascist aviation culture and in 1923 famously There is an argument that the Nazi government’s total control of a strong working relationship. the Kirigamine Guraidā Kenkyūkai (‘Kirigamine Glider Research insisted that “everyone must want to fly”; and in the 1930s German all German aviation activities had a profound impact on Japanese Society’). The association was named after the location of its airfield aviation minister Göring repeatedly pronounced that “the German aviation policies. Nazi Germany provided the organisation whilst at Kirigamine, a mountain range in the Nagano prefecture about 150 people must become a nation of flyers.” Japan’s highly effective “social management” even blurred the kilometres northwest of Tokyo. The region offered ideal conditions distinction between wartime and peacetime mobilisation. Gliders for Japan’s mass mobilisation and ideological blueprint for for glider flying and would soon to be called the “Japanese Rhön”. So an examination of the rise of Japan’s popular air-mindedness tying glider flying exclusively to the purpose of national defence, becomes high-lighted in the wake of the country’s alignment For the relationship between fascism and aviation, the phrase triggered the start of a model-aircraft movement as a means of Within a year, more than 400 flights had taken place at the with Germany. Using new archival evidence, a fresh view on the “peasants into pilots” provided numerous studies which emphasised national aviation education. Gliders and model aircraft became Kirigamine airstrip, which grew to be one of the centres of Japan’s development of German-Japanese relations emerges after the the lack of Axis cooperation that lead into a detailed account of suspectable effective tools for providing the Japanese military with a

6 Gliding International March 2021 7 glider activities. Kyushu Imperial University at Fukuoka became received close attention by the army and navy, the Communications meet the expenses of Wolf Hirth, the German leader of the sport The fuselage of the 703 was entirely ply skinned, tapering gently another hotbed of Japan’s emerging glider movement. Together Ministry, and the General Staff Office. now dramatically rising in popularity in Germany. His tour of Japan from a blunt nose to the tail, and a balanced rudder which extended with fifty students, Professor Satō Hiroshi founded the Kyūshū with two gliders and a tow plane generated imports of German down to the keel. The straight tapered tailplane, also largely fabric Teikoku Daigaku. The developments in Russia also influenced the Japanese Army’s gliders, originated the manufacture of copies and eventually saw covered, was set forward of the fin and at the top of the fuselage, air-defence strategy. The Army Ministry decided to significantly true Japanese designs evolve. The Maede 703, built by Kenichi so the elevators required only a small cut-out for the rudder to The group’s successful glider design showed a strong German expand aerial armament and homeland air defence; however, the Maede, his engineering colleagues, Kimura and Kurahara, and with move in. The pilot sat upright just ahead of the wing’s leading edge influence: a reproduction of a German glider, the Kyūtei 1, was used sudden need for more pilots and aircraft mechanics presented a academic input from Hiroshi Sato from Kyushu Imperial College, under a multi-piece canopy which merged into the aft fuselage. in the group’s initial training sessions. problem as the training of these specialists would take several was one of the first of the latter. years. Thus in 1933 the army began to extend its outreach toward The 703 had no landing wheel but just a sprung skid from the nose Japanese youth. Young men between fifteen and nineteen were to to behind the cockpit, on the deepest part of the fuselage. It was be recruited and trained as “the army’s young military aviators”. assisted by a tail bumper. Early tests beginning in 1940 revealed good handling and performance. The campaign was extremely successful, resulting in 11,000 applications in less than three weeks. The army’s flight school Development of the Japanese Maeda 703 was stopped by the could accept only 170. This made the Japanese examine how spread of World War II to the Pacific, but not before Tadeo Kawabe “technonationalism” was being driven by the constant anxiety had set a new national glider endurance record of 13 h 41m in about the nation’s security. February 1941 in the second 703, A1606.

The army then decided to involve civilian organisations in training In 1945 all gliders in Japan, along with most in Germany, were in order to develop a sufficiently large number of young pilots. destroyed by Allied forces. One of the new glider research section’s As a first step, army officials turned toward the country’s major first decisions was to invite more German glider specialists to newspapers. By the early 1930s the Japanese military could safely Japan. This approach to Germany reflected Japanese awareness count on the cooperation of the press. With the start of the war with of German world leadership in gliding. Significantly, it happened China, state control of the press had tightened. However the press at a time when Japanese-German relations were about to enter a was far from being only a malleable tool. With the outbreak of the new stage as the two countries started preparations for the Anti- Manchurian conflict, all major newspapers shrewdly participated Comintern Pact in summer 1935. in the “news war” in their struggle to increase circulation. As a Kyūtei 7 result the Japanese press enthusiastically praised the successes of The Maede 703 Japanese military diplomats in Berlin conducted the negotiations. Japan’s military and urged readers to support “our young Japanese Having witnessed the official announcement of the new German air Moreover, the much more sophisticated Kyūtei 7 was a close copy soldiers suffering in the cold of Manchuria” (1932). force in March 1935, they were in close contact with the upper ranks of the hugely successful German sailplane, the Grunau Baby. In Specifications - Maeda 703 of the Luftwaffe. Therefore, when Major Kondō began his search early September 1935 the glider pilot Shizuru Tadao surprised Several newspapers launched a highly effective donation campaign General Characteristics for a German glider expert to be invited to Japan, he could easily the Japanese glider community with a spectacular new Japanese for new aircraft that enabled the Japanese Army to substantially turn to his army colleagues in Germany. In June 1935 the Japanese record, flying in a Kyūtei 7 for more than three hours. Crew: One reinforce its air power. The press also played an important role Length: 6.70 m (22 ft 0 in) Army Ministry asked the Berlin-based army attaché Ōshima Hiroshi in forging a close link between Japan’s air-minded youth and the to invite two German glider pilots to come to Japan together with By the first half of the 1930s, glider flights in Japan had made Wingspan: 14.98 m (49 ft 2 in) military. In the early 1920s most major Japanese papers had already their aircraft. Ōshima immediately started negotiations with the considerable progress in several isolated locations, but the Height: 1.10 m (3 ft 7 in) over cockpit established their own “aircraft divisions” for advertising and news German Ministry of Aviation whereupon he received the answer nationwide spread of Japan’s “glider fever” can be better understood Wing area: 14.3 m2 (154 sq ft) coverage. When army officials turned to the Asahi newspaper Aspect ratio: 15.7 that such a “gliding expedition” (Segelflugexpedition) could be in the context of international developments. for its cooperation in establishing a new gliding association, they Airfoil: MKK3 (developed from NACA 64016 arranged for the following year. found an enthusiastic ally with significant aeronautical expertise. by Maede, Kinushi and Kuahara ) Meanwhile - Japanese responses to Soviet aerial armaments in the The joint Asahi–Army enterprise resulted in the 1935 creation of a Empty weight: 153 kg (337 lb) structure The attaché, however, insisted on the urgency of the matter; he early 1930s exacerbated Japanese anxiety over Russian air power Gross weight: 230 kg (507 lb) maximum glider section of the Nihon Gakusei Kōkū Renmei (‘Japan Students emphasised how Japanese-German relations would benefit from which also dramatically increased. After the Japanese took over Aviation League’), or Gakuren for short. the project and offered the Japanese Army to not only cover the Manchuria in 1931 and 1932, they became aware that their new Performance entire equipment cost but also pay each glider pilot a handsome puppet state of Manchukuo was encircled by 30 Soviet air bases With explicit reference to Germany, the army used the Gakurento salary of 2,400 yen for a two-month stay in Japan. from which a Russian air force that was hugely superior in numbers Maximum glide ratio: 25.4:1 at 64.5 km/h to build a “reserve flying corps.” For the army, Gakuren’s glider (40 mph; 34.8 kn) could be quickly deployed. The development of a new type of flying was an inexpensive way to provide early basic flight training Rate of sink: 0.63 m/s (124 ft/min) min The German Aviation Minister then agreed to dispatch two glider Russian long-range bomber that could take off from Vladivostok and to identify talented future army pilots. The army even provided at 55 km/h (34.2 mph; 29.7 kn) instructors together with three aircraft as early as September 1935, and drop its bomb load over Japanese cities significantly added to the Gakuren with military flight instructors who could then appoint Wing loading: 16.1 kg/m2 (3.3 lb/sq ft) a proposal that the Japanese government accepted “with great the worries of Japan’s military planners. selected university students as “army pilot candidates” or even as Landing speed: 43 km/h (26.7 mph; 23.2 kn joy.” As a next step, the ministry appointed the well-known glider “army aviation commissioned officer candidates”. pilot Wolf Hirth as leader of the expedition. It even managed to This new situation prompted Japanese officials to carefully follow cover all travel expenses with a secret fund that was handed out via the development of Soviet aviation. Their attention was not only The 703 was a wood framed aircraft covered with a mixture of To place the glider movement on an even stronger foundation, the the Advertising Council of German Industry, which was controlled drawn to the rapid progress in Russian aircraft technology and plywood and fabric. Its cantilever mid-mounted wing had a single army procured the cooperation of two more major newspapers. by the Propaganda Ministry. production numbers but also to the widespread emergence of a spar, and an associated D-box, skinned in plywood, formed the When the Army Aviation Headquarters started negotiations Soviet aviation ideology that could mobilise the public for a rapid leading edge. The wing was fabric covered behind the spar. The with Osaka Mainichi and its affiliated company, Tokyo Nichinichi There was, however, one more obstacle to overcome before the air-force expansion. leading edge was straight from root to tip, with slight sweep-back. Shinbun, the army’s delegate declared the training of future army Japanese Army could summon a German aviation specialist. From the root out almost to half-span, the wing tapered in plan pilots to be a matter of “national defence.” They also referred to Because Japan had joined the Allied Powers in World War I, the Japanese diplomats, engineers, and military officers were aware of only. Gently but further out, the trailing edge was entirely formed the exemplary, well-organised aviation education in Germany that country was bound by the Treaty of Versailles not to employ how the Soviets used gliders for training and for mobilising public by the aileron, the wing tapered more strongly to a rounded tip. Japan should emulate. any Germans for military training or instruction. Yet Japan could support. In May 1935 the Japanese ambassador to the Soviet Union readily draw on its already-existing tradition of evading the treaty Ōta Tamekichi reported an emerging “glider fever” that had already The NACA-derived airfoil provided a high maximum lift coefficient In an obvious effort to catch up on government–press relations, regulations. Throughout the 1920s nearly all the major German spread as far as Sakhal on the Russian island whose southern tip is and small pitching moments, and the wing had washout to avoid an account of pressures by right-wing parties and reservist aircraft makers had sent their specialists to Japan to help build up less than 50 kilometres away from Japanese territory. tip stall. There were Schempp-Hirth style airbrakes mounted on associations on newspaper companies did not provide “sufficient a military aviation industry, a clear treaty violation that was backed the rear of the spar in the central section, extending above and support for Japan’s military activities”. by both governments. He emphasised that all over the Soviet Union, the Russian below the wing. On the first two 703s the central sections were set Aeronautical Defence Society was using gliders for the instruction with strong (6.5°) dihedral and the outer section with none, forming Despite some well documented early history on Gliding in Japan To keep up appearances, therefore, the army conveniently let of several thousand pilots and for the “diffusion of an aviation a gull wing. The third 703 had the same wing but with constant (1924-1935), gliding attracted limited popular interest until the mid- the newspaper companies Tokyo Nichinichi Shinbun and Mainichi ideology among ordinary people”. The ambassador’s report home dihedral from root to tip. 1930s, when a group of enthusiasts managed to find the funds to Shinbun invite Hirth, calling him an instructor for civil aviation. Hirth

8 Gliding International March 2021 9 himself was well aware that he had to avoid the spread of any future efforts in the development of gliders were to be directed importance the army attached to Hirth’s demonstrations and of the who was already known to the public as a record-breaking glider “rumours about German-Japanese military arrangements” . away from achieving ever-longer flight times, as they had Wolf raised expectations faced by the visitor from Germany. Major Kondō pilot, went on a 3,000-kilometre flight from Tokyo via Sendai, Hirth explaining vertical air currents at a lecture held for the Nippon led the small group of about a dozen handpicked army officers. By Aomori, Niigata, and Kanazawa to Osaka and then completed a In his 1938 autobiography Hirth gave only a vague account of the Hansō Renmei (‘Nippon Glider Federation’) in Tokyo in October 1935. letting the Japanese officers use the German aircraft, Hirth was 1,500- kilometre Osaka–Hiroshim – Fukuoka – Kumamoto – Beppu origins of his invitation to Japan. There he reported that in 1935 he able to teach them the skills of glider towing, ridge soaring, and the – Shikoku – Osaka circuit. These tours effectively promoted the had received a phone call from Ernst Udet, a former World War I advanced technique of thermal flight. idea of glider flying, particularly as Shizuru performed stunning fighter ace and then a colonel in the newly founded Luftwaffe. Udet acrobatics with his glider in numerous places. To further advance informed Hirth that “influential persons in Japan had asked for the The trainees’ ambition, discipline, and rapid progress earned the the idea of glider flying, the two newspapers organised Japan’s first dispatch of a distinguished pilot” . praise of their teacher. While Hirth’s lectures and training targeted lecture course on gliders in August of the same year. only a selected audience, his public flight shows impressed the Habuto Fumio, the then head of Mainichi’s aircraft section, was masses. His first performance on October 26 received an exhilarated Members of 23 glider organisations participated in the program. One more straightforward. Much later, in a 1962 interview, he admitted press report under the headline “Vertical loops with a glider: Just month later Japan’s first National Glider Competition at Kirigamine that Mainichi had helped to evade the Versailles treaty regulations what you would expect from the king of glider pilots.” Without attracted more than 100 pilots. Asahi Shinbun acted as the event’s but also emphasised that “all the money came from the army.” any sound he flew into the blue sky. Suddenly, at an altitude of main sponsor with the support of the Communications Ministry and less than 100 metres he demonstrated a loop. The audience, who the Imperial Aeronautic Association. All these activities showed The interviewer asked in conclusion, “So was Mainichi used by the had been thinking that only a motor-powered aircraft could do this, clear results. army?” Habuto’s impish answer, “No, we [Mainichi] used the army,” gaped in amazement. Then effortlessly, as if the glider was his own is yet more evidence of how the press could cleverly exploit an body, Hirth made a perfect landing. By 1937 Japan could take pride in its 67 glider organisations and army-sponsored event for its own purposes. (Has anything changed 120 sailplanes. In the years 1937 and 1938 glider enthusiasm spread in the 21st century?) The air was filled with admiring voices: “Marvellous!” One week to the Japanese territories of Manchuria, Korea, and Taiwan. After later thousands of spectators made the trip to the Haneda airfield the conclusion of the 1936 Anti-Comintern Pact when German- The choice of Wolf Hirth was a good one. With his steel-rimmed fifteen kilometres south of Tokyo to witness the flying skills of the Japanese relations became even closer, Japanese studies of Nazi glasses and boyish smile he did not fit the stereotype of a daredevil “King of Glider Pilots”. Once more Hirth impressed his audience Germany and its organisations intensified. airman, yet he was already a pilot of considerable talent and with his glider aerobatics, especially his vertical loops performed international experience. In 1931 Hirth was the first glider pilot at a low altitude, an extremely risky flight manoeuvre that left no As a result German influence on Japan regarding how to gain to be awarded the German Silver C badge for his aeronautical margin for error. After his impressive flight demonstration, Hirth public support for the buildup of a national air power became even accomplishments. Before his visit to Japan he had already gained was surrounded by an excited crowd that he feared would damage stronger. The National Socialists’ successful promotion of their international fame for his sustained glider flights over New York and his aircraft. Hirth’s activities commanded widespread admiration version of air-mindedness impressed Japanese officials, and the for his participation with a glider of his own design in an expedition even among the highest echelons of the government. number of Japanese “inspection teams” to Germany increased. One to South America. important visit was that of a group of six high-ranking Japanese On December 12, 1935, three days before Hirth’s return to Germany, military officers who investigated all aspects of German aviation. With all diplomatic and financial questions settled, Hirth together Prime Minister Okada Keisuke awarded the German glider pilot The group submitted its classified “Report of the Aviation Inspection with the pilot Karl Baur and the assistant Hans Stolz left Berlin the Order of the Sacred Treasure. The exchange of official notes Team” upon its return in spring 1937. It is an important document for the long train ride across the Soviet Union on September 17, that preceded this event showed the high aspirations that Hirth’s because it drew the army’s attention to the education of an air 1935. The group’s official contract, signed with the Nippon Glider activities had stirred in the military. Both the Army Ministry and the minded German youth. Federation, was to spend two months training eight Japanese Foreign Minister praised Hirth for training Japanese pilots in “all pilots and several students to become glider instructors. Hirth aspects of flight techniques” and for providing new perspectives on The Japanese group was impressed with how the German brought with him one “school glider” (Schulgleiter) for basic flight the military use of gliders. Prime Minister Okada expressed approval government and military not only promoted the physical education training, one glider suitable for acrobatic performances, and one of Hirth’s transfer of know-how about the design and production of of its youth with regard to the country’s aviation but also aroused “gull-winged,” high performance sailplane. gliders. young people’s interest in aviation from early childhood on (Ōshima The photograph conveys the official character of these events, with the flags in the background symbolising the close relations between the and Sugawara 1937). With this information at hand, the Army A single-engined Klemm 25 for towing the gliders was shipped to two countries. Courtesy of Deutsches Segelflugmuseum mit Modellflug. Within a mere two months, Hirth had “conveyed all his skills, Aviation Headquarters decided to follow the German model very Japan as well. The four aircraft were purchased by the Japanese opened new fields, and established a foundation for progress.” closely. As a first step they aimed to foster and unify aviation Army, which in turn “loaned” them to the Mainichi newspaper, which The Japanese press joined the laudations. An enthusiastic Mainichi enthusiasm among Japanese youth and put it into the service of then assigned them to the Nippon Glider Federation. Soon after According to commentators, Hirth profoundly impressed his journalist ended up revealing that secret agreement: “Hirth went national defence. the group’s arrival in Tokyo on October 2, an intense program of audience, among them top-level officers of the Japanese Army who back to Germany with the honour of having accomplished every lectures, flight training, and flight demonstrations began. eagerly welcomed Hirth’s forth-right vision. aspect of his mission that was assigned to him by the Army Aviation Gliding, which had started as a pure amateur sport carried out by Headquarters”. aviation enthusiasts, came under the tight control of the government Two of Hirth’s numerous presentations were especially inspiring to and the military. In early 1937 the Army Aviation Headquarters his military audience. In a lecture held in German, Hirth emphasised The Spread Of “Glider Fever” and the went ahead with its project to establish a “second air force” of the important role of German student flight groups associated with young people defending the skies of the fatherland. For this the technical universities (technische Hochschulen). He pointed out Creation of a Second Air Force headquarters ensured the cooperation of the Communications that many of these groups were receiving state funding for their Ministry and also joined forces with the Imperial Aeronautic research into the design and construction of gliders as well as test While it took the Japanese Army several years to consider and Association and the All Japan Youth League. The four institutions flights. put into practice Hirth’s proposals, Hirth’s impact on the Japanese founded the Dai Nippon Seinen Kōkūdan (‘Greater Japan Youth Air public was much more immediate and widespread. According to an Corps’). In return these groups provided the newly created German exchange of notes between German diplomats, Hirth had become Luftwaffe with a large pool of highly qualified young engineers who the “most popular German in Japan”. Soon after Hirth’s return, The Japanese slogan “young people defending the skies of our had considerable practical experience in building and flying glider Japan’s tactical use of military gliders in October 1943 was Japan’s fatherland” left no doubt about the military orientation of the new aircraft. In another lecture given exclusively to Japanese Army first glider transport squadron set up under the advice of Major Youth Air Corps; neither did the date of its official establishment officers, Hirth was even more franker still about new military uses Furubayashi, who had been trained eight years earlier by Wolf (March 1937), the 32nd Army Commemoration. But in an important of gliders. He envisioned gliders that would drop bombs and then Hirth. Furthermore, by the end of May 1945 the Imperial Japanese move, the founders of the Youth Air Corps persuade the 75-year-old safely return to their home bases as well as large scale transport Navy used gliders to train around 1,500 reserve students for suicide General Inoue Ikutarō to become the association’s leader. Inoue, Hirth getting ready for an aerobatic performance in his Gö 1 glider. gliders that could be used for silently flying troops behind enemy missions. Lectures were being held all over the country and a “glider who was also the president of the Imperial Military Reservists’ lines at night. fever” gripped the nation. Association, was well known as the “Father of Army Aviation” for Nearly one week of Hirth’s stay was devoted to glider training for his merit in the early buildup of the Japanese Army Air Force. His (The Silver C badge was a prize awarded to glider pilots who carried army officers at the Ueda airfield, about 30 kilometres south of the From May to June 1936 the Nippon Glider Federation and the two inaugural speech highlighted the strong military motives behind the out a glider flight of more than five hours - that covered more than city of Nagano. The large number of high-ranking military personnel newspapers, Osaka Mainichi and Tokyo Nichinichi, organised two Youth Air Corps’s promotion of glider flying among young Japanese. 50 kilometres and had an altitude gain of 1,000 metres.) Therefore, patiently waiting in the background gives evidence of the high “around-Japan” tours. Towed by a motor aircraft, Shizuru Tadao, After expressing his worries about the rapid spread of “aviation

10 Gliding International March 2021 11 ideology” among Soviet youth, Inoue turned directly to his main only receive flight training but should also learn how to build their concern. The general emphasised that “the progress of Japanese own basic gliders. Therefore the Education Ministry, together with GRUNAU 9 military aviation for frontline operations was vital. However, a the Imperial Aeronautic Association, in August 1938 sponsored second frontline that carried out the tasks at the home front was the first month-long course on glider building for teachers from also extremely important”. Inoue expressed his belief that the technical colleges and secondary schools. Greater Japan Youth Air Corps would provide the best facilities for flight training and would fulfill his wish that in the future all The Education Ministry’s efforts to take glider flying to the schools young Japanese men would be able to fly aircraft or gliders so were influenced most decisively by Germany. The ministry had that they could defend their country in the case of emergency. The sent Professor Satō Hiroshi to the Technische Universität Berlin to Communications Ministry, in charge of Japan’s civil aviation since study aircraft design for two years. After his return in 1939, Satō 1923, further tightened control over nonmilitary flying by making a submitted a detailed report about Germany’s emerging glider and move similar to the Nazi government’s 1937 enforced conformity of model aircraft movement. all German aviation activities. At one stage the Japanese decided that the Grunau 9, a German Satō had witnessed how the German Air Sports Association had BUT HISTORICALLY EARLIER - During the Russo-Japanese single seat trainer glider, would fulfil their plans for a basic been dissolved and replaced by the National Socialist Flyers Corps. War, the Imperial Japanese Army used two Japanese- primary glider. The Reich Air Ministry’s total control and management of Germany’s designed kite balloons during the Siege of Port Arthur. They aviation sport impressed Satō. For him, it became clear that the made 14 successful flights. It was Japan’s first combat use It was developed by Edmund Schneider from Alexander main purpose of the NSFC was to promote Germany’s model aircraft of military aviation of any kind. At Vladivostok, Imperial Lippisch’s Djävlar Anamma (German: Hols der Teufel, English: This . . . the Goppingen Go-1 was the first production sailplane and glider movement in order to build up “Germany’s second air Russian Army engineer Captain Fyodor A. Postnikov and his to the Devil with it) via the Espenlaub primary. The Grunau 9 was from the new Schempp-Hirth factory partnership. Aided with force.” In his outline of German aviation education, Satō explained funding from the governments of Germany and Japan, Wolf Hirth crews made frequent ascents in spherical balloons and a kite produced in large numbers and widely sold. the systematic approach of the National Socialists to prepare the was determined to solidify the relationship that already existed balloon from Russian ships. The armored cruiser Rossia tested German youth for future air battles. between the two countries. He appreciated why the primary glider various forms of air-sea communications from balloons and The core of the flat frame fuselage was formed with a horizontal was serving a purpose - generating gliding interest and creating the use of shipboard balloons for directing gunfire against beam about 2 m (6 ft 7 in) long, to which two other converging new future war-time pilots, but true soaring as he knew it, was Eleven year old German students were making simple paper planes shore targets and in detecting naval mines. struts were attached, making overall a vertical A-frame. The almost beyond the scope of Japan’s existing fleet of primary and at fifteen they were building model aircraft based on their own downward sloping extremities of these beams carried a slightly gliders. original design. By then they had considerable knowledge of the In September 1940 the ministry announced the “unification” of all deeper horizontal box structure below the cross beam, with the steering system, structure, and instruments of real aircraft. Japanese civil aviation organisations. Prior to 1945 Japan held the open pilot’s seat and controls upon it. On some later aircraft Hirth’s 1935 visit to Japan, saw him ship two Göppingen Gö 1 Army Commemoration Day each year to celebrate the victory of there was an extra vertical member for the lower cross beam to gliders together with a tow plane as well. The Go-1 (above) was At sixteen they began building and flying gliders for which their the Imperial Japanese Army against the Russian Manchurian Army the wing root to provide the pilot with a backrest. For landings a a single-seat sailplane produced in Germany. It was designed by knowledge and experience gained from model aircraft was very at the Battle of Mukden in 1905. Okumura Kiwao, an influential skid ran between three projecting ends of the forward and lower Martin Schempp and Wolf Hirth their first commercially produced useful. Outstanding students attended the National Glider Building glider. bureaucrat at the Communications Ministry, admired Nazi Germany A-frame. School and the National Glider Flight School. This organisational for its state-sponsored mass organisations. blueprint was important because it lent itself to being copied Conceived as a rival to the Grunau Baby, it was the first product by the officials of the Japanese education system. The NSFC’s The Grunau 9 had almost rectangular, two spar, wooden of the newly formed Sportflugzeugbau Göppingen firm. It Gliders for Japan’s mass mobilisation League, (the Japan structured, two piece wings with fabric covering everywhere was a conventional, strut-braced high-wing design of wooden curriculum also demonstrated how to indoctrinate young people Glider Federation, and the Greater Japan Youth Air Corps) were except the leading edges, which were plywood covered. Short, construction, incorporating a wheel aft of the loaded centre of with a nationalistic air-mindedness from a very early age. “voluntarily” dissolved and put under the umbrella of the Dai simple rectangular, cropped ailerons reached to the square wing gravity to ease ground handling, as well as aero-tow and winch Nippon Hikō Kyōkai (‘Greater Japan Aeronautic Association’). The tips. They were attached to the upper fuselage beam with their launches. The German model had considerable impact on the Japanese new association was in charge of promoting and disseminating leading edges at the forward sloping member and a chord wise education system. In February 1939 the Education Ministry set up a “aviation ideology” through radio and print media and by organising gap between their roots. Each wing was braced with a pair of Of very similar construction to the Grunau Baby, Wolf had strut- committee to draft a unified national curriculum for glider training. In flight shows all over Japan. landing wires from the apex of the A-frame to the upper wing braced high-set monoplane wings supported on a pylon aft of the the curriculum the ministry’s rhetoric strikingly resembled both the cockpit. The hexagonal-section fuselage was constructed largely at outboard points on the forward and aft spars and by pairs of tone and content of similar declarations by the NSFC. The purpose of wood with plywood skinning and the wings and tail surfaces The Greater Japan Aeronautic Association was responsible for flying wires from below the wing to the lower horizontal A-frame of glider training is to develop a spirit of undivided cooperation the glider training of Japanese youth and for the nationwide were plywood-skinned back to the main spars with wooden- among students, to train their minds and bodies, and to improve member. There were also bracing wires from the wing rear spars framed fabric-covering the rear portions. establishment of glider groups. Under their control, glider flying to the tail to retrain its lateral movement. their physical condition. The training cultivated an aviation ideology in Japan underwent another transformation. Gliding was no longer and aimed to put scientific knowledge into practical use. Stressed for aerobatics, it gained a reputation for dangerous considered a sport but an activity solely devoted to national defence. A triangular tailplane was mounted on the upper, horizontal spinning characteristics, which resulted in the Gö-1 being Even the designation of aircraft changed, with every sailplane fuselage beam with the elevator hinge in line with the rudder’s. grounded in 1938, pending incorporation of a modification, longer- Students respect rules, gladly obey orders, respect the common becoming a “national defence glider”. With the mitralisation of interest, and willingly take responsibility. Acquiring these good The rectangular elevators therefore required a cut-out for rudder chord and slotted ailerons. The cost of the required modifications glider activities the army increasingly offered advanced glider habits would also be useful for their daily lives. Furthermore, glider movement; like the rudder and tailplane, the elevators were proved uneconomic for the majority of owners and a large number training at its own airfields. instruction lets students understand the essentials of national fabric covered. A fin was provided by fabric covering the near of Gö-1s never flew again. Only three are known to have survived in museums. One is still operational in Germany. It first flew defence. They learnt especially the importance of aviation for triangular area of the rear fuselage between the rudder hinge, the At various training camps young pilots received instruction in in 1935. Its name is derived from the name Moazagotl given to national defence, and realised the value of their glider training to upper and lower beams and the diagonal between them. advanced acrobatics and were even taught the basics of instrument lenticularis clouds caused by the foehn winds in the Sudetenland. Japan’s security. It revealed parallels to Nazi education: physical flight that enabled them to fly in cloud. Gliders had become an exercise, paramilitary training, and the rearing of patriotic subjects The Grunau 9 first flew in 1928. The following year, Schneider effective means for sharpening the flight skills of future military The Japanese public were enthralled with Wolf Hirth. He was who were ready and willing to fight for their country. Satō’s account made changes to the tail and introduced a new and (it turned out) pilots. lauded wherever he went. His aerobatic displays enhanced his appears in a four-volume report about the US and European aviation temporary naming convention involving the year, redesignating reputation no end - a display that every Japanese youth wanted to industry that was published by the Japanese aircraft manufacturer emulate. Wolf was on a roll, producing a scene, the like of which it as the ESG 29, though it was not a unique name. After its -Kawanishi (1939). Following The German Model formation in 1933, the Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug had never previously been seen possible. (DFS) gave it the type number DFS 108-10. The positioning of The ministry distributed the new curriculum to each local Glider flying emerged into Japan’s schools in the late 1930s, and The spinning problems with the Go-1 led to the introduction of a wooden strut immediately in front of the pilot’s head led to government. The glider pilots, Matsushita Benji and Kojima Yasuo, the Japanese glider movement had entered a new stage when yet the gull-wing Minimoa. Hirth’s subsequent visit to Japan saw him the type being nicknamed the Schädelspalter, or skullsplitter. In were put in charge of glider training at all Japanese schools. By another powerful government agency lent its strong support. take a Minimoa with him and which was an even more successful production over several years, large numbers were built and sold opera - it solidified the marriage of the two country’s aviation March 1939 approximately 150 secondary schools and technical widely over several years. interests. The Minimoa quickly established several new records, colleges had glider groups; by the end of the year this number had In February 1938 the Education Ministry informed all local governors including the world altitude record of 6,687 m (21,939 ft) in 1938 in nearly tripled, with groups at more than 400 schools. Three years about its plan to encourage glider training at secondary schools. As At least one Dutch registered Grunau 9 remained active after a thunderstorm. Richard du Pont and Chet Decker flew Minimoas later, 700 of the 2000 secondary schools for young men practiced a first step glider courses for schoolteachers were to be held all World War II. to win the U.S. Championships in 1937 and 1938. glider training. To further unify flight training at schools, the over Japan. The ministry then decided that students should not Education Ministry even designated a standard glider type.

12 Gliding International March 2021 13 He also had brought a number of German model aircraft with him The Pacific War Begins youth had become such a high national priority, however, the Education that he displayed at public flight demonstrations in several major Ministry was able to successfully negotiate with the Ministry of Commerce Japanese cities. Nagaoka Masao, an instructor for elementary school “Toward The Decisive Battle In The Sky” and Industry and the Aviation Headquarters for the nationwide allocation of teachers, attended one of Bengsch’s lectures. He commented – “I materials for model aircraft building. By late 1944, with the beginning of the Support for the Japanese glider movement took on an entirely new Allied air raids on Japan, the model aircraft boom had come to a halt. But learned about the spirit of the German mode aircraft movement dimension in the year the Pacific War began. In its 1941 New Year’s edition, soon after the war ended, the Japanese model-aircraft movement received and how it became the foundation of present-day Germany’s strong Asahi announced the launch of its new “one glider for every secondary some rather ambivalent kind of late recognition when in November 1945 the air power” – and how Bengsch’s talks could persuade someone like school” campaign. It was important for a powerful national defence state Supreme Command for Allied Powers (SCAP) banned all kinds of aircraft, Nagaoka of the model-aircraft movement’s significance to national to “turn the eyes of the young people towards the sky.” Lamenting the poor specifically including model aircraft as well. While SCAP’s prohibition was strength. Most importantly, the Bengsch mission gave the Greater condition of glider training at secondary schools, Asahi appealed to the primarily aiming at aircraft models for wind-tunnel research, Japanese Japan Aeronautic Association and the Communications Ministry a generosity of parents, wealthy benefactors, and glider manufacturers to officials completely prohibited the use of model aircraft at schools and donate the funds necessary to provide each school with a glider. To begin clear idea of how to organise model-aircraft activities in Japan even many former activists resorted to a “don’t build, don’t sell, don’t fly”. Notably, the drive, Asahi would contribute 200 gliders. Asahi’s campaign found more closely along the lines of the German NSFK (C). Shortly after adults discouraged children from playing with aircraft toys. widespread support. Model aircraft were no longer a means for bringing up “good Japanese Bengsch’s visit the Dai Nippon Kōkū Seishōnentai (‘Greater Japan children” but rather an unwelcome reminder of Japan’s militaristic past. Junior Flight Corps’) was established to promote model-aircraft The paper happily announced the cooperation of the Greater Japan education among young people all over Japan. By the following year, Aeronautic Association and the backing for Japan’s mass mobilisation of Low tech, high aims: A Monbushōgata Puraimarī glider shortly before takeoff. competitions were held in 49 different locations with 300,000 model the upper echelons of the Japanese military and government. Army Minister Concluding Remarks In the background the launching crew is preparing to stretch the two bungee aircraft participating. Tōjō declared that “Asahi’s campaign was timely and suitable,” and Navy cords that will catapult the glider into the air. The photo gives a sense of the Minister Oikawa stated that “the campaign has value as a national policy.” Japan’s glider and model-aircraft movement emerged as yet another manifestation of Germany’s profound influence on Japan. In the early rudimentary technology as well as the teamwork involved. The handbook provided for each age group showed detailed plans Communications Minister Murata proclaimed that “I will not be sparing with 1940s even the most casual observer could not fail to notice the air-minded and specific building instructions for a large variety of model aircraft. my support,” and Education Minister Hashida even pledged “without fail: Japanese youth Gliders and model aircraft for Japan’s mass mobilisation. In April 1940, with the help of a “glider design committee,” the Model-aircraft building became a compulsory subject in all Japanese one school, one aircraft”. In an unprecedented move, the Asahi newspaper “For young people like you there are so many ways towards the sky.” ministry opted for a simple, open-cockpit glider type modelled schools. As in Germany, rather than being taught as part of science financed the production of a huge number of gliders. On May 14, 1942, Asahi on the German Grunau 9. The aircraft was assigned the rather classes it was incorporated into art education. Schoolchildren started proudly presented its Komadori (‘Robin’) glider to the public. Following the A diagram published by the Cabinet Intelligence Bureau of Japan explains unimaginative name Monbushōgata Puraimarī. Under the ministry’s by building paper aircraft. Army Aviation Headquarters’ recommendations, Asahi had decided to copy to students in elementary and secondary schools the availability of a large the German Zögling glider. Like the Education Ministry’s glider, the Komadori variety of aviation careers. It also illustrates the role of model aircraft and supervision the Fukuda Light Aeroplane Works produced this glider gliders in the training of future military pilots that used every schoolyard in large numbers, using a design that Wolf Hirth had brought to As a next step they constructed gliders from bamboo before turning was a simple aircraft that could be easily disassembled, transported, and stored. According to the newspaper it could be assembled in less than three as a test site for model aircraft able to practice glider flying at countless Japan. The designation “Primary” refers to a single-seat, lightweight to models with rubber- band motors. At the advanced stages, minutes. small airfields throughout the country. Indeed, gliders and model aircraft glider with an open cockpit. students were encouraged to make their own designs or to copy represented remarkably efficient vehicles of mass mobilisation. German models. Several influential bureaucrats, scientists, and After Japan’s heavy losses in the 1942 Battle of Midway, gliders gained During the early 1940s the perception of model aircraft underwent a aviation specialists expressed their high regard for the new model- importance, becoming an increasingly valuable tool to meet the growing These simple devices transformed unprecedented numbers of Japanese from remarkable transformation. What was formerly regarded as a mere aircraft movement. demand for qualified pilots and to compensate for the acute shortage passive spectators to active participants in the national project of creating a children’s toy became a cornerstone of Japan’s aviation education. of training aircraft and aviation fuel. Throughout 1943 and 1944 Asahi’s “second air force” of young people devoted to the defence of the fatherland. campaign was kept alive with news about donations from the broadcasting On a more abstract level such a widespread diffusion of aviation activities In 1939 the Education Ministry decided for safety reasons not They contributed articles to a special edition of Asahi’s aviation journal allows researchers to re-evaluate the mechanisms of technology transfer. to allow glider flying for those under 16. At the same time, the Kōkū Asahi that was devoted to model aircraft. One essay was written corporation NHK, department store owners, Kabuki performers, and bereaved families who offered their condolence gifts. Asahi even collected The choice of technology by the Japanese was not based exclusively on the ministry conceived the idea of using model aircraft to inculcate in by Sekiguchi Takakatsu, an official of the Education Ministry who money from its own staff in order to boost the campaign. The company lure of advanced machinery. The Japanese opted for German designs for all schoolchildren the importance of aviation to national defence. emphasised that model aircraft helped to bring up “good Japanese also gained the support of the Greater Japan Women’s Association (Dai low-tech gliders because these could be easily produced in huge numbers By building and flying model aircraft the children would also learn children”. Professor Yamamoto Mineo, a member of the Aeronautic Nippon Fujinkai), which pledged not only to provide “outstanding soldiers from locally available materials. to cooperate and to carefully carry out precision work. Institute of the Tokyo Imperial University, expressed a more technical for the country’s aircraft and ships” but also contributed massive funds to view. For him, Japan needed to follow the German scientific approach the campaign. Furthermore, Japan’s glider and model-aircraft movement reveals the crucial Furthermore, they would use domestic materials and thus respect toward model-aircraft building so that schoolchildren could become role of ideological and organisational patterns in the successful adoption of In its edition of September 28, 1943, the newspaper could report that the an imported technology. In the global context of total war, and air defence, valuable resources. Frequent competitions, the ministry asserted, familiar with the basics of aerodynamics and aeronautics. Japanese officials and media strove to create mass support for aviation. The would not only improve the students’ skills but also encourage their 1.6 million members of the association’s Tokyo branch had raised 630,173 yen for gliders to be used at the country’s schools. Asahi’s Komadori vaguely defined but powerful concepts of “air-mindedness” and “aviation fighting spirit and build group discipline. The visit of a German Satō Hiroshi wrote in the same journal about his experiences in together with the Education Ministry’s Monbushō-type gliders deserve a ideology” prepared the ground for the import of aviation technology. Visits specialist greatly encouraged the adoption of a “German- style Germany, where he was impressed with how German children special place in Japan’s aviation history. and reports from Germany further provided Japanese officials with a clear model-aircraft education” as a starting point for a well-defined three were using scientific instruments and synoptic weather charts concept for a systematic and comprehensive aviation education. As a result, stage career that began with making model aircraft, continued with for their experiments with model aircraft. He also noticed how By the end of the war, about 5,000 of these primary gliders had been the Japanese state effectively used gliders and model aircraft to recruit the glider flying, and culminated in becoming a military aviator. the organisation of children’s group work was based on a division manufactured in Japan. Among all wartime aircraft types, only Mitsubishi’s entire population of young Japanese males for the project of a nationalistic of labour that introduced the students to the basics of efficient Zero fighter and Nakajima’s Ki-43 were produced in larger numbers. The air-mindedness and military buildup. Greater Japan Women’s Association also became involved in the model- In May 1941 the Greater Japan Aeronautic Association, together industrial production. Furthermore, the German prohibition against The Japanese could never be accused of lacking imagination. In 1944, the with the newspapers Tokyo Nichinichi and Osaka Mainichi, invited using imported materials made the schoolchildren aware of the aircraft movement. The association encouraged Japanese mothers to attend lectures on model-aircraft building in order to be able to give advice to their Japanese Institute of Technology planned a prototype of a glider design for Gustav Bengsch, leader of Germany’s NSFK (C) model aircraft optimum use of domestic resources. For Satō the German systematic children on building and repair. the purpose of researching the performance of a canard aircraft - designated section to Japan. Bengsch gave lectures on how to build and fly approach was a national undertaking that was clearly directed toward as an important research project. The production of number one by a small model aircraft and how to use them for teaching in the classroom. a national goal. The journals also demonstrated how the Japanese However, newspaper articles praised these “wild eagles’ mothers” for raising Japanese aircraft company emerged at the end of 1944. It was completed model-aircraft movement was backed up by wartime propaganda future pilots for the army and navy. In October 1943 when the “Day of the at the end of March 1945, and flight experiments began. that denounced the materialism and individualism of the Western Model Aircraft” was held in Tokyo, more than 900 students accompanied democracies. by their mothers participated in a huge model aircraft contest. The event During initial flights, the producers found that by increasing the wing was sponsored by the Greater Japan Women’s Association under the motto surface load by shortening the wing width encouraged experiments into removing the vertical stabiliser. Success! The results of the experiment were The Japanese labelled their method as “German-style model-aircraft “Mothers and children are building model aircraft together – toward the decisive battle in the sky.” also used in the development of the Shinden canard fighter, which the Navy education,” by which they meant a state-guided campaign using had been planning. public organisations and financed by the national budget. This Navy and army officers attended the event and expressed their admiration practice was in a clear contrast to the “US-style model aviation” for the “future wild eagles and their mothers”. The rapidly growing model- The aircraft (a double-seat aircraft) with a high aspect ratio main wing was that required membership in the independent Academy of Model aircraft movement became a central part of Japan’s national mobilisation. made entirely of wood. The rudders also served as air brakes at both ends of Aeronautics, financed entirely by individual membership fees. Ironically a severe shortage of building materials resulted from more than the main wing. There was also a vertical stabiliser at the rear of the fuselage. ten million students constructing model aircraft. Historical papers on this subject suggest that the research provided a new successful concept for the advancement of Japanese designs A Japanese observer did not fail to comment that in his view the Diagrams of aircraft models for the first, second, and fourth grades American model-aircraft movement was largely driven by purely In 1941 the Education Ministry had to step in to oversee the supply of paper, as they appear in the 1942 Curriculum for Model Aircraft Education metal wire, rubber, and wood. This was a difficult task, especially with Question: Would our scene be different today if the Japanese had been personal ambitions and the prospect of winning cash prizes at at National Elementary Schools. The detailed illustrations show the the 1938 National Mobilisation Law already prohibiting the use of these a peaceful nation dedicated to the development of sporting aviation? semiprofessional, engineer-like approach to model-aircraft building at competitions. His account finished with the sobering statement: “I materials for toys. As the fostering of aviation enthusiasm among Japan’s Japanese schools. was not impressed”. Arthur Liddington, South Terrace, ADELAIDE, S.A.

14 Gliding International March 2021 15 Gliding In Japan Today

he Japan Aeronautic Association (JAA) is a national foundation established for the purpose of promoting the development of aeronautics and astronautics in Japan and enhancing the cooperation with world aerospace communities. In order to promote the civil aviation, the JAA is engaged Tin various public service activities such as aviation culture, aviation heritage, aviation sports, regional aviation and schedule coordination. or the length of the Occupation of Japan, from defeat in 1945 to the return of sovereignty in 1952, the skies belonged to the Allies. But among the less well-known punitive measures implemented by the Americans and Gen. Douglas MacArthur from their roost in the Daiichi Seimei Building in Brief History - The JAA was initially founded in 1913, three years after Japan’s first powered flight was successfully conducted in 1910. JAA joined the FMarunouchi was a complete ban on Japanese civil, and military aviation, as well as aircraft research, development and manufacturing of any kind. Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI) in 1919 as an active member. In 1929 JAA’s own building, the original Aviation Building (Hiko Kan) was built. Though it was just one of a long list of humiliating prohibitions that was part and parcel of Japan’s complete and unconditional surrender, the aviation ban must have been particularly painful. All activities related to aviation were completely banned by allied powers after World War II from 1945 to 1952. Civil Aviation Activities were resumed in 1952 and the JAA rejoined the FAI as an active member in 1953. • The JAA’s Aviation Library was opened in 1955. • Their aviation Building was Only a few years before, already legendary Japanese Zeros were the terror of the Pacific, leading the young and proud soldiers of the Imperial Army rebuilt on the same land in 1978. • a ‘Regional Aviation Promotion Organization’ was established in 1983. • The first ‘Sky Leisure Japan’ was held in to victories far and wide. The iconic Hinomaru national flag itself was a symbol of a nation in flight, in the process of rising to a high point that for a 1989. time seemed to have no limit. In the end, the domestic Japanese aircraft industry never really recovered from the effects of the ban and today the vast majority of commercial and military aircraft operating in this country’s busy skies were made by North American and European companies (though Funding: The JAA’s financial resources originally came from the funds donated by the imperial household and the general public. Public service many parts used today in Boeing aircraft are supplied by Japanese firms like Mitsubishi Heavy Industries). Some even go so far as to credit the current activities are conducted with the profits gained by operating its own building called the Aviation Building. JAA is therefore self-supporting, which dominance of Japanese automobile makers to the fact that the engineering skills and sprit of innovation that once made Japan’s aerospace industry allows it more discretion to evaluate aviation issues without prejudice or external influences. one of the most impressive in the world after the war quickly and permanently migrated to the unrestrained automobile sector.

The JAA’s public service activities can be summarised as follows. While the ban seems to have curbed the growth of potential homegrown civil aerospace companies in fundamental ways, it could do nothing to hinder the enthusiasm individual Japanese had for flight itself, as evidenced by a quick proliferation of flying schools and clubs in the immediate post- Aviation Culture and Library The Aviation Library is the only library specialized in aeronautics in Japan. It has a collection of more than Occupation period, and of course the development of a thriving domestic and international civil-aviation market. 10,000 books, approximately 300 magazines and a large number of newspaper clippings dating back to 1907. But long before jumbo jets filled to the brim with pensioners were taking off from Japanese cities bound for distant ports of call, the first return of Publications JAA issues a journal called ‘Aviation and Culture’ twice a year. Web version of ‘Aviation and Culture’ is updated Japanese citizens to the skies over their own country came in humble fashion on May 7, 1952, when the Japan Soaring Club (JSC), the country’s first every month. JAA also issues the ‘Civil Aviation Handbook’ and the ‘Aerospace Almanac’ annually. postwar aviation organisation of any kind, conducted a brief glider flight that failed to climb above 10 metres at the Tamagawa Speedway. Four days later they would do it again, a little higher, a little longer and in front of a crowd of over 20,000 spectators that had gathered in Tamagawa for the Lectures and Seminar JAA from time to time hosts evening lectures on aerospace in general and also hosts an annual seminar occasion. featuring the latest aviation topics. Since 1961 the JSC has been conducting flights from their glider port in Itakura, Gunma Prefecture, making it the longest continuously operating aviation Funded Research JAA undertakes government funded research on civil aviation matters in general. JAA hosts the ‘Aerospace organisation in Japanese history. Located about 90-km north of Tokyo, the Itakura glider port consists of a long grass runway, a mobile command Transport Workshop’ and performs secretariat services for the ‘Aerospace Transport Workshop’. and communications post built into the back of an old service truck, a large hanger and a clubhouse housing the JSC’s impressive stash of aviation memorabilia. Aviation Day September 20th is ‘Aviation Day’ in Japan. In order to commemorate ‘Aviation Day’, the JAA honours people for their aeronautic accomplishments at an annual award ceremony. JAA also hosts aviation events jointly Each weekend and on many holidays dozens of gliders are pulled onto the field by some of the club’s 200 members, who come from all walks of life — with the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) at various airports in Japan. students, lawyers, cooks, engineers, commercial airline pilots, businessmen and women — and all are brought together by a shared passion for flight. Most members own or co-own an aircraft, but the club maintains several of its own, including four two-seater gliders that are used for training purposes. Aviation Heritage Archive The activities of the ‘JAA Aviation Heritage Archive’ are to collect, research and conserve historically important The club offers instruction courses in glider flying to interested beginners or those hoping to earn their flight certification, as well as one-time flights aviation materials since the dawn of aviation in Japan. Historically important aviation materials include not only for visitors for 14,500 yen, which includes a fuel surcharge for reaching a release altitude of above 600 metres. The JSC also operates a small single- aircraft but aircraft parts, blueprints, photographs and stories of people who experienced or witnessed prop aircraft as a tow aircraft, launching the gliders to a release point mostly as high as 1,800 metres. After detaching from the tow, many pilots will aircraft related activities. JAA also officially certifies exceptionally important material as ‘Important Aviation Heritage’. keep their aircraft aloft for hours afterwards, riding the currents that race high above the Kanto Plain. Peak season for flying is from February to June when the cool and steady northern currents from Siberia create ideal conditions for cross-country soaring, but thanks to the mild climate of the area Aviation Sports JAA acts as a National Aero-sports Control (NAC) of FAI and is responsible for the control and certification of flights are operated all year-round. the FAI sporting events, record flights and flights qualifying for badges under its control within Japan. Also JAA applies world records, approves representative players for the world championship competition, and organises For visitors who arrive here to strap themselves into the nose of one of the club’s two-seat training gliders, with a certified pilot (speaking English if you the world championship competition in Japan. For the purpose of enhancing the interest of aeronautics require it) at the helm behind, the experience of soaring 600 metres above Gunma’s rice fields with a view of Tokyo Bay (weather permitting) glittering among the younger generation, the JAA also organises experience programs such as gliding, paragliding, in the distance is “unspeakably cool”. hot air balloon riding, children’s model aircraft class at various locations, and the FAI Young Artists (aviation art drawing) Contest as well as an annual joint aviation sports event called ‘Sky Leisure Japan’. Gliding is to flight as sailing is to sea travel. Reaching the designated release altitude and pulling the lever that detaches the cable connecting your glider to the tow-plane is akin to the moment on a sailboat when, with his sails out, the captain cuts the engine and the vessel seems to fall for a Membership 42 metropolitan and prefectures, 27 cities and towns, and 25 supporting organisations. moment, before gently rebounding, rising up on the back of some giant and previously unseen force. When you swallow that knot in your throat and your heart rate returns to somewhere near normal, you may well realise that flying has suddenly taken on a whole new meaning. The schedule coordination services for Narita International Airport (NRT), Tokyo International Airport (Haneda : HND) and Kansai International Airport (KIX) have become a part of the JAA’S activities thus ensuring that the schedule coordination services continue to be conducted on a neutral, non- IN LINE WITH COVID-19 GUIDELINES, THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT STRONGLY REQUESTS THAT RESIDENTS AND VISITORS discriminatory and transparent basis. Under the JAA’s management, the ‘Japan Schedule Coordination Office’ follows a fair and open mechanism in EXERCISE CAUTION IF THEY CHOOSE TO VISIT BARS, RESTAURANTS, MUSIC VENUES AND OTHER PUBLIC SPACES. accordance with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Worldwide Scheduling Guidelines (WSG). In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever. Japan Aeronautic Association, Koku Kaikan 6F, 1-18-1 Shimbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-0004 Japan - Tel: +81-3-3502-120 By subscribing to GLIDING INTERNATIONAL you can help us get the story right.

16 Gliding International March 2021 17 SOARING One-way ticket ‘Pandemonium’ Specifications (CG-15A)

Crew: 2 pilots SUPPLIES Capacity: 13 troops / 4,035 lb (1,830 kg) Length: 48 ft 9.6 in (14.874 m) Wingspan: 62 ft 1.2 in (18.928 m) & PILOT SHOP Height: 12 ft 8.4 in (3.871 m) Cargo compartment Length: 13 ft 1.2 in (4.0 m) Width: 5 ft 10.2 in (1.8 m) Height: 5 ft 6 in (1.7 m) • • * Largest Selection 100% Customer Service Same-Day Shipping Wing area: 623 sq ft (57.9 m2) Aspect ratio: 6.21 Airfoil: NACA 43012[2] Empty weight: 4,000 lb (1,814 kg) Gross weight: 8,035 lb (3,645 kg)

