VOICE ONE:
This is Steve Ember.
VOICE TWO:
And this is Shirley Griffith with the VOA Special Englishprogram, EXPLORATIONS. Today, we tell about a dream that is as oldas the human mind. The dream is flight. Today we tell about how thatdream has led to the sport of soaring. Soaring is flying in anairplane without an engine.
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VOICE ONE:
Every sport has a history. But few sports have a history thatgoes back one-thousand years. It was then that a Roman Catholic monkbuilt a device to fly.
History records say his name was Eilmer of Malmesbury England. Hereportedly jumped from a building with wings he had built. Hefloated down for about two hundred meters before crashing. He brokeboth his legs. It was not a good flight, but it was a beginning.
One of the most famous inventors and artists designed a flyingdevice in the fifteen-century. The Italian inventor-artist wasLeonardo da Vinci. Leonardo designed bird-like wings for a man towear. His drawings survive to this day.
VOICE TWO:
Real flight by humans developed very slowly because earlyinventors like Leonardo tried to make wings that moved. Leonardo andother inventors studied birds. They used the birds’ method of flightfor their designs. Their idea was that a person would wear wings ontheir arms and move them up and down just as a bird’s wings move.The idea always failed. We now know that a human does not haveenough power to move wings fast enough to fly.
The first real flights took place in Eighteen-Forty- Nine.British inventor George Cayley built a winged machine called aglider that carried a man. But it crashed after a short flight. InEighteen-Eighty- Three, an American, John J. Montgomery, made thefirst, controlled flight in a glider. In fact, he made several. ThenOtto Lilienthal of Germany made about two-thousand flights in simplegliders during the Eighteen-Nineties. He built a tall hill fromwhich to launch his flights.
Americans Wilbur and Orville Wright flew several kinds ofgliders. They also improved methods of controlling their gliderflights. Their successful experiments with gliders led to the firstaircraft powered by an engine.
VOICE ONE:
The gliders of long ago could only stay in the air for limitedamounts of time. Usually they were launched from a high place. Theyslowly floated or glided down. Modern technology has made the glidera high performance machine. It can stay up for many hours. It canreach many kilometers into the sky by riding on the hot air thatrises from the ground. It can carry one, two or more people.
Modern gliders are built from space-age lightweight metals, orplastics. They can carry radios, oxygen needed for extreme heights,and many flight instruments.
Many modern gliders or sailplanes look more like insects thanbirds. They have narrow, rounded bodies, with long thin tails. Theirwings are extremely long too.
There is very little room inside. The pilot does not sitstraight. The seat permits the pilot to almost lie down in an areaenclosed by a plastic top. The top is clear. This lets the pilot seevery well in every direction.
VOICE TWO:
A pilot controls a sailplane or glider much the same as otheraircraft. Control instruments called ailerons are built into eachwing. With one aileron raised and the other lowered, the plane willturn in the direction of the raised aileron.
Another control is on the tail. It is called the elevator. Itswings up and down. The elevator makes the plane move up or down.
The tail also has a control that moves from side to side. It iscalled a rudder. It helps direct the plane. The pilot controls therudder with foot pedals. The pilot uses a device called a stick tocontrol the ailerons and elevators. Moving the stick from side toside moves the ailerons. Moving the stick forward points the gliderdown. Pulling back on the stick makes it go up.
In front of the pilot are several instruments. One shows how highthe glider is. Another shows the air speed. Another is a compassthat shows what direction the glider is flying. And another tells ifthe glider is going up, or down.
VOICE ONE:
The modern glider is like those designed hundreds of years ago.It has no power. It can get into the air only with help. In theUnited States, a powered airplane usually pulls the glider into theair. The glider is usually pulled up to one thousand meters. Thenthe rope used to pull the glider is released. The glider is on itsown.
Every school child knows that hot air rises. Glider pilots learnthis fact. They learn how to use it. As hot air rises from theground, it creates enough pressure to permit a modern glider torise. It provides the power to keep the glider in the air. When theglider has risen as high as the pilot wants, he steers the glideraway from the hot air. A glider pilot who has enough rising hot aircan keep the aircraft in the air for several hours.
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VOICE TWO:
Howard Hoadley lives in the southern state of North Carolina.When Howard is not working, or sleeping, Howard thinks about flying.Howard loves to fly. When he is not flying gliders, he is talkingabout flying gliders. Or he is talking about glider equipment, goodplaces to fly gliders and about his friends who fly gliders.
He has very little interest in flying airplanes that haveengines. He thinks they make too much noise. Flying with Howard issafe. It is also fun.
Howard flies from a very small airport in beautiful NorthCarolina farm land. Crops grow next to the landing field. There arepowered airplanes at the airport but Howard only cares about theones that pull the gliders into the air. On weekends and holidays,gliders land and take off every few minutes.
VOICE ONE:
If you have never been in a glider before, Howard always takestime to explain how it works. He shows how to use the safety belts.He explains each of the instruments and what they do. He shows howthe controls work. He makes each passenger feel good about trying anew experience. And he tells his passengers that they will have achance to fly the glider themselves once they are safely in the air.
The glider Howard usually flies can carry two people. One sits inthe front and one behind. Howard, as the pilot, rides behind thepassenger. Howard and the passenger both have a complete set offlight instruments and controls.
The glider is launched with safety as the first consideration. Aperson on the ground provides support for both the pilot of theglider and the pilot of the plane that will pull the gilder into theair. That person controls the launch and uses hand signs tocommunicate with both pilots.
When everything is ready the sign to go is given. The person onthe ground runs along with the glider to keep its wings level forthe first few feet.
VOICE TWO:
The take-off area is covered with grass. So the ride is not verysmooth. Howard tells his passengers to expect to feel many bumps inthe first few moments. The glider moves faster and faster, as theairplane pulling it gathers speed. Within seconds both aircraft liftoff the ground. The ride now is very smooth. You can hear the soundof the airplane engine in the plane that is pulling the glider.
VOICE ONE:
It takes a few minutes to reach the height where the rope holdingthe glider to the airplane is released. When the rope is released,the glider turns to the right. The airplane goes left.
Now no loud sound is heard in the glider, only the sound of theair passing under the glider’s wings. The clear plastic glass thatcovers the front of the glider provides a beautiful sight in alldirections. The ground far below is green. There are dark greentrees, green corn, and grass. A farm is seen in the distance. And,far below is the airport, with aircraft lined up in a row.
VOICE TWO:
Howard looks to make sure there are no other aircraft in thearea. Then he tells his passenger to place his right hand on thestick and his feet on the rudder pedals. Howard takes his hands andfeet off the controls.
Howard tells the passenger, “Now, turn to the left. Move thestick to the left and press the left rudder pedal at the sametime…stick and rudder together always. Now try pushing the stickforward a little. Now turn to the right.”
Howard sounds happy. Then he says one of the most exciting thingsthe passenger will ever hear: “Now you are really flying … all byyourself.”
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VOICE ONE:
This Special English program was written and produced by PaulThompