Progress in Sailplane Design

Abstract

Compared with the general advance of aeronautics in the past decade, or indeed with sailplane development in the 20's and 30's, progress in sailplane design has recently been very leisurely. This is due in part to the fact that there is less scope and partly because little effort has been expended. The most important advances in the art have been in the understanding and use of meteorological conditions which make soaring flight possible; sailplanes good enough for the purpose have existed.Before the Second World War the main design impetus came from Germany and Poland and in most current designs the German influence is still strongly evident. Since the war there have been outbreaks of activity in Switzerland (W.L.M.I., Moswey), Canada (where Shenstone and Czerwinski have inspired designs at Toronto) and in the United States. The total effort has not added up to that in pre-war Germany.