Performance Stall speed: 62 mph (100 km/h, 54 kn) flaps up AIRCRAFT PARTS PILOT SUPPLIES INSTALL/ GROUND 53 mph (46 kn; 85 km/h) flaps down • Batteries/Chargers • Accessories MAINTENANCE EQUIPMENT Never exceed speed: 160 kn 100 mph (87 kn; 161 km/h) • Brake Conversion Kit • Apparel • Aircraft Tubing • Canopy Cover with flaps lowered • Brakes & Parts • Books • Cable & Wiring • Glider Covers • Canopies/Windows/Rails • CamelBaks • Connectors and Switches • Glider Tow Bar • Contest ID & Decals • Emergency Equipment • Instrument Hardware, • Sailplane Rigger hinking outside the square is not new to Army Aviation. No The Army had a plan in place to retrieve the gliders by setting up • Launch & Tow Equipment • Headsets Mounts & Covers • Trailer Vents report on World War II gliders (1930 to 1945) would be complete the tow rope on poles and hooking it with a passing plane; this • Seatbelt / Harness • Plotters • Pilot Relief System • Wing Stands without including the U.S. involvement. An early example of was mainly used by the U.S. 1st Air Commando Force in the China- • Skids & Tip Wheels • Seat pads & foam cushions T • RAM Mounts • Wing Wheel their adaptability was the creation of the American Glider Program Burma-India Theater. After being “snatched” by a C-47, the glider • TE Probes • Gifts & Gift Cards • Speakers • Tail Dolly in February 1941. This from a retired U.S. army glider Pilot. would go from a standing stop to 100 mph and airborne within • Tires, Tubes & Wheels • Decals, Videos, T-Shirts, Hats • Wax & Polish • Trailer Drawer seconds. It was hazardous and required skill by both aircraft crews. Gliders were first used in WWII by the Germans, but it took only nine months after the first use of German Gliders in combat for the The stress on the glider was extreme and by the time the glider United States to form its glider program. After the Japanese attack failed it would be most likely too low for the crew to bail out (they on Pearl Harbor, the Army increased the number of glider pilots often flew without parachutes to allow more weight for troops and to 1,000 and then in 1942 to 6,000. Glider pilots were originally cargo), and too high for them to survive the fall. COBRA TRAILER AVIONICS/ TAPES/SEALS PARACHUTES taken from the ranks of existing Army pilots, but the growing • Axle & Brake INSTRUMENTS • Cloth, Zig-Zag, Transfer, V-Seal • National demand caused direct recruiting of enlisted soldiers with no flight “Then came Market Garden, where we really got bogged down. • Draw Bar • Airspeed Indicator • Teflon Fabric Tape with Adhesive • Paraphernalia - Softie experience. These glider recruits were offered direct promotion to We needed to get munitions in so we dropped behind enemy lines, • Extras • Altimeters • Foam, Gap, Mylar, PTFE • Strong staff sergeant upon graduation. raised all kind of heck - a lot of our guys were special ops people. • Ground Handling • Antennas • Combi, Dimple • MarS They went around cutting telephone lines and blowing up roads,” • Inside Trailer • Compass “We were towed in at 1,000 feet. You had to watch out for small- explained Hulstrunk. • Lights • ELT arms fire,” said retired Lt. Col. Al Hulstrunk, a WWII glider pilot, who • Ramp • Flight Computers was at the Army Aviation Association of America’s convention in “At that time, the Germans couldn’t do much about it. They would • Trailer Top & Bottom • GPS & Data Loggers Nashville last April. “You would think you were in a popcorn machine do whatever they were told, and nobody told the Germans they • Hour Meter/Clocks/Gauges - you would hear pop, pop, pop, and you would say, ‘Oh, they are could turn around,” he said, smiling, “They just weren’t flexible.” OXYGEN • Power FLARM shooting at us.’ It was the bullets coming through the tightly EQUIPMENT • Radios/Transceiver stretched fabric making the popping sounds.” Retired Gen. William C. Westmoreland had his thoughts on glider • Slip/Skid indicator • Aerox pilots and says: “The intrepid pilots who flew the gliders were as • Mountain High • Transponders • Variometers Gliders were the stealth technology of their day. They could glide to unique as their motorless flying machines,” he said. “Never before their landing zone silently after detaching from their tow airplane, in history had any nation produced Aviators whose duty it was usually a C-47. Unlike paratroopers who would descend over a wide to deliberately crash land, and then go on to fight as combat drop zone, the up to 15-seat gliders could deliver groups of troops infantrymen. They were no ordinary fighters. Their battlefields and equipment in a small area. The gliders were made of mainly were behind enemy lines. Every landing was a genuine do-or-die wood and fabric to save weight, but they could carry more than situation for the glider pilots. It was their awesome responsibility 4,000 pounds. to repeatedly risk their lives by landing heavily laden aircraft containing combat Soldiers and equipment in unfamiliar fields deep Hulstrunk said after landing his glider, “it was always pandemonium.” within enemy-held territory, often in total darkness. They were the “We would land, open the nose, and get everything and everybody only Aviators during World War II who had no motors, no parachutes out. Since we only had a one-way ticket, we had to walk out.” He and no second chances.” added that during the Rhineland invasion, he landed his glider 12 FREE CLASSIFIEDS wingsandwheels.com miles behind German lines. The final glider mission of WWII was during the retaking of Luzon *Same-day shipping on most items. in 1945, part of Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s return to the Philippines, North America’s Largest (208) 994-4110 “We had to walk out through the Siegfried Line, out the back door, ending more than two years of Japanese occupation. Sailplane Listing 3525 W. Bavaria St.~ Eagle, ID 83616 USA and down across the Rhine River. We went in with what we could carry - that’s about three days worth of food and supplies. So if the By the end of the war, the U.S. had built more than 14,000 gliders wingsandwheels.com/classifieds.html [email protected] ground guys didn’t get in, you were stuck.” and had trained more than 6,000 pilots.

18 Gliding International March 2021 19 Wheels/Brakes AND SO TO SUM UP . . . . s a young man, the German ace, Hirth took up gliding and was soon drawn to the Wasserkuppe, then the focus of the German gliding movement, Landing Gear earning his glider pilot’s licence in 1920. He had the fibula from his amputated leg fashioned into a cigarette holder. From then on, he would fly Awhile wearing a wooden prosthesis. Thanks to support from his father, Wolf Hirth was able to pursue his passion for both flying and riding motorcycles in his youth. Born in 1900, he taught himself to power fly in 1922.

In 1928 he completed his studies at university and graduated as an engineer. In 1930/31 he left for the USA to promote gliding. His most spectacular achievement there was his famous flight in the up currents of the New York skyscrapers following a bungee launch. In 1931 he was (together with Robert Kronfeld) awarded the first ever “Silver C“ badge. He suffered major injuries in a crash in Hungary, requiring a hospital stay of four months.

Wolf Hirth also took part in International Championships of Touring Aircraft Challenge 1929, Challenge 1932 (6th place) and Challenge 1934 (13th place). After some time in the USA he returned to Germany in 1934 because of US economic depression. In January 1934, he joined Professor Georgii’s South America expedition, along with Peter Riedel, Hanna Reitsch, and Heini Dittmar, to study thermal conditions, with his sailplane “Moatzagotl”. While in Argentina, Wolf set a record of seventy-six successive loops.

Hanns Deutschmann and Wolf Hirth discovered the potential of lee-wave flying in the German Riesengebirge mountains. Further expeditions with Walter Georgii and others led him to South America and, in 1935, to Japan, where he was received by the Emperor Hirohito where he has been TM recognised as a giant amongst soaring pilots. He was the chief flying instructor at the Grunau Gliding School in the Riesengebirge mountains, Shock Wheel then in Germany. In 1933, he became the Head of the new Gliding School in Hornberg. In 1935, he supported his friend Martin Schempp in founding the company “Sportflugzeugbau Göppingen Martin Schempp”. The first gliders produced by Schempp-Hirth were the aerobatic- Rough airstrips ... capable training single-seater Gö-1 “Wolf” followed by the high-performance glider Gö-3 Hard landings ... “Minimoa”, both designed by Wolf. IMPORTANTLY in 1935, he patented the design for the first ever motor drive for a glider which had a fully retractable propeller pylon, a project that was not finalised until 940/41. Raise the bar of safety In 1938 Wolf Hirth officially joined the company as a shareholder, mainly responsible for design. The company changed its name to Sportflugzeugbau Schempp-Hirth. During the And increase the life of you tow-plane same year, the company moved to Kirchheim unter Teck, where it still resides today.

Hirth continued to direct Schempp-Hirth throughout World War II. In 1940 the company began manufacturing assembly parts for Wheel / Brake Kit for : Messerschmitt Me 323 and Me 109 and other aircraft. From 1945 the company made furniture and other wooden components LS4 - ASW20 for industry until glider production could begin again in 1951.

Discus/Ventus 2A -Duo Discus - Arcus In 1950 he was one of the founding members of the German HPH 304S - Lak 17A / Minilak Aeroclub (DAeC) and became its first ever president, and in 1958 the Féderation Aéronautique Internationale Jonker - Pegase (FAI) awarded him the Lilienthal Medal for his life- H201 Libelle - Swift long dedication to flying activities. On July 25, 1959, Hirth had a heart attack while flying his Vogt Lo- 100 aerobatic glider and died in the subsequent Upgrade your safety - Save weight crash. Handbuch des Segelfliegens was published posthumously in 1963. • Tubeless wheel • Powerful brakes • Anti-skid • Easy maintenance Wolf Hirth - BERINGER AERO Headquarters : [email protected] German Soaring Pilot NZ Dealers on : www.beringer-aero.com Agreements : Extraordinaire - >>> Quality and Performance since 1985 EASA Part21G / APDOA

20 Gliding International March 2021 21 Wolf Hirth was a glider pioneer, aircraft designer, entrepreneur, power flying for a period and started by flying his Klemm L25 (with He won the first Elmira gliding competition in the U.S.A. and motorcycle racer, and last but not least founder and first a 40 HP Salmson radial engine) to the Isle of Man for the Tourist completed the first glider flight over New York. From 1931 he was President of the German Aero Club. Were it not for what Trophy in 1929. The outbound flight was easy! The weather made it headmaster at the gliding school at Grunau, formerly in Germany Wolf Hirth gave to air sports, especially gliding in Germany, it easier! His Akaflieg comrade Hermann III navigated for him with a but now within Poland. would not exist in its current form today. magnetic compass, a folding map and a stopwatch. The return flight was something else. They had hardly overflown the English chalk In 1933, Christian Biser endowed Hirth with the name of the “father This year we are celebrating Wolf’s 122nd year of his birth cliffs on the North Sea coast when visibility disappeared. “We will of the Horn mountain” and founder of the WLV, the newly built (1900). He died in 1959. Remembering this great occasion, his hold our course and we’ll be in France in 30 minutes” shouted Wolf. gliding school on the Hornberg. son Hellmut Hirth and his great-nephew Dr. Stefan Blumenthal, relayed some previously unknown sides of this often called With less visibility ahead, they flew towards a bright Calais sky. Besides his work on the Hornberg, in 1935 he founded the company genius aviator. Still no visibility! Thirty, then forty minutes passed but finally a (with his friend Martin Schempp) Schempp-Hirth Groppingen. From clearing started to evolve. It wasn’t the coast hoped for. A look Hirth’s most famous “Moazagotl ‘”came the “Minimoa” which was After the wedding to his Lala, Wolf said “You are my great love, at the fuel gauge was the only reassuring thing. Then, after what developed and built in series. but gliding is my great passion”. And he had some passions! seemed like an extended life-time, the in-cloud flight lasted 75 minutes with finally a light yellow stripe appearing on the left. The Despite his gigantic contribution to German gliding, he must be Stefan BlumenthalI tells us about three of his passions. The 50 k.p.h cross-wind dictated an outlanding much to the relief of honoured for the part he played in the development of the sport winner must be his wooden leg! Wolf, the racing motorcyclist’s those on board. in Argentina, South Africa, Brazil, Spain, and Japan. Wolf was often passion for aviation began with model flying - his ‘preschool’ described as the very active “aviator abroad.” for gliding. But motorcycle racing pre-started his gliding Of note - Wolf’s next adventures followed - European tours career. Encouraged by his brother Hellmuth (1922/23) who in 1929 and 1932; an overland flight “Boeblingen-Paris-Milan- So in 1934 he went on a gliding expedition to Brazil and Argentina. manufactured motorcycle light weight engines professionally. Venice-Boeblingen”, and a 25 hour long flight in the Klemm L25 in He built a gliding school in Japan in 1935 and flew in 1938 (with The brother’s company, Versuchsbau Hellmuth Hirth based at preparation for a planned ocean crossing. July 1930 saw the start of Bucker Jungmann) 13,000 kilometres over mountains, desert and Bad Cannstatt, built not only motors, but motorcycle chassis the great adventure. With his co-pilot Oskar Weller, Wolf flew over jungle to Cape Town in South Africa. as well. Their home base became a well known German test England to Kirkwall on the Orkney Islands, where he landed on a track. soccer field. After a three day stay-over on the coast, a 300 metre During World War II he spent time as a gliding flight instructor as launch site was just long enough for the fully fuel loaded Klemm well as on the design front for various developments on aircraft and It became obvious, very early in this endeavour, that the Hirth L25’s planned 11 hour flight to Iceland. aircraft parts. motorcycles were clearly faster than the competition. This activated the sportsman Hellmuth into creating a position Again, only with a clock, and a drop flag to detect wind direction. After the war he was still number ”ONE” in aviation. In 1950 he was for an official factory racing rider. For Wolf, this was an During his engineering studies at the Technical Institute in Stuttgart one of the founding fathers of the German Aero Club and its first unsatisfactory situation. He wanted to take part in the race in the following years, he acquired his glider pilot’s license and built president. He was also committed - although he had health-wise himself. So from spare parts he secretly built (with the support and flew the first types of many gliders (and power aircraft). problems, most connected with aviation including some serious air of Hellmuth’s workshop foreman), a one-off motor and a new accidents. Nevertheless he was still a designer, entrepreneur and motorbike frame design. Despite his motorcycle accident in 1925 and even being still aviation enthusiast. grounded but recovering in hospital, he had the energy to create Since he had not received Hellmuth’s blessing, he entered the “Academic Fliegergruppe Stuttgart“ - a model for the numerous In recognition of his services to gliding in 1958, he received the the big race using his second and third name . . . . Kurt Akafliegs that are now in existence in Germany today. highest award for gliding worldwide - the FAI, the Lilienthal Medal, Erhard. Not wishing to attract attention, he did not have a awarded (July 25, 1959). training run prior to the race and started from back of the He qualified for his ‘motorised” flight license in 1927. In 1928 he grid. Hellmuth now seated in the stands was amazed to find graduated and became technical advisor to the Wurttemberg He crashed (fatally) on the Teck glider airfield. Wolf Hirth left an that the Hirth motor cycle company representation was more Aviation Association IWLVI, the predecessor of the later BWLV. In invaluable legacy for gliding and air sports - whose widespread than just the single company rider. Wolf fought his way up to this function, he travelled tirelessly throughout the country and influence would never have been the same without him. be amongst the leaders at the end of the race. This brazen was recognised as a restless promotor for success convinced Hellmuth that from then on Wolf would all known air sports. He was the aviation also be appointed a works rider for his brother. This was such enthusiast responsible for the establishment HORNBERG,GERMANY, a successful decision that the company and Wolf launched of over 60 aviation working groups. the 250 cc double piston engine in 1924. From their 10 race entries Wolf finished with six first places and two seconds. From this point on, an aviation success followed an aviation success. Wolf Hirth In the summer of 1925, Wolf participated in a Stuttgart was awarded the Hindenburg Cup for engine Sidecar event for the Hellmuth company. An accident saw flight and glider flight excellence. His flight Wolf thrown from the side car where he lay unconscious to Iceland has been acknowledged as an until the ambulance arrived. The medical diagnosis revealed “outstanding achievement.” he would either have a stiff leg for life or there needed to Wolf be a leg amputation above the knee. Because wolf was still unconscious, his brother decided for the amputation. With a good prosthesis, Wolf had a much better chance to ride a motorcycle and fly a glider again than live with a handicapping Kurt stiff leg. In the same year, Wolf continued with motorcycling, but aviation now stood out as his likely sporting future. Erhard In autumn 1926 he ended his career as a motorcycle racing driver with an adventurous victory in the Avus in Berlin. Following his serious accident it was suggested that Wolf use his engineering abilities to set up a lower limb prostheses Hirth manufacturing plant. The close collaboration between doctor and craftsman/engineer resulted in the design of a bi-axial knee joint. By the beginning of the 1950s, the company (Schempp-Hirth) had produced over 10,000 thigh and lower prostheses.

