Primary glider
Primary gliders are a category of aircraft that enjoyed worldwide popularity during the 1920s and 1930s as people strove for simple and inexpensive ways to learn to fly.[1]
Constructed of wood, metal cables and cloth, primary gliders were very light and easy to fly. They generally had no cockpit and no instruments.[1]
Operations
[edit]Primary gliders were generally launched by bungee cord, whereby a rubber rope was arranged in a "V" with the glider at the apex. The ends of the rope were pulled by hand to launch the glider from a slope. Primaries were also launched by auto-tow and auto-bungee tow. Ramp launching from cliffs was also attempted successfully.[1]
Modern primaries
[edit]Modern versions of primary gliders are still built, but, while they are much like the originals in appearance, they are usually constructed with composites and safety enhancements.
Types
[edit]Examples include:
- Bonomi BS.16 Allievo Bonomi
- Cessna CG-2
- Cloudcraft Dickson Primary
- Detroit G1 Gull
- DFS SG 38 Schulgleiter
- Elliotts Primary EoN
- Jongblood Primary
- Manuel VI Primary
- Payne I.C.1
- Reynard R.4 Primary
- Sands Replica 1929 Primary Glider
- Schweizer SGP 1-1
- Slingsby Grasshopper
- Slingsby Primary[2]
- Šoštarić Vrabac
- Stamer Lippisch Zögling[3]
- Warsztaty Szybowcowe Wrona
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Schweizer, Paul A: Wings Like Eagles, The Story of Soaring in the United States, pages 14-22. Smithsonian Institution Press, 1988. ISBN 0-87474-828-3
- ^ Description of RFD/Slingsby T3 Dagling Archived 2011-07-16 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Description of the Zögling Archived 2011-06-05 at the Wayback Machine
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