![]() To enable gliders to soar more effectively than primary gliders, the designs minimized drag. These were known as " primary gliders" and they were usually launched from the tops of hills, though they are also capable of short hops across the ground while being towed behind a vehicle. As their performance improved, gliders began to be used for cross-country flying and now regularly fly hundreds or even thousands of kilometres in a day if the weather is suitable.Įarly gliders had no cockpit and the pilot sat on a small seat located just ahead of the wing. The sporting use of gliders rapidly evolved in the 1930s and is now their main application. Germany's strong links to gliding were to a large degree due to post-World War I regulations forbidding the construction and flight of motorised planes in Germany, so the country's aircraft enthusiasts often turned to gliders and were actively encouraged by the German government, particularly at flying sites suited to gliding flight like the Wasserkuppe. ![]() In 1903, they successfully added an engine.Īfter World War I gliders were first built for sporting purposes in Germany. In the early 1900s, the Wright Brothers built gliders using movable surfaces for control. In the 1890s, Otto Lilienthal built gliders using weight shift for control. Sir George Cayley's gliders achieved brief wing-borne hops from around 1849. History įor early attempts to fly, see Early flying machines. Another type is the self-launching "touring motor glider", where the pilot can switch the engine on and off in flight without retracting the propeller. Other motor gliders have enough thrust to launch themselves before the engine is retracted and are known as "self-launching" gliders. Some high-performance motor gliders (known as "self-sustaining" gliders) may have an engine-driven retractable propeller which can be used to sustain flight. Motor gliders are gliders with engines which can be used for extending a flight and even, in some cases, for take-off. They were often used just once and then usually abandoned after landing, having served their purpose. ![]() The prime example of non-soaring gliders were military gliders (such as those used in the Second World War). They were simply engine-less aircraft towed by another aircraft to a desired destination and then cast off for landing. These days almost all gliders are sailplanes, but in the past many gliders were not. Sailplanes are usually launched by winch or aerotow, though other methods, auto tow and bungee, are occasionally used. These latter types are described in separate articles, though their differences from sailplanes are covered below. In contrast hang gliders and paragliders use the pilot's feet for the start of the launch and for the landing. Sailplanes have rigid wings and either skids or undercarriage. In still air, sailplanes can glide long distances at high speed with a minimum loss of height in between. Aircraft with these features are able to soar – climb efficiently in rising air produced by thermals or hills. Gliders benefit from producing very low drag drag for any given amount of lift, and this is best achieved with long, thin wings, a slender fuselage and smooth surfaces with an absence of protuberances. ASH25M-a self-launching two-seater glider
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