Following his leg amputation, Wolf turned his attention to Wolf K.E. Hirth

22 Gliding International March 2021 23 This, coupled with its good flying characteristics and performance and easy handling on the ground, was a major reason for the glider’s popularity and widespread use in the post-war years. In the flying sport OUR OLYMPIC world, the plane had to wait until the 1950s for its breakthrough when GLIDING AND THE the 1940 Olympics were cancelled because of the Second World War. During this period, the Olympia-Meise was built and flown in several WORLD OLYMPIC DREAM countries, in particular England and France. Technical Data Privately built Martin Dorfner and Franz Unfried, MOVEMENT Regensburg, Germany, 1959 Wingspan 15.0 m Wing aspect ratio 15 Empty mass 160 kg Best glide ratio 25 at 70 km/h Minimum sink rate 0.7 m/s at 60 km/h An Olympic flag, 29 c m by 46 cm in size, was made from a Polish prisoner’s shirt and, drawn in crayon. It featured The DFS Olympia Meise (German: “Olympic Tit”) was a German sailplane the Olympic rings and banners for Belgium, France, Great designed by the Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug (DFS) for Britain, Norway, Poland, and the Netherlands. Olympic competition, based on the DFS Meise. A Post War II Version Of The Olympia - Over 1000 eventually built Design and development Gliding was due to be an Olympic sport in the 1940 Games after a After the Olympic games in Berlin in 1936 introduced gliding as an THE 1940 Summer Olympics in Japan The 1938 Far Eastern Games were also canceled, but Japan’s IOC demonstration at the Berlin Games in 1936. Olympic sport, plans were made to fly the 1940 Olympic championships delegates persisted under a belief that the war would soon be over. with a standard one-off design providing each pilot with the same The 1940 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XII Amid the intensification of the war, the feasibility of both the Summer The sport has not been featured in any Games since, although the glider winning chances. The Meise was redesigned to fit into the new Olympic Olympiad, were originally scheduled to be held from September 21 to Olympics and the 1940 Winter Olympics grew increasingly questionable designed for it, the DFS Olympia Meise, was produced in large numbers class specifications. October 6, 1940, in Tokyo, Japan. to other countries, who suggested a different site be chosen and spoke after the war. Gliding International’s editor, John Roake, has long of the possibility of boycotting the Games were they to proceed in carried the wish that F.A.I. should be more prominent in its attempt to The new ‘Olympia’ Meise had the prescribed wingspan of 15 m (49 ft 2 They were rescheduled for Helsinki, Finland, to be held from July 20 to Japan. have gliding re-instated as an Olympic sport, but to no avail. in), spoilers, but no flaps, and an undercarriage consisting of a skid and a August 4, 1940, but were cancelled due to the outbreak of World War non-retractable wheel. The pilot sat all-enclosed in an aerodynamically II. Helsinki and Tokyo eventually hosted the 1952 and 1964 Summer In March 1938, the Japanese provided reassurances to the IOC at the Desperately in need of public exposure, any success in securing an clean fuselage made of laminated wood and topped by an acrylic glass Olympics respectively. organisation’s Cairo conference that Tokyo would still be able to serve Olympic appearance would most likely have a major affect on the World’s hood. The glider could be launched by winch as well by towplane. Its as the host city. However, many Diet members in Japan had already Gliding Scene. National Gliding Associations have a responsibility in wood-and-fabric construction made it easy for flying clubs to maintain, 1940 Tokyo Olympics openly questioned hosting the Olympics in wartime, and the military this regard and must continue to pressure F.A.I. to again address the to repair and even to build the gliders from kits. was unreasonably demanding that the organisers build the venues from issue with the Olympic movement. The campaign to choose a city for 1940 began in 1932, with Barcelona, wood because they needed metal for the war front. A design contest to select the single Olympic glider was run by testing Rome, Helsinki, and Tokyo participating. Tokyo city officials suggested Meanwhile, Japan hosted the 1940 East Asian Games in Tokyo, with the prototypes of the entered and accepted designs at Sezze airfield a campaign as a means of international diplomacy following Japan’s In July, a legislative session was held to decide the matters of the six participating nations. Helsinki eventually held the 1952 Summer in Italy between February 20 and 26, 1939. There were six evaluation alienation from the League of Nations due to the Mukden Incident, Summer and Winter Olympics and the planned 1940 World’s Fair all at Olympics, while Tokyo held the 1964 Summer Olympics and then held pilots of different nationalities. They chose Hans Jacobs’ design, the in which Japan occupied Manchuria and created the puppet state of once. The World’s Fair was only “postponed”, under a belief that Japan the 2020 Summer Olympics, although the event has been postponed DFS Meise. Manchukuo. would be able to wrap up the war, but the Olympics could not be moved to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. and were canceled. Both the Meise as well as the Olympic class gained immediate While both Tokyo officials and International Olympic Committee (IOC) During August 1940, prisoners of war celebrated a “special Olympics” enthusiastic support, and the 1940 Olympic gliding championship representatives were behind the campaign, the national government, Kōichi Kido, who would later be instrumental in the surrender of Japan called the International Prisoner-of-War Olympic Games at Stalag XIII-A would probably have ended up as an all-Meise contest — if the Second which was ever more interested in military matters, did not have any in 1945, announced the forfeiture on July 16, 1938. He closed his speech in Langwasser, near Nuremberg, Germany. An Olympic flag, 29 c m by World War had not intervened and the 1940 Olympics had not been strong supporters for such a diplomatic gesture. saying, “When peace reigns again in the Far East, we can then invite the 46 cm in size, was made from a Polish prisoner’s shirt and drawn in cancelled. Games to Tokyo and take that opportunity to prove to the people of crayon. It featured the Olympic rings and banners for Belgium, France, In 1936, Tokyo was chosen in a surprise move, making it the first non- the world the true Japanese spirit.” This was to come to pass in 1964. Great Britain, Norway, Poland, and the Netherlands. A feature film, Nevertheless, 626 Olympia Meises were built in Germany during the Western city to win an Olympic bid. Despite the cancellation of the 1940 Olympics, the Tokyo organizing Olimpiada ‘40, produced by the director Andrzej Kotkowski in 1980 tells war by Flugzeugbau Ferdinand Schmetz Herzogenrath (601 built) and committee released its budget for the Games. In a departure from the story of these games and of one of the prisoners of war, Teodor Flugzeugbau Schleicher (25). Most of the German production were During the 1930 Far Eastern Games in Tokyo, Indian participants were standard practice, the budget included all capital outlays as well as Niewiadomski. among the 15,000 German gliders destroyed in 1945. Seventeen were spotted flying the flag of their independence movement rather than the direct organising costs. also built in Sweden. flag of British India. This caused a complaint from the British Olympic Torch run Association. In 1934 Japan attempted to invite European colonies to The total budget was ¥20.1 million, one-third of which would have been 1940 Summer Olympics torch relay The design of the Olympia Meise survived the war and was taken up the Far Eastern Games. paid by the Tokyo metropolitan government. Had the 1940 Summer Games been held, a never-before used method of by a small British firm called Chilton Aircraft Ltd. The German drawings were not detailed and so entirely new drawings were made that The main stadium was to be Meiji Jingu Stadium, later used at the 1964 Helsinki and other competitions bringing the Olympic Flame from Nazi Germany to Japan was proposed retained the Olympia Meise’s aerodynamic shape but otherwise it was Summer Olympics. The Olympic Village was to be built on the present Equipment manufactured by Yle, the Finnish broadcasting company, — by air delivery, in the purpose-built Messerschmitt Me 261 Adolfine a stronger and heavier aircraft. After building one prototype, which sites of Kinuta Park or Todoroki Gorge. A schedule was drawn up, and for the purpose of broadcasting coverage of the 1940 Games long-range aircraft. This aircraft was designed to have a maximum flew in 1946, the rights and drawings of the Chilton aircraft were taken guidelines were printed in four languages. range of some 11,024 km (6,850 mi) unrefueled. up by another British company, Elliotts of Newbury (EoN). Their first The IOC then awarded the Games to Helsinki, Finland, the city that EoN Olympia flew in 1947. Later variants by Elliotts continued to be Monthly magazines and posters were printed and distributed had been the runner-up in the original bidding process. The Games produced as gliders suitable for the World Gliding Championships into internationally. Construction began on some buildings, and were then scheduled to be staged from July 20 to August 4, 1940. The The Glider designed for the 1940 Olympics. the late 1950s. arrangements were made with hotels, travel agents, and airlines for Olympic Games were suspended indefinitely following the outbreak of easy access. World War II and did not resume until the London Games of 1948. The single-seater Olympia-Meise (Titmouse) is closely linked to international sport flying. It was developed in 1938 as a one design The Olympia was also built after World War II in Germany, where series production restarted in 1956, in France as the Nord 2000 (100 built), in Forfeiture of Games With the Olympics canceled, the major international athletics event glider for the Olympic Games. the Netherlands, Switzerland (12), Hungary (35) with a further twenty of the year turned out to be the annual Finland-Sweden athletics modified as the Cinke, Australia (3), Austria, in Czechoslovakia as the When the Second Sino-Japanese War broke out on July 7, 1937, Kono international, held at the new Helsinki Olympic Stadium, exceptionally It was a light, high-performance shoulder-wing glider. The relatively Zlin Z-25 Šohaj, Brazil. Ichiro, a member of the Diet (legislature), immediately requested that held as a triple international among Finland, Sweden and Germany. simple design called for a wooden structure, making it suitable for the Olympics be forfeited. flying clubs to build themselves.

24 Gliding International March 2021 25 ACCIDENT REPORT

n June 2001, Pipistrel begun the development of the Taurus as one of the first self-launched gliders in the microlight category. The design used the wings of the Pipistrel Sinus with a new two-seat side-by-side fuselage. To enable the Taurus to self-launch, Ia pop-out propeller is mounted on the rear fuselage originally driven by a Rotax 503 piston engine. In 2007 the company developed the Taurus Electro with the piston engine replaced by a permanent magnet synchronous three-phase brushless motor. THERE ARE STILL By 2011, the company made and delivered over 100 units - world wide. In 2010, the Taurus Electro was awarded the gold medal at the Slovenian Biennial of Design (Biennial industrijskega oblikovanja) BIO 22 “due to its design and advanced technologies”. At AERO Friedrichshafen 2011, the Taurus Electro received the Lindbergh Electric Aircraft Prize for “best electric aircraft”. The prize recognized the Electro’s “plug and play” electric power system, enhanced UNRESOLVED by solar panels on the aircraft trailer that allow the system to recharge using clean energy. In September 2011, the Taurus G4 won the CAFE Foundation’s Green Flight Challenge, covering 403.5 passenger miles per gallon of gasoline equivalent with two people on board, and receiving the $1.35 million prize donated by NASA. BATTERY PROBLEMS VARIANTS Taurus M (Taurus 503) Original variant powered by a Rotax 503 pop-up internal combustion engine. Since the discontinuation of the Rotax 503, the model has been marketed as Taurus M, but still equipped with the remaining original engines.

Taurus Pureglider Unpowered variant without engine fitted. It flew for the first time in 2006. Taurus Electro - Variant with a Sinedon 40 hp (30 kW) electric motor replacing the piston engine; first flown in December 2007. Pipistrel claims it was the first two-seat electric aircraft to have ever flown. Two units were produced.

Taurus Electro G2 Updated version of the Electro for series production, introduced in 2011. Powered by a 40 kW (54 hp) electric motor and lithium batteries. Powered endurance is 17 minutes, intending to allow for self-launching to an altitude of 2,000 m (6,600 ft), after which the engine is retracted and the aircraft then soars as a sailplane. It is the first two-seat electric aircraft to have achieved series production.

26 Gliding International March 2021 27 A caution in the battery manufacture’s material data safety sheet November 2017 - Accident report from TAURUS SPECIFICATIONS states, ‘If cells overheat due to an external source or improper New Zealand’s Civil Aviation Authority GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS use, electrolyte leakage or battery container rupture may occur Report released January 2021. and release inner/component material into the environment. The Crew: one manufacturer further cautions, ‘The contents of a leaking or ruptured The Pipistrel Taurus Electro G2 Glider Class 2 microlight was being Capacity: two (crew plus one passenger) battery can cause respiratory tract irritation, mucus membrane operated on a solo private gliding flight. The flight took place in Length: 7.30 m (23 ft 11 in) irritation and oedema [if inhaled]’. The material safety data sheet New Zealand on November 16,. 2017, between 1415 and 1730 hours. Wingspan: 14.97 m (49 ft 1 in) offers first aid advice, ‘In the event of battery rupture or explosion, The glider, while soaring, experienced an in-flight battery thermal Height: 1.41 m (4 ft 8 in) evacuate personnel from contaminated area and provide maximum event. During the ensuing emergency descent and approach back to (2.70 m, propeller extended) ventilation to clear out fumes/gases’. home-base, the glider exceeded its speed limitations which led to Wing area: 12.33 m2 (132.7 sq ft) a structural failure of the wings and subsequent in-flight break-up. Aspect ratio: 18.6 Post-accident calculations established that the glider’s weight The glider was destroyed, and the pilot was fatally injured. As with Empty weight: 285 kg (628 lb) and centre of gravity were likely to have been within prescribed the January 2018 in-flight fire fatality in NSW, it appears likely that Max takeoff weight: 472.5 or 550 kg limits, and not considered a contributing factor. The glider was the pilot was incapacitated in flight while attempting an emergency 7.9 US gal) subjected to a wheels-up landing on September 24, 2017 at Kaikohe landing (in both cases smoke and fumes had entered the cockpit as Powerplant: 1 x electric motor 40 kW (53 hp) aerodrome. evidenced by sooting inside the canopy). These accidents suggest Propellers: 2-bladed Pipistrel, 1.6 m that pilot incapacitation from smoke and fumes occurs extremely (5 ft 3 in) diameter The last recorded scheduled maintenance performed on ZK-GEL quickly (less than 2 minutes in the case of the NSW accident). was completed on November 3, 2017. This involved an annual microlight aircraft inspection and flight permit validation. The glider The best advice for an in-flight fire is to evacuate the sailplane by Performance parachute at the earliest opportunity (where height permits), as was deemed airworthy and released to service. time is of the essence. Maximum speed: 130 km/h The Taurus on Charge (81 mph, 70 kn) with flaps extended Meteorological information Executive summary Stall speed: 63 km/h The Kerikeri terminal aerodrome forecast (TAF), 23 km north north- (39 mph, 34 kn) with flaps east of the accident site, which was issued at 0935 NZDT, forecast The Pipistrel Taurus Electro G2 Glider Class 2 microlight, registration Never exceed speed: 225 km/h the surface wind to be from 080 degrees at 12 kt. The wind at ZK-GEL, was being operated on a solo private gliding flight. The (140 mph, 121 kn) 2000 ft was forecast to be 070 degrees at 15 kt. The Kerikeri flight took place in the vicinity of the Kaikohe aerodrome. Between Service ceiling: 3,900 m (12,800 ft) TAF forecast 15 km of visibility with light showers of rain, and a 1415 and 1730 hours, the glider, while soaring, experienced an in- g limits: 5.33, -2.65 cloud base of 7000 ft. The same forecast indicated temporary flight battery thermal event. Maximum glide ratio: 41:1 fluctuations of 5000 m visibility in moderate showers of rain, and a Rate of climb: 2.9 m/s (570 ft/min) cumulonimbus4 cloud base of 3000 ft. The area forecast (ARFOR5) A CAA field investigation was commenced on November 17, 2017. Rate of sink: 0.7 m/s (140 ft/min) for the Far North forecast the visibility to reduce to 5000 m in As a result of this safety investigation the CAA issued five safety moderate showers of rain, with a cloud base of 3000 ft. actions. There were two other pilots flying in the same area about the time Factual information - History of the flight 590 hours of gliding experience. He had flown 87.9 hours in ZK-GEL became airborne. One reported “the conditions for flying • T he pilot, who was a member of the local gliding club, ZK-GEL. The pilot conducted a biennial flight review on June were safe but it wasn’t ideal gliding conditions due to the moderate prepared his glider ZK-GEL for a local flight departing from 01, 2017, which allowed him to exercise the privileges of his thermal activity”. No evidence was found to indicate the weather Kaikohe aerodrome. certificate until June 01, 2019. The pilot also held a private contributed to this accident. • At approximately 1340 hours, the pilot was observed pilot licence (Helicopter) issued by the CAA on May 26 1995. positioning the glider to conduct a self-launching take-off Aids to navigation from Runway 13. Aircraft information • Th e aircraft was fitted with an LX 9000. The LX 9000 is an • Shortly after 1410 hours, the pilot (aged 72) made the radio The Pipistrel Taurus Electro G2, serial number 146 T ET, was advanced computer unit which has pre-loaded navigational call “rolling on one three” and departed Kaikohe aerodrome. information, a variometer and a FLARM. This was the last radio transmission heard from the pilot of constructed in Slovenia in 2015 and exported to New Zealand. It ZK-GEL. was registered in New Zealand on November 23, 2015 and issued • At approximately 1425 hours, another local gliding club with a non-terminating microlight aircraft flight permit, Class 2, Communications registration ZK-GEL. The aircraft was a motor glider with a 15 m member, who had been gliding in the vicinity of Kaikohe • T he glider was equipped with a f.u.n.k.e. AVIONICS GmbH The Taurus Instrument Panel wingspan, with side-by-side seating, and is constructed almost aerodrome, landed and by 1630 hours had returned their ATR833 very high frequency radio. entirely of composite materials. The glider featured an electric glider to the gliding club’s hangar. • While preparing the glider for flight the pilot conducted a propulsion system to allow for self-launch take-offs, which can also • Around 1730 hours, ZK-GEL was noted as overdue. Club radio check to confirm the radio was functioning correctly. be utilised when gliding to help sustain the flight. members tried to contact the pilot unsuccessfully on the • The last radio call heard from the pilot of ZK-GEL was “rolling radio. At this point the club members reported the overdue on one three”. No subsequent radio calls were heard from the The propulsion system was housed behind the cockpit area in an glider. Later that evening, first responders found the glider pilot. wreckage and the pilot with fatal injuries. engine bay. When the propulsion system is being utilised, it is • The accident occurred in daylight, sometime between 1415 extended out of the engine bay and into the airflow. When not in hours and 1730 hours, approximately 0.8 NM west of Kaikohe use, it is retracted into the engine bay. Aerodrome information aerodrome. Injuries to persons - Fatal - 1 • K aikohe aerodrome is a non-certified and uncontrolled Two battery packs, each comprising two battery boxes containing aerodrome, three NM south-east of Kaikohe township. ZK- 17 lithium polymer cells, provide electrical energy to the propulsion GEL was hangared at Kaikohe aerodrome. Damage to aircraft system (motor). Each of the battery boxes has a battery monitoring • On the day of the accident, the pilot carried out a self-launch • The glider was destroyed. Other damage, Nil. system, which monitors and balances the system voltage. take-off from Runway 13. • Personnel information - Flying hours 592 - All gliders 87.9 hrs Taurus Electro G2 - Last 24 hours - Unknown - Last 7 days An electrical system control and monitoring system (ESYS-MAN) Flight recorders 1.6 hrs - Last 30 days 3.2 hrs - Last 90 days 8.6 hrs also communicates with the battery management system and delivers information to the pilot about the battery’s state of charge • The glider was fitted with an LX 9000, which has a recording • The pilot held a qualified glider pilot certificate issued on July and health. capability. During the accident sequence, the unit’s SD card 08, 2008. At the time of the accident he had accrued over was mechanically damaged, and the data was unable to be recovered. The Grim Reality

28 Gliding International March 2021 29 • The ESYS-MAN also has a recording capability. The micro Fire SD card from the ESYS-MAN of ZK-GEL was extracted after • During the wreckage examination, evidence of an in-flight fire the accident and found to be electrically unresponsive. As a was identified. The fire appeared to have originated from, and result, the data it contained also could not be recovered. was isolated to, the battery pack located behind the pilot’s seat. Wreckage and impact information • Th e accident occurred on open farmland approximately 0.8 Origin point of the battery fire NM west of Kaikohe aerodrome. The wreckage trail indicated • S oot was evident on the leading edge of the wing roots and a the glider was in a left-hand turn and on a heading of 257 section of the plexy canopy. These components were located degrees when it struck the ground. 80m before the initial impact site. • The wings and wing spars were located 80 m before the initial • The pilot’s seat and rudder control cables showed evidence of impact site indicating an in-flight break up had occurred. in-flight heat damage and sooting. These components were separated from the heat source during the impact sequence. Accident site • Impact forces ejected the battery packs containing the four battery boxes from the fuselage. Subsequently, a number of • T he glider’s fuselage struck the ground on its left side at battery cells were ejected from the battery boxes. Some of high speed, with the cockpit area experiencing significant the ejected cells ignited during or after the impact sequence disruption. The debris field extended from the initial impact and continued to burn for a time after coming to rest. The site approximately 95 m in the direction of travel. glider manufacturer’s Flight manual and Maintenance manual • During the on-site wreckage examination, pre-accident provide guidance on battery system fires. It stipulates, ‘land aircraft control integrity was established as far as possible. and abandon the aircraft as soon as possible’. • It was noted that the glider’s propulsion system was retracted and secure in the engine bay when the glider struck the ground. Survival aspects • Ev idence of significant smoke within the cockpit prior to the Medical and pathological information glider impacting the ground was identified. THE REMAINS OF THE BATTERY BOX • Although the glider was fitted with a Galaxy rescue system • P ost-mortem examination showed that the pilot died of (GRS), there was no evidence of it having been deployed nor the cell pouch. The metallic fretting was not significant enough multiple injuries sustained during the impact sequence. CAUTION! AFTER PERFORMING A FULL CHARGE, of any attempts to deploy it. during testing to penetrate the cell pouch which would cause • A report produced by the pathologist stipulated that an DO NOT KEEP THE BATTERY AT A VOLTAGE OVER • Although the pilot was wearing a harness restraint, the impact arcing. However, during other testing where penetration was examination of the heart showed evidence of a previous forces were not survivable. achieved ‘the electrical arcing was immediately followed by 260 VOLTS FOR MORE THAN 5 DAYS. EITHER myocardial infarction (heart attack). The CAA Principal rapid inflation of the pouch, followed by light grey smoke, PERFORM A FLIGHT OR RUN THE MOTOR TO Medical Officer was consulted and reported, ‘while it is not followed by flames. The safety investigation identified other possible to exclude it with certainty, I do not believe that a Tests and research international occurrences involving lithium polymer battery DISCHARGE THE BATTERY TO THE RECOMMENDED further cardiac event is a likely contributor’. • Following an in-flight battery fire incident involving an HPH thermal events. Although these involved different models of 240-260 VOLTS FOR STORAGE. • The post-mortem toxicology results showed the presence Glasflugel 304eS type glider in West Sussex, England, the glider, a combination of two additional areas of interest are of alcohol, consistent with post-mortem artefact due Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) conducted an of note: • During significant absences from New Zealand, the pilot would to decomposition, and not indicative of prior alcohol investigation. Their subsequent report could not identify the fully charge the glider batteries and leave them charged while consumption. cause of the battery fire. They conducted independent testing, • The battery packs had experienced some degree of impact, the glider was stored in its trailer. The pilot was also known • Apart from caffeine, no other drugs were detected during the however, which revealed the presence of metallic debris in 7 with the potential to compromise the battery structure. to leave the batteries charging for substantial periods of time toxicology testing. of the 11 lithium polymer cells sampled. Furthermore, vibration • The batteries had not been charged in accordance with the between flights. This is contrary to the manufacturer’s Flight testing identified that metallic debris could cause fretting on manufacturer’s recommendations. manual and Maintenance manual. • Research shows that, if the manufacturer’s instructions for ‘Flight manual and Maintenance manual’ is the title charging are not followed, lithium polymer batteries are prone to hydrogen and dendrite build-up, that may lead to a battery given to the manufacturer’s singular manual, used as short circuit, failure, smoking and/or fire. the primary reference for operating and maintenance • The glider manufacturer’s Flight manual and Maintenance procedures and limitations. manual offers no guidance or direction on what to do when a battery is damaged, or damage is suspected. The glider manufacturer’s Flight manual and • Tests conducted by Concordia University (Montréal, Canada) have shown that several hazardous gases can be produced Maintenance manual provides direction on battery during a lithium polymer battery thermal event. These gases charging. This includes two cautions: include carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), and hydrogen fluoride (HF)9 CO2 and CO are known asphyxiants, CAUTION! DURING THE PERIODS OF NOT USING while HF is an irritant which can cause severe pain and corrosive damage upon contact with a person’s throat, eyes, THE AIRCRAFT, IT IS REQUIRED TO PERFORM A skin, and mucous membrane. KEEP-ALIVE (STORAGE) CHARGE ONCE EVERY 30 DAYS. TO DO SO, CONNECT THE CHARGER AND Organisational and management information SELECT ‘REST CHARGE’ MODE, THEN WAIT UNTIL • T he administration of glider pilot certificates and medicals COMPLETED. THIS WILL REFRESH THE BATTERIES is conducted by a Part 149 aviation recreation organisation (ARO), in this case Gliding New Zealand. AND KEEP THE SYSTEM IN A HEALTHY STATE. • Gliding New Zealand’s Manual of Approved Procedures ALSO, AFTER A PERIOD OF NO-FLYING ACTIVITY, states that, ‘Individual pilots shall retain their own Medical PERFORM A FILL-UP CHARGE 24 HOURS BEFORE Declaration / Certificate and provide a copy to their CFI [Chief Flying Instructor] for record keeping purposes’. A copy THE ACTUAL FLIGHT. of the pilot’s medical declaration was unable to be located.

30 Gliding International March 2021 31 • The thermal event originated in the lithium polymer battery • Due to the significant disruption to the glider and battery pack located behind the pilot’s seat, resulting in fumes and assemblies during the accident sequence, it was not possible smoke filling the cockpit. This would have likely had the effect to identify any evidence of inter-cell arcing. As such, inter-cell of degrading the pilot’s performance and ability to control the arcing as the initiator of the on-board thermal event could not glider while dealing with the in-flight emergency. be excluded. • The location of the wreckage in relation to Kaikohe aerodrome’s • The glider was fitted with an LX 9000 and an ESYS-MAN, Runway 13 indicates the pilot was likely attempting to return both of which have recording capabilities. During the accident to the aerodrome to conduct an emergency landing. During sequence both recording devices were compromised resulting its descent, the glider exceeded speed limitations which are in the loss of access to any recorded data. It should be noted designed to maintain the structural integrity of the glider. This that neither of these devices are deemed crashworthy and led to the structural failure of the wings and the subsequent their failure was consistent with the crash disruption and in-flight break-up. dynamics of this accident. • The manufacturer provided commentary on the structural • Lithium polymer battery fires burn at a very fast rate, releasing failure of the glider’s wings on descent: ‘The shear-lines significant energy and toxic fumes. This outcome is generally observed on the wing are consistent with a structure overload the same regardless of the cause of the thermal event. Within condition – they occurred where we would have expected’. seconds a cockpit can be filled with a toxic smoke, which may • Although the pilot was faced with an in-flight emergency, it render the occupants impaired or completely incapacitated. is likely he did not deploy the GRS because of the in-flight Given the speed and seriousness that such a situation may fire. This is in line with the guidance stipulated in the Flight develop, Safety Action CAA 21A213 has been raised for manual and Maintenance manual, which recommends to ‘land the CAA to encourage aviation participants to give due and abandon the aircraft as soon as possible’. consideration, when modifying or maintaining their aircraft, • Although the pilot followed the emergency procedure to early fire detection, fire containment, and fire proofing Debris Field stipulated in the Flight manual and Maintenance manual, it is systems. This is to allow pilots additional time to land their not considered that the information provided is adequate to aircraft and increase survivability. reflect the severity of such an in-flight fire situation. As such the CAA has raised Safety Action CAA 21A292 recommending that Conclusions the manufacturer amend the Flight manual and Maintenance • D uring flight, one of the lithium polymer batteries fitted to manual to include specific information to address in-flight the glider experienced a thermal event. battery fires. It was not possible to definitively conclude why • At the time of the in-flight battery thermal event, the glider the batteries experienced a thermal event, which led to the had completed the take-off phase and was actively gliding in-flight break-up. with the motor retracted. • The pilot was presented with a challenging in-flight emergency. However, three possible scenarios are: • It is likely that the pilot was attempting to return to the • D uring charging and discharging cycles the pilot did not aerodrome to carry out an emergency landing. follow the manufacturer’s battery management instructions. • The glider was in a high-speed descent, when the wings failed • The batteries were damaged at some stage, possibly during due to structural overload. the wheels-up landing. • The accident was not survivable. • Arcing occurred between battery cells, possibly caused by • The lithium polymer batteries were not maintained in penetration of one or more of the cells by debris. accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. • It is known that the glider experienced a wheels-up landing • The manufacturer’s Flight manual and Maintenance manual in 2017: however, no documentation was provided to the lacks appropriate warning information regarding in-flight fires. CAA, maintenance provider, or appropriate Part 149 ARO. • The aircraft was deemed airworthy at the time of the accident. Consequently, the effect, if any, of the wheels-up landing on • The pilot’s medical certificate and declaration were not able the battery packs is unknown. Furthermore, the Flight manual to be located. and Maintenance manual provides no guidance on what to do if battery damage is suspected. As such CAA Safety Safety actions/recommendations Action CAA 21A291 has been raised recommending the glider • CA A Safety Action CAA 21A194 has been raised bringing the manufacturer amend the Flight manual and Maintenance non-conformance of the administration and retention of pilot manual to include guidance on suspected battery damage. medicals to the attention of the CFI at the local gliding club • With regard to the battery charging instructions, the Flight and Gliding New Zealand. manual and Maintenance manual gives specific guidance on • CAA Safety Action CAA 21A212 has been raised for the CAA how to manage and maintain the integrity of the batteries to remind pilots that it is critical to follow the manufacturer’s during the charging and discharging processes. instructions when charging lithium polymer batteries. • Witnesses stated that when the glider was not in use, the Pipistrel Taurus • CAA Safety Action CAA 21A213 has been raised for the CAA pilot left it on charge. The time periods involved ranged from to encourage aviation participants to give due consideration, several days to several weeks. These witnesses also stated Although the pilot’s medical declaration could not be located, grounding of all Taurus Electro G2 gliders until further notice. when modifying or maintaining their aircraft, to early fire that, while the pilot was out of the country, for periods of the safety investigation found no evidence to suggest the pilot • The glider manufacturer has advised that all Electro G2 gliders detection, fire containment, and fire proofing systems. This two to three months each year, the glider was disconnected was medically unfit to fly. Despite this, the CAA has raised have been updated to Electro G2.5, making this SB redundant. is to allow pilots additional time to land their aircraft and from its charger and stored in its trailer. This practice is not Safety Action CAA 21A194 bringing the non-conformance increase survivability. consistent with the battery management instructions in the of the administration and retention of pilot medicals to the Useful or effective investigation techniques • CAA Safety Action CAA 21A292 has been raised for the CAA attention of the CFI of the local gliding club and Gliding New Flight manual and Maintenance manual. • T he CAA acknowledges the assistance provided by the New to recommend that the glider manufacturer amend the Flight Zealand. manual and Maintenance manual to emphasise the possibility Zealand Police Serious Crash Unit and the Aircraft Accidents It could not be determined why the pilot deviated from the charging and severity of an in-flight battery fire. Investigation Board. instructions specified in the glider’s Flight manual and Maintenance • CAA Safety Action CAA 21A291 has been raised for the CAA Additional information manual. It is critical to follow the manufacturer’s instructions when to recommend that the glider manufacturer amend the • Th e glider manufacturer issued a Mandatory Service Bulletin, charging lithium polymer batteries, as such, CAA Safety Action CAA Analysis Flight manual and Maintenance manual to include guidance Taurus Electro G2 Battery Safety Service Bulletin (SB) SB-132- 21A212 has been raised for the CAA to remind pilots of this through • W hile airborne on a local flight the pilot was faced with a difficult on suspected damaged batteries and the process for having 00-80-001, on June 28, 2018. The SB mandated the immediate its regulatory activities. in-flight emergency, in the form of a battery thermal event. these checked.

32 Gliding International March 2021 33 could well be the link to what are - demographically among television’s most sought after audiences, the target of For Our U.S. Subscribers, But Likely numerous marketing efforts. Applicable To Other CAAs. • In order to be timeless and of a broader appeal, air sports AIRSPORTS should aspire more, should go beyond the demographics of “cool and groovy”, should portray themselves as what they are, competitive sports. A TOTAL WASTE OF TIME ? AND • Coverage of air sports should be like coverage on any other Have you ever been tempted to buy a sailplane wreck and restore it in your sport. A tale of challenging athletic competition, of losing and winning, of an athlete always giving his or her best. That’s what spare time - i.e. considering the purchase of a destroyed or scrapped aircraft. makes for some of the most compelling viewing on television. TELEVISION Pure sport coverage. People, in their defeats, in their victories, people touching people. • Air sports should attempt to touch billions of people worldwide, uite likely you have paragraph 2(e). and to touch them right at their hearts. stumbled upon what While the requirement to Qappears to be a great declare an aircraft destroyed deal, at least at first glance. or scrapped may appear How to get there A common scenario is that the high, any aircraft can be • Air sports need decisively more airtime, coverage on television. would-be purchaser has found voluntarily declared destroyed Athletes flying, athletes giving their best in competition, and a nearly complete project up or scrapped, and once done, yes, athletes entertaining the television audiences just as much for auction, or a former owner it is very difficult to undo. as they entertain themselves with the practise of airsports. is considering repurchasing If destroyed or scrapped, • Air sports do have the one asset - visual appeal - that lets zapping an aircraft from the insurance the aircraft cannot be re- audiences pause for a second glance. And in commercial company after suffering a total registered until the owner television, where the rating pains affect the programming loss. Either way, a worse for repairs the aircraft according decisions, it’s the second glance that counts the most. wear sailplane is up for sale and to a repair scheme approved • Air Sport Commissions must ensure, in the process of establishing you have hopes of restoring it by a Flight Standards District the competition formats and rules, that even the second to its former glory at bargain Office or Aircraft Certification glance withstands the scrutiny of zapping audiences and the rates. But is this endeavour a total waste of time or a totally great Office. For such a scheme to be approved, the owner must prove scepticism of television executives. If television, to this day, idea? As is often the case, the answer depends on a host of factors. the aircraft is repairable in the first place. Finally, the aircraft must has neglected air sports, it’s for one reason only: FAI airsports be registered and inspected for airworthiness. have not been able to withstand that scrutiny. Many other First, let’s clear the air. The terms “destroyed,” “salvaged,” sports like triathlon, sledge dog racing across the Alaskan “scrapped,” and “totalled” are often used interchangeably to Another consideration is the aircraft’s identification plate. Except in wilderness, indoor tractor pulling did. Why shouldn’t airsports describe an aircraft that has seen better days and is in dire need limited circumstances, FAR 45.11 requires all aircraft to be marked be able to accomplish the same and get regular TV exposure of repair. While these terms may be thrown around a lot and with a fireproof identification plate. The identification plate can on dedicated sport channels. have similar colloquial definitions, the term “totalled” has some only come from the aircraft’s manufacturer, and if lost or damaged, • There are some fiercely competitive athletes, flying high and independent legal significance as it relates to insurance. “Totalled” a replacement identification plate can only be reissued by the flying far, from whom the Air Sport Commissions could learn is insurance industry shorthand for a total loss which occurs when, manufacturer. Importantly, pursuant to FAR 45.13, an identification a lesson, or maybe even two, in selling themselves and their after suffering damage, the cost of repair exceeds the aircraft’s plate may only be removed for necessary maintenance performed achievements to the media, first and foremost to the television. insured value. Since “totalled” is purely an insurance-related under FAR Part 43. FAR 45.13(e) explicitly prohibits any person from concept, it does not factor into any FAA (U.S.A.) analysis of the installing a properly removed identity plate on an aircraft other F.A.I., readily rcognised as the world’s administrative body of aircraft’s status. than the aircraft from which it was removed. For examples of cases airsports, has done little to improve its public image of the What does the Air Sport Commission where the FAA has alleged an aircraft’s identification plate was aviation sporting scene - this despite their obvious ability to need to do to get there For the purposes of the Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR), the improperly removed or installed, see NTSB Case Nos. EA-3937, EA- keep, set and record world records. For some unknown reason • Access! only recognised phrase is “totally destroyed or scrapped”. While 4787, and EA-5722. there is a failure within its management to accept that aviation The technology, small and lightweight cameras, miniature microwave the FARs fail to specify what constitutes an aircraft that is totally sport promotion is not their responsibility. This must be a links for the transmission of video signals, tracking systems destroyed or scrapped, FAA Order 8100.19 defines the terms If these procedures are not strictly followed, you might end up with contributing facet to the declining membership numbers in all for ground-to-air and air-to-air cameras, exists. However, the “destroyed” and “scrapped”: a glorified paperweight. branches of sporting aviation. Competition Rules, certainly the ones institutionalising television’s Television can provide a boost and arrest the predicament we find access to air sports, as well as competition formats need Air Sport The FAA considers an aircraft to be destroyed if all of its primary In true FAA fashion, it could look like an sailplane, sound like an ourselves in, but few, if any, are prepared step up and declare Commissions attention. structure is damaged to the extent that it would be impracticable sailplane, and even walk like an sailplane, but legally speaking, it is themselves willing to lead a membership. We need help! But to return the aircraft to an airworthy condition by repair. They nothing more than a conglomeration of parts called aircraft scrap. let’s look at the facts around television. • Branding! consider an aircraft to be scrapped when it has been discarded and If the identity plate is missing or if there is no primary structure Airsports do need to step up in efforts in properly branding disposed of in a manner that it cannot be repaired to an airworthy which can be traced back to the “original” aircraft, it is not an • Modern technology allows us to get close up with spectacular themselves as several distinct sporting disciplines with one single condition. The key consideration here is whether the worse for wear aircraft and it certainly will not be certificated in the standard sport action, wherever it takes place. “Out-of-this-world” theme in common: HUMAN FLIGHT! If the FAI and its Air Sport aircraft can legally be repaired. The basic premise is that so long category. Worse yet, you may not be able to certificate the aircraft imagery, truly exceptional visuals, are television’s reward for Commissions fail to do their branding, another organisation, possibly as there exists one primary structure around which a repair can be as experimental amateur-built unless you can complete the major capturing such action high in the sky. even television itself, might just try a different brand: AIRSPORTS performed, the aircraft may be repaired and need not be declared portion test (i.e., the “51% rule”). Putting together prefabricated or • Airsports are telegenic - airsports are visual. All of them, without could easily become SKY SPORTS! And fragmentation, making too destroyed or scrapped. If all primary structures must be replaced, used parts to look like a certificated aircraft is a surefire way to exception. From their intriguing theme - human flight - to the many distinctions between what are minority sports, risk only to the aircraft is not repairable and must be declared destroyed or draw scrutiny from your Designated Airworthiness Representative. breathtaking scenery surrounding their practice. scrapped. further dilute television exposure for each individual air sport. The • Visuals alone merely make for a good start in providing these So, how can you tell if an aircraft has been declared totally World Air Games were the FAI’s and the Air Sport Commission’s sports with exposure on the medium that seeks to go beyond Pursuant to FAR § 47.41, a destroyed or scrapped aircraft’s destroyed or scrapped? While those poor earthbound vehicles (i.e., best attempt yet at a collective branding of AIR SPORTS! the pretty picture. registration is immediately ineffective and the owner must notify cars & trucks) typically have a title document which indicates if • “Cool” action put to “groovy” sounds, the television fare that the FAA by returning the Certificate of Aircraft Registration to the vehicle was previously salvaged or totaled, the kind of vehicles • Charge, control! appeals to the youngest of audience - to the MTV generation the Aircraft Registration Branch within 21 days. Thereafter, the without earthly limitations do not. Instead, the FAA’s Aircraft All Air Sport Commission should take charge of their television who grew up on large intakes of music clips - is not all air aircraft will be deregistered, and the registration will be canceled. Registration Branch will keep a record of whether a particular destiny. Yes we need exposure, but we need to stay in control. sports can inspire. Additionally, FAA guidance states that a destroyed or scrapped aircraft has ever been declared totally destroyed or scrapped. Without control, well, television can also be an awfully intrusive • Maybe for some of them - for paragliding, for sky surfing - for aircraft’s identity plate “when available, must be voluntarily Therefore, it is vital to inspect the aircraft’s documents prior to medium. gliding exploiting what the industry refers to as “lifestyle” surrendered to the local FAA office.” FAA Order 8100.19, Chapter 3, buying so you know exactly what you are getting yourself into.

34 Gliding International March 2021 35 When only the best is good enough - this is it - OUR SPECIAL CAN’T BE BEATEN - NEW FROM EUROPE A NEW CONCEPT FOR AIRFIELD MARSHALLING (?)

here are now a ton of electric scooters on the market, most with tiny wheels. The Italian Kobra is Tdifferent, in that it has relatively big, beefy wheels – along with a tubular stainless steel frame and a powerful electric motor. Dancing with To this add an elerctric powered motor that is being quoted as being able to ground tow a two seat sailplane on the grass. We have yet to personally see it! There are two models of the Kobra: the urban-oriented Smart and the heavier- the wind duty Climber. Both have a 20-inch wheel in the front and a 16-incher in the rear. Those wheels come with pneumatic tires – slicks on the Smart and knobbies on the Climber. Stopping power is provided by electronically activated mechanical disc brakes. An “E-ABS” system keeps the wheels from locking up while braking.

The back wheel additionally packs a hub motor – 350 watts on the Smart and 500 watts on the Climber – which is powered by a frame-mounted lithium battery. One charge should reportedly be good for a range of over 100 km (62 miles). As a commuting scooter, it has a top speed of 25 km/h (16 mph). Because of its more powerful motor, the Climber is claimed to be able to tackle slopes of up to 35 percent, whereas the Smart tops out at 22 percent. Since the “motorcycle-inspired” frame is made of stainless steel tubing, rust shouldn’t be an issue. That frame is additionally said to absorb road vibrations by flexing. Some of the Kobra’s other features include cruise control, regenerative braking, plus integrated head and tail lights (with a brake light). Should you be interested, the Kobra is currently the subject of an Indiegogo campaign. Assuming it reaches production, a pledge of €2,170 (about US$2,615) will get you a Smart, with €2,480 ($2,989) required for a Climber. Their planned retail prices are €2,890 and €3,310 ($3,483 and $3,989), respectively. Fly High With Mountain High!! The Mountain High MH EDS O2D1-2G™ portable oxygen system makes your flying at high altitudes safer and more comfortable. Experienced glider pilots know the danger of oxygen starvation (Hypoxia) and depend on MH-EDS Oxygen Systems. Visit our web site at www.MHoxygen.com for a list of dealers in your area. FEATURES TO COMPARE: s Electronic individual auto-profiling “Pulse Demand™” system s Surpasses the duration of all continuous flow systems s Automatic altitude compensation, no knobs to turn s !UDIBLE .O &AULT ALARM added safety for pinched tubes, or accidental disconnect s !UDIBLE APNEA DETECTION to ensure continuous breathing s $IGITAL -ICRO #OMPUTER electronics for accuracy s Does not require dual lumen or bifurcated cannulas s 0ORTABLE EASY TO CARRY systems s WWW-(OXYGENCOM s SALES -(OXYGENCOM

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36 Gliding International March 2021 37 International Aviation International BUY OF THE News report News For Glider Pilots specifically for MONTH Gliding Clubs $199.00 Simple to use † An emergency is also no time to be reading an instruction manual, so the PJ2 is designed to be dead-simple to operate. There are dedicated knobs for squelch and volume, so just twist the knob to turn the radio on. There are no menus or frequency bands to manage either. Simply type in a frequency to start communicating. HANS-WERNER GROSSE (NOVEMBER 28, 1922 – FEBRUARY 18, 2021 The PJ2 is also designed for one-handed operation, so you can AGED 98 fly with your left hand and communicate with your right. A large push-to-talk button is easily accessed by your thumb, and a Hans-Werner Grosse was a German Luftwaffe fighter pilot and glider handy last frequency button makes it easy to flip back and forth pilot extraordinaire who established 50 world records. between approach and tower. The large screen is backlit for easy viewing at night, and the oversized keypad is easy to use VW HAS OPENED A RECYCLING PLANT FOR BATTERIES AT THE END OF His free distance world record of 1,460.80 km (907.70 mi) from his home city in turbulence. Everything has been optimised for pilot-friendly THEIR LIVES. Volkswagen anticipates that it won’t experience a large number of Lübeck (West Germany) to Biarritz (France) was set on April 25, 1972 in a operation. of batteries to be returned from its electric vehicles until later in the decade, Schleicher ASW12. On this day he started from Lübeck and 11.5 hours later so it is starting with a pilot project at its battery recycling centre. There he landed in Biarritz in southwestern France. He held this record for more From Sportys < [email protected] > has been a number of automakers taking steps to give their electric vehicle than 30 years. It was not broken until January 9, 2003 (by Klaus Ohlmann batteries a second life in highway charging stations or storage systems for in Argentina). the home, but at some point these deteriorating devices do reach the end of the road. Volkswagen’s recycling plant will fit the bill for this very scenario, This record was far from his only success. He held a total of 50 gliding where it hopes to recover the raw materials from its depleted batteries, which world records. Among his other world records were: the largest triangular can then be used to build brand new ones. Volvo, Nissan and Renault are a distance (1,306 km (812 mi) in 1981), the fastest speed round a 1,250 km few of companies that are repurposing their batteries in different ways. These (780 mi) triangle (133 km/h (83 mph) in 1980) and the fastest speed round devices typically last eight to 10 years during their initial use before declining a 300 km (190 mi) triangle (158 km/h (98 mph) also in 1980). These record to the point where they can no longer power electric vehicles, but can still flights started from Alice Springs, Australia. He came second in the World offer enough performance for other energy storage applications, be it for the Gliding Championships in 1970. home or elsewhere. But Volkswagen is taking aim at batteries that can no longer serve these purposes either. VW’s first car battery recycling plant, opened in Salzgitter, Germany, (January 31, - February 1, 2021). For his 75th birthday, Grosse was named an honorary member of the German Volkswagen expects to yield the raw materials needed for new battery production, such as copper, aluminum, lithium, manganese, cobalt National Gliding Team due to his outstanding gliding performances. He was and graphite. “From research, we know that recycled battery raw materials are just as efficient as new ones,” says Mark Möller, Head of presented as unique up to that time. The President of the International the Business Unit Technical Development & E-Mobility. “In the future, we intend to support our battery cell production with the material Gliding Commission (IGC) and Director of the World Gliding Championships we recover. Given that the demand for batteries and the corresponding raw materials will increase drastically, we can put every gram of 1999 in Bayreuth, Professor Peter Ryder, at his birthday celebration on recycled material to good use.The pilot project will recycle 3,600 battery systems each year, and will be scaled up from there. November 29, 1997 was made an honorary member of the Deutscher AeroClub e.V. and the chief initiator of the ETA project. He personally THE COVID-19 OUTBREAK - America’s pandemic fortunes are finally changing. At long last, case numbers and hospitalisations owned the first model of this glider, which is still the largest glider in the are headed in a promising direction, boosting hopes that the country can exit this nightmarish national Groundhog Day. But world (30.90 m wingspan) and has a performance rivaled by just a handful still more uncertainty lies ahead. January was the deadliest month yet. According to data from the COVID Tracking Project, of other gliders today. more than 95,000 Americans died of COVID-19, making up one-fifth of recorded deaths to date. His commitment to gliding has been endorsed by the establishment of the project, “Jugendfördernde Maßnahmen Ost” (Measures to Support Youth EV REGISTRATIONS GREW BY 58% IN THE SECOND HALF OF 2020 versus the same period the year prior, amounting to 3.53 million units East). In this project, Grosse made his high-performance Schleicher ASH 25 versus 2.24 million units in 2019 (H2). In Europe, encouraged by an array of incentives for buyers, EV sales jumped 127% in 2020 H2 over glider available to young glider pilots in organisations in eastern Germany 2019 H2, translating to a 174% increase in watt-hours of battery capacity deployed, a 205% increase in cobalt deployed, a 192% increase in for the purpose of making it possible for the new generation of glider pilots lithium deployed and a 135% increase in nickel deployed versus the same period the year prior. Just six cell suppliers globally (LG Energy to fly with modern equipment which would not usually be available to them. Solution, CATL, Panasonic, Samsung SDI, BYD and SK Innovation) were collectively responsible for more than 89% of all battery capacity and battery metals deployed. Deployment (in watt hours) of LFP cells increased more than six-fold in 2020 H2 versus 2019 H2, contributing His 40-year record from 1972 has not yet been broken in Europe. Grosse to a boost in the sales-weighted average amount of lithium used per EV. In 2020 H2, global battery capacity deployed amounted to 92.5 has offered a prize for youth pilots that manage to do it “on European soil”. GWh, 93% more than was deployed globally in 2019 H2. Similarly, in 2020 H2, 57,300 tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent (“LCE”) were deployed globally, 96% more than was deployed globally in 2019 H2. Moreover, 53,150 tonnes of nickel has been used globally Grosse learned to fly gliders as a teenager. Since the Germans were in batteries of new installations, up 69%. Lastly the EV scene in 2020 H2, used 12,700 tonnes of cobalt, up 85% globally on 2019 H2. A generally not allowed to fly powered airplanes between the wars, glider dynamic changing world! clubs were promoted by the government as a way to train pilots. During World War II Grosse became a Luftwaffe pilot.

38 Gliding International March 2021 39 FAA IS ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR AVIATION WORKFORCE GRANTS. The FAA is accepting electronic applications for its two Aviation JUST A COMMENT: After weeks of brutal expansion, the pandemic is finally beginning to let up. The seven-day average of cases is Workforce Development Grant programs - designed to inspire and recruit the next generation of aviation professionals and maintenance down a third from its mid-January peak. But the U.S. needs to quickly distribute vaccines before another surge begins. In the U.S.A. the technicians. The Reauthorisation Act of 2018 grant programs has funding of $5 million available. Only projects that involve creating and administration faces a race of vaccination versus variants. On one side: a country trying to halt the outbreak through vaccination. On the delivering a curriculum for high school students with a reliance on aviation education or supporting the professional development of teachers other: a virus swiftly accumulating mutations that could allow it to move even faster. The winner of this race will depend on three unknowns: using the curriculum are eligible for the grant. The Aircraft Pilots workforce development grant is intended to provide students with aviation mitigation, evolution, and vaccine distribution. The high levels of ongoing infection make the standard tools of mitigation—social distancing, education, preparing them for careers as aircraft pilots, aerospace engineers, or unmanned aircraft system operators. Air carriers, flight masks, and work-from-home orders—even more important to avoid continued deaths. Yet the allure of vaccination is beginning to stymie schools, higher education institutions or high schools, state or local government entities, and organisations such as AOPA, which represent mitigation policy in some places. The most immediate risk is that these new variants cause another surge of infection, and death, before aircraft owners, users, or pilots, are welcome to apply. According to the FAA, eligible applicants from academia and the aviation community mass vaccination can increase the number with protective immunity. The vaccine supply … is uneven at the moment, although the U.S.A. can submit applications online through March 22. Grant awards range from $25,000 to $500,000 for any single grant per fiscal year. administration has vowed to invoke the Defense Production Act to strengthen the supply and distribution operation. Fingers (toes) all crossed! THIS ISSUE COVER PHOTO comes from Tobias Barth, a light aircraft builder who has studied aeronautical engineering in Germany. He has now been flying for over 30 years and trained for his glider licence after the reunification of the two German states. He started photoing WHAT ELSE IS BREWING - New York City restaurants can open for indoor dining at 25% capacity on Valentine’s Day, as long as current airborne gliders in 2015. A lot has happened since then. As Claus-Dieter Zink’s successor, since 2021 he has been producing the world- Covid trends continue. • United Airlines warned 14,000 employees they could be furloughed once payroll support from the government renowned “Fotokalender-Segelfliegen” (German for gliding calendar). Under his reign, he is now in his third year - the calendar contains expires April 1. • More than 1,100 students at Columbia University have begun a tuition strike. • IPO news: Roblox has reportedly delayed his exclusive pictures. The calendar is popular, not only among pilots but aviation companies as well. His homepage “www.pictrs.com/ its public offering due to SEC scrutiny of its revenue accounting, while Honest Co., a beauty products company cofounded by Jessica Alba, tobias-barth-photographie” provides an insight into his library of thousands of aerial photographs. Digital or printed individual images are filed confidentially for an IPO, according to Bloomberg. • Incredible news: Apple has greenlighted a TV series on WeWork, starring Anne available to purchase. Hathaway and Jared Leto. It’s called WeCrashed.

THOSE RADIO BURSTS ACROSS THE UNIVERSE - Australia’s Swinburne University of Technology CLUTTERED - DANGEROUS - PROBLEM SKIES FORTHCOMING ? is providing funding for further research into the phenominia. Fast radio bursts are one of the Wingcopter, a Darmstadt, Germany-based drone manufacturer, great mysteries of the universe. Since their discovery, we have learned a great deal about these has announced that it raised $22 million in a funding round led by intense millisecond-duration pulses. But there is still have much to learn. The intense bursts Xplorer Capital and Futury Regio Growth Fund. The company says originate in galaxies billions of light years away. We have also used these bursts (called FRBs) it will use the proceeds to expand its health care-related activities to find missing matter that couldn’t be found otherwise. Astronomers around the world are (including the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines), to prepare for racing to understand their enigma. Question: how did we get to where we are now? The first the launch of its next-gen drones, and set up a partially automated burst was discovered in 2007 by a team led by British-American astronomer Duncan Lorimer production facility. They plan to grow their team at their new U.S. using Murriyang, the traditional Indigenous name for the iconic Parkes radio telescope but radio complex. The commercial drone market was already accelerating, astronomers need things quiet; like in the middle of a West Australia desert. Radio pulses with reports the industry would grow more than five-fold by 2026 provide a tremendous gift to astronomers. By measuring when a burst arrives at the telescope from the $1.2 billion it was reportedly worth in 2018. But the at different frequencies, astronomers can tell the total amount of gas that it passed through on its journey to Earth. The burst arrives first at high frequencies and is delayed by as much as several seconds at the lower frequencies. pandemic has increased demand for drone services in areas such as This tell-tale curve is what astronomers are looking for. The Lorimer burst had travelled through far too much gas to have originated in medical supply deliveries and site inspections. Honeywell, a major supplier of aerospace systems, launched a new business unit covering our galaxy, the Milky Way. The team concluded it came from a galaxy billions of light years away. But to be visible from so far away, and drones, air taxis, and unmanned cargo delivery vehicles. Last week, startup American Robotics snagged the first-ever U.S. Federal Aviation whatever produced it, it must have released an enormous amount of energy. In just a millisecond it released as much energy as our Sun Administration (FAA) approval to fly automated drones beyond the line of sight. would in 80 years. Researcher cannot at present pinpoint source locations very accurately. It will take several years for another team to make that breakthrough. The first FRB to actually be localised was from a source that emitted many bursts. The first burst was discovered WOMEN IN AVIATION INTERNATIONAL—Under the leadership of their new CEO, Allison McKay, Women in Aviation attended the (in 2012) with the giant Arecibo telescope in Puerto Rico. organisation’s recent annual conference in Orlando, Florida. For 2021, WAI have decided that an in-person event wasn’t the right choice for its team and constituents, so it focused in on planning a virtual event. On March 11 and 12, WAI will host the first virtual Women in Aviation ALTHOUGH CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC HAS CREATED AN INSTANT SURPLUS OF PILOTS WORLDWIDE, it’s also created Conference. Last year 4,500 attendees from 31 countries came together for networking, education, and leadership sessions. Keynote big gaps in the training pipeline. Most airline management teams are bracing themselves for a pilot shortage. Airlines, speakers featured professional development seminars, the 2021 scholarship awards, and the induction ceremony for the latest members governments and universities all see a looming problem. Coupled with a major retirement bubble during the next/current of their Pioneer Hall of Fame. Registration starts at $49 with discounts available for students, and it’s open to all, regardless of gender, 10 years, the number of empty cockpit seats is worrying the industry - especially Japanese airlines. Pilot numbers cannot members and nonmembers, through the WAI site. be increased instantly. The complicating factor is that no one really knows what the future looks like for airlines so it’s hard to predict how many pilots will be needed. Training will gradually restart but the long-term plan to increase pilots numbers HCAP IS OFFERING A FULLY FUNDED GLIDING SCHOLARSHIP - The will be affected by flight demand. Airline management will have to carefully decide whether or not to slow it down. Honourable Company of Air Pilots (HCAP) opened applications for several scholarships, including one which provides up to 45 hours of flight training. Previous flying experience is not necessary. All candidates must be seventeen or over on June 1, 2021, and the course must be completed by October 5. HCAP is also offering two other scholarships, one for gliding and the other for a Flight Instructor course. The gliding scholarships are offered to people over the age of sixteen, and give the successful candidates the opportunity to join a one-week residential course at a youth British Gliding Association centre. This could potentially take a candidate to first solo. The Flight Instructor Certificate Scholarship covers all direct training and examination costs for the successful candidate as they work towards their Fixed Wing Flying Instructor Certificate. Training must be completed before October 1. Candidates must hold a valid EASA PPL(A), CPL(A) or ATPL(A) licence including a valid SEP class rating, have logged at least two hundred hours of flight time, and have met the requirements for CPL theoretical knowledge. Full details/application forms are available on the association’s website, www.airpilots.org

Omarama Airfield Update: The ‘Omarama Gliding Club’ is now the organisation for overseas pilots to contact and who want to soar from this location. Glide Omarama no longer exists in its previous form. You can contact the club via their web site - https://www.omarama. com/ A number of the personell from the former operation are now working for the “Omarama Club”.

40 Gliding International March 2021 41 GOING ELECTRIC? America plans to replace the federal government’s fleet of cars ENERGY - AUSTRALIA PLANS WORLD’S BIGGEST BATTERY and trucks with EVs . . . .no small task. The numbers: Uncle Sam had 645,000 vehicles (AGAIN), AT 1.2 GIGAWATTS. A crude mockup of the 1.4-gigawatt on the road in 2019. With factories in Fremont, CA, and Shanghai, Tesla delivered power grid battery planned for Australia’s Hunter Valley. Australia nearly 500,000 EVs last year. In 2021, other automakers are just starting to ramp up has clearly been motivated by the huge success of the giant EV production. According to green nonprofit Ceres, companies—not consumers— 150-megawatt Tesla battery built in South Australia in 2017. In control over half of all vehicles on U.S. roads. Add governments to the mix, and November, neighboring state Victoria announced a 300-megawatt you see how fleet operators could drive a top-down shift toward electrification. plant to go live at the end of this year, and now, a new project in Going electric isn’t as simple as upgrading cars. The country requires vastly more New South Wales will dwarf both these projects combined. CEP infrastructure. To give you an idea: North America currently has ~34,250 charging Energy has just announced the largest battery ever proposed. At 1.2 stations. Biden has vowed to build 550,000 more in the U.S. So let’s wait and see on gigawatts, it sets a new global benchmark – albeit one that’s sure the follow-through and listen to this tale of success. And if you plan on using an E.V. to be eclipsed shortly by something bigger as the environmental to tow your gilder and trailer, you are in for some pleasant surprises. Running costs are definitely cheaper, vehicle costs ~ about 35% plus and cost-saving benefits of these giant grid-scale batteries more expensive. No power degradation between the two concepts. become better understood. Not only do these batteries soak up and release excess renewable energy generated out of sync with WANT TO BE A GLIDING PUBLICATION EDITOR ? “Soaring” magazine is the official publication of the Soaring Society of America and is demand, they’re terrific for smoothing out unexpected spikes in mailed to members, institutions, and others world-wide. A new editor is being sought to take over and continue the publication with the power demand. They’re profitable for the businesses that run them, content and standards expected by members. The current editor hasn’t disappeared - is now on the reitrement list. This is a part-time paid and they bring down power bills for consumers. In the case of this position reporting to the Executive Director of the SSA. A familiarity with social media will be helpful. The applicant must be skillful in the particular battery, there seems to be a political edge to it too. CEP use of Microsoft Office Word and Adobe Acrobat, including how to create and edit documents in these applications (.doc or .pdf) on their Energy is chaired, according to Renew Economy, by former NSW computer, or online, in the cloud. The editor will be responsible for production of the annual SSA Calendar, from obtaining photographs, premier Morris Iemma, whose left-leaning Labor party is pushing sustainable energy projects in opposition to current Australian Prime working with the art director for final layout, and providing publication-ready proofs to the printer. The editor will provide reports to the Minister Scott Morrison and his right-leaning Liberal/National coalition, who seem keen to cling to fossil fuels. The Kurri Kurri location of Executive Director on magazine status and progress. HOW TO APPLY: If you meet the criteria above, and want to make a contribution to this 1.2-gigawatt battery project is right where the Morrison Government has been pushing for new coal and gas generator projects. A our sport as Editor, Soaring magazine, send your particulars to: [email protected] chess game in motion. The CEP plant is expected to go online in stages, starting operations in 2023. The battery supplier has not yet been selected. Any bets on which jurisdictions might be planning something even bigger around the world? Source: CEP Energy GLIDING ACTIVITY IN HAWAII - LARGER THAN MOST APPRECIATE - Long-awaited FAA aviation weather cameras will soon be up and running in Hawaii. Engineering surveys required for the installation of the first 10 of 23 planned camera systems is under way. Hawaii’s mountainous terrain, rapidly-changing weather conditions, and vexing microclimates often render traditional weather forecasts and reporting WORLD’S SMALLEST AIRPORT TO BE BUILT FOR AUTONOMOUS of little value. The deficiencies have long been cited as factors in aviation accidents there involving inadvertent entry into instrument DRONES - Airports have a reputation for being enormous, meteorological conditions (IMC) and the resulting loss of control, as well as controlled flight into terrain (CFIT). The NTSB have long called labyrinthine nightmares. Especially when you’re quintuple for a weather camera system similar to those already installed in Alaska and Colorado. i.e. Colorado’s system—installed in partnership checking your gate of departure, only to end up at the same with that state’s department of transportation—became operational over the summer using a system of 52 cameras at 13 locations, and overpriced store time and again. Nevertheless a more plans call for the addition of another 10 sites later this year. Alaska’s system, which began installations in 1999 and now uses 235 cameras, experimental airport is now underway in Coventry, UK, of all continues to expand and the state plans to add 140 cameras. Nav Canada also operates a system of 215 cameras. places. Unfortunately, it won’t be for humans – its relative size is that of a postage stamp compared to the likes of Charles de Gaulle. Instead, it’s for drones. Enter new technical company - Urban-Air Port. With support from manufacturer Hyundai, they’ve been awarded a £1.2 million ($1.64 million US) grant through the UK government, and their Future Flight Challenge program. The real objective of the world’s smallest airport is to test how eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) aircraft like delivery drones and air taxis can be integrated into a city’s wider mobility infrastructure. The airport is getting ready to be operational by November 2021. This project is something the UK government saw fit to invest in? Sunil Budhdeo, Transport Innovation Manager for Coventry City Council, shed some light on what the world’s smallest airport hopes to achieve. “One of the reasons we are at the forefront of this project is because of our obligations to reduce congestion and emissions,” according to Budhdeo. “He went on to explain that the project could test the effectiveness of drones being utilised in emergency services”. “If there’s an accident and someone needs emergency treatment and we’ve got a drone close by that can go and pick the passenger up and take them to the hospital, it would be more efficient than having a great big helicopter where you’d have to close the roads or close the traffic to make sure that the helicopter lands safely”. He is correct to be concerned about emissions.” The increase in delivery vehicles on the road will have an obviously negative effect on the environment. While our current struggle with the COVID-19 pandemic has led to more people staying home, this is consequently increasing the volume of home deliveries. More large delivery vehicles on the road means carbon emissions are still a threat. Should all go well, Urban- Air Port has plans to install over 200 more sites worldwide in response to growing calls to cut emissions and reduce traffic congestion.

ROLLS-ROYCE CONDUCTS UNBLENDED SAF TESTS. Rolls-Royce has conducted its first tests using 100 percent sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Testing took place at Rolls-Royce’s facility in in Dahlewitz, Germany. The test demonstrated that once again their current engines can operate with 100% SAF as a full ‘drop-in’ option, laying the groundwork for moving this type of fuel towards certification. At present, SAF is only certified for blends of up to 50% with conventional fuel and can be used on all current Rolls-Royce engines. The SAF used in the tests was produced by Paramount, California’s World Energy, sourced by Shell Aviation and delivered by SkyNRG. According to Rolls-Royce, unblended SAF has the “potential to reduce net CO2 lifecycle emissions by more than 75% compared to conventional fuel”.

Late 2020, Sebastian Kawa joined a group of European pilots who over-flew the Tatra Mopuntains in Poland - a dedication in memory of those who died on the mountain. Sebastian read a list of all climbers and pilots who lost their lives. A video of the flight is available on YouTube.

42 Gliding International March 2021 43 DRONES DELIVER AT-HOME COVID-19 TEST KITS - Test Kits Carried By A Flirtey Eagle COVID AND INFLUENZA UPDATES FOR PILOTS - There are some encouraging signs that both the number of cases and the burden of serious disease Delivery Drone. Flirtey and Vault Health have successfully conducted drone deliveries and deaths due to Covid is finally beginning to decline. Further, the flu season is all but negligible in comparison to past years. This is great news. What of the first FDA authorized saliva based COVID-19 test. Flirtey and Vault Health does this mean for pilots? While some early optimism might be emerging, we must remain on high alert and continue all recommended public safety have announced a partnership to test drone delivery of the at-home saliva based and infectious disease recommendations as per the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and federal, state, and local governments. The COVID-19 test. Using Flirtey’s drones to deliver the test kits to homes helps eliminate decline in total cases and disease impacts is perhaps a first sign of potential long-term lessening and relief from the pandemic. It will not go away exposure risks and creates further convenience, especially for those who do not live in overnight, of course, but little by little progress is being made. However, the Covid variants seem to be particularly adept at evading efforts to provide proximity to on-site testing locations. Flirtey has now successfully conducted drone immunity against them, hence making them more contagious than the original virus. It is clear that, for now anyway, we can’t let our guard down, and deliveries of at-home COVID-19 test kits. The test kits autonomously hovered and we should continue with the recommended mitigation strategies. lowered the test kits using Flirtey’s delivery mechanism. This enabled safe delivery of the packages into the backyard of a residential area in Northern Nevada. Once THE UK ECONOMY JUST POSTED ITS LARGEST ANNUAL DROP the packages were delivered, the local residents accessed a secure video call with a since Sir Isaac Newton was figuring out why things drop. health professional to supervise their saliva sample collection for the COVID-19 test. According to the Bank of England, 2020’s 9.9% contraction was Drone delivery of the test kits was faster than traditional mail, reducing the shipping the biggest blow to output since 1709, when the economy tanked process by up to 48 hours, which could lead to quicker results and reduce risk of 13% due to the “Great Frost”—the coldest European winter asymptomatic spread. “Our mission is to save lives and improve lifestyles by making in the last 500+ years. The 9.9% decline is more than double delivery instant for everyone. Conducting drone deliveries of at-home COVID-19 test the GDP shrinkage that occurred in 2009. It’s also a steeper kits with Vault Health is another huge step toward our mission. “As they expand their drop than most other wealthy countries, including the US— testing programs, they are working closely with the FAA on Type Certification. “It will whose economy fell 3.5% in 2020. Analysts say that Britain’s enable wide-scale use of our technology for commercial and life-saving applications,” economy relies more on face-to-face contact and recreation and says Flirtey Founder and CEO, Matthew Sweeny. despite tight restrictions on movement and business, the UK’s population still suffered greatly from the coronavirus, recording BIKE TO WORK - MORE FROM TESLA! In 2021, living more sustainably and consciously should be a priority for the highest death toll in Europe. Looking ahead...the UK could all of us. Whether it’s making changes in our daily lives, consumption, or even our means of transportation. Our see a turnaround in 2021. It’s outraced its peers in approving and typical fossil-fuel consuming means of transportation needs to be replaced by greener and more environment-friendly distributing vaccines, and consumers appear ready to open their alternatives, and Electric Bicycles are an appealing option! Not only do they curb fuel consumption and reduce wallets once the pandemic dies down (hopefully) by the summer. automotive emissions, but they’re also a healthy source of exercise for us! I mean, not only do we get to save the Earth from air pollution, but we can also get some intense cardio done. From foldable e-bicycles to touch-enabled PARIS AIRSHOW CANCELLED In light of the uncertainty linked to the current COVID-19 ones, we’ve got you covered with a wide variety of innovative, futuristic, and super stylish designs. Ride on! pandemic, the Paris Air Show organisation has made the decision to cancel the 2021 edition of the show, which was scheduled to take place June 21-27, 2021. The Board of Directors WHAT’S BREWING - Ford is doubling its EV (electric vehicle) investment to $22 billion through to 2025. The have taken this decision in response to the international health crisis and the large number automaker is also earmarking $5 billion more for self-driving over the same period. • In related news, Argo of visitors that this show attracts. The next edition of the Show will be held in June 2023, is expanding autonomous testing to highways. • Further, the Ford company will manufacture and sell the Mach-E in China. • For North at a date to be announced. Exhibitors will receive a full refund of all sums already paid. American customers, it’s making the electric Mustang in Mexico. • Meantime, Samsung is seeking $1 billion in tax incentives for a $17 “We are obviously disappointed not to be able to hold the 2021 show. After many months billion next-gen chip fabrication plant in Austin, TX. • President Biden has decided he will keep the US Space Force as a military branch. of all trade show activities being suspended throughout the world, the entire international • Singapore Airlines has a fleet of 185 passenger and cargo jets. They are only flying 64 of the airplanes due to Covid-related market aerospace and defence community was looking forward to being able to meet,” says Patrick suppression. It uses all seven of its freighters and has deployed 24 of its passenger jets on cargo-only services. Daher, Paris Air Show Chairman. “We have already started work to ensure that the 2023 edition celebrates the resurgence of the aerospace industry on an international scale.” According to Gilles Fournier, CEO (Paris Air Show), BOOSTING THE PERFORMANCE OF TODAY’S LITHIUM-ION BATTERIES BY INCORPORATING “We would like to extend a huge thank you to all of our partners, exhibitors and service providers for the trust they have placed in us. We SILICON INTO THE DESIGN, could boost their capacity by as much as 10 times! This from a share their disappointment, even in this period of crisis. The 2023 edition will be larger than ever, and we are already working to ensure its research team in Japan that has come up with a way of doing it which overcomes the durability success.” issues that have plagued these efforts so far. By relying on an anode component made out of tiny nano-scale arches provides some much-needed strength. Today’s lithium-ion batteries consist of a WHO’S FLYING WHAT ? pair of electrodes and an electrolyte solution to carry the lithium ions in between, with one of those electrodes, called the anode, made from graphite. This has served the devices well and seen them adopted for all kinds of uses, from smartphones, to laptops, to electric cars, but scientists see some exciting possibilities elsewhere. When a battery is being charged, lithium ions are forced to move from one side of the battery – the cathode – through an electrolyte solution to the other side of the battery – the anode according to Dr Marta Haro, first author of the new study. When a battery is being used, the lithium ions move back into the cathode and an electric current is released from the battery. But in graphite anodes, six atoms of carbon are needed to store one lithium ion, so the energy density of these batteries is low. Using silicon in place of graphite, meanwhile, could boost this energy density in significant ways, as each silicon atom can bind with four lithium ions. But efforts to achieve this have so far run into stability issues, as silicon doesn’t offer the same durability as graphite, tending to expand, contract and break apart as the battery is cycled. Haro and a team of researchers at Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST) are exploring yet another technique, involving a structure likened to a cake with layers of silicon placed in between metal nanoparticles. The team have been experimenting with layers of silicon of differing thicknesses, and found one sweet spot that gave the material some very useful properties. “The material became gradually stiffer, but then quickly decreased in stiffness when the thickness of the silicon layer was further increased,” says study author Theo Bouloumis. Source: Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University

IN 2012, WE REPORTED AN ANTICIPATED 30,000 DRONES OPERATING BY 2020. This was wayyyyy too low. According to the latest data now avaiable there are at least 1,746,248 registered drones in the U.S.A (and many more unregistered ones too). What are they being used for? We don’t have enough space to answer that question. Boston-based LEK Consulting predicts that drones could account for 30% of same-day package deliveries by 2040. Bottom line: The drone age is upon us, and according to writer Ryan Duffy. “Commercial drones will eventually be integrated into our everyday lives.” We seem to be managing our skies with this number of drones but what is the limit? Are you good at guessing?

44 Gliding International March 2021 45 THINGS WITH WINGS BRINGING YOU UP TO DATE - WE FILL IN THE GAPS

NEW AUSTALIAN RECORD CLAIMS Two Seater 750km triangle record claim - Keith Gately and Adam Woolley, 23/1/202, 120.76kph from Narromine. Plus Two Seater 500km triangle record claim - David Jansen and John Buchanan, 22/1/21, 138.83kph from Narromine, Both claims being assessed. (Jenny Thompson, Chair Soaring Development Panel). BGA COMPETITION RULES - An advance copy of the 2021 BGA rules for rated competitions has been published in draft form. Final publication will be made on March 1, 2021 and an advanced copy of 61 page document can be viewed at https://members.gliding. co.uk/library/competitions/bga-competition-rules/ ELECTRONIC CONSPICUITY EQUIPMENT REBATE - U.K. sailplane owners should be aware rebates of up to £250 for new Electronic Conspicuity (EC) devices are available from the Department for Transport (DfT) aimed at encouraging more adoption of EC within the UK’s General Aviation (GA) and Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) communities. (Closes March 31 2021). BGA RECLASSIFIES ASW20B AND C MODELS The ASW20B and C models are now eligible to compete in the U.K. Club Class Nationals (2021) and beyond using the same IGC handicap as the original ASW20 model. Changes to Annex A handicap list follows the consideration of a raft of newly acquired measured data. An IGC amended handicap list will appear in due course. VICTORIA STATE COMPETITION (AUSTRALIA) - BENALLA March 4 - 10, 2021. (Practice days March 1 - 3). Entry fee $A100. The dates support Pilots wanting to enter the Nationals at Darling Downs. Victoria will cater for ballasted and unballasted Club, Std, 15m, 18m, Open and 2 seat, depending on entries. Great tourist activities for your crew. BGA CONFERENCE AND AGM Due to the ongoing pandemic, the 2021 BGA annual conference will not take place. As previously reported the BGA AGM process will take place online on Tuesday p.m. March 2. Club secretaries will be advised in advance. A BGA awards event is to follow on a yet to be announced date. NEVER ENDING WOES FOR BOEING whose trading losses (Year 2020) exceeds $1.3bn, the biggest ever annual loss yet. The 737 MAX probelm has been excaperated by problems with the U.S. airforce Boeing KC-46A in-flight refuelling Pegasus tanker. Test trials are under way at Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma. The tanker is resposible for adding $275 million to the company’s loss. BREXIT! EU AND EASA EXIT - The BGA has published a temporary webpage highlighting new information about the UK’s exit fom the EU and EASA as it relates to gliding. The update (January 18, 2021) refers to taking a UK based sailplane into the EU on a temporary basis, and information about VAT on used aircraft being imported into the UK. FAA EMPLOYEE KEVIN STRONG ARRESTED and is among those arrested for connection with the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Strong, an airway transportation systems specialist, was arrested on January 22 and charged for entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, knowingly engaging in disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds. FAA-EASA AVIATION SAFETY CONFERENCE The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) have announced that, due to the pandemic, they have postponed the in-person 2021 FAA-EASA Aviation Safety Conference until 2022. They are working to secure dates and a location for the 2022 event. Furrther announcement follows. SENATE CONFIRMS BUTTIGIEG AS SECRETARY The U.S. senate has confirmed Pete Buttigieg as Department of Transportation Secretary, following Biden nomination. The aviation industry is congratulating the new SecTrans despite the fact that this particular Secretary has a less than impressive record or an actually working knowledge of the transportation industry. BURT RUTAN, “REMARKABLE” AEROSPACE LEADER, RECEIVES HOOVER HONORS —The famed designer has been awarded the “Bob” Hoover Trophy Award which recognises individuals who have exemplified courage, perseverance, together with airmanship, leadership, and passion for aviation. Rutan has designed 49 aircraft, including the Voyager and SpaceShipOne. MORE THAN 20 MILLION U.S. RESIDENTS COLLECTED UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS IN JANUARY but the totals are on a downward trend. The federal budget deficit will hit $2.3 trillion during the 2021 fiscal year. This deficit, which does not include Biden’s proposed $1.9 trillion stimulus plan, would come in below fiscal 2020’s deficit of $3.1 trillion. TECH THROWBACK WHO WOULD HAVE BELIEVED IT? Sixty years ago this month, the first wearable computer came to Las Vegas. Though the debut may have been high-stakes, it certainly wasn’t glamorous: The device, designed to predict roulette numbers and order, was concealed in its creator’s shoe. THE BIG PICTURE - • TOYOTA WILL DEBUT ITS FIRST MASS-MARKET EVS IN THE US THIS YEAR. Pivot from Prius? • European Union’s dream list: whether to build an advanced semiconductor factory in Europe • NASA is turning to Fitbit to help stop the spread of Covid to astronauts and employees. • Facebook is building a Clubhouse competitor, per the U.K. Times. BIG MOVE FOR SHELL - The giant oil company Shell have announced plans to build 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations worldwide over the next four years. This move builds on the existing 60,000 that already exist today. Yes, that Shell! QUANTUMSCAPE, A 10-YEAR-OLD SAN JOSE, CA, STARTUP BACKED BY BILL GATES, are saying that it has resolved lithium’s problems, and that VW, the giant German automaker, expects to have cars using pure metallic lithium in their batteries on the road by 2025.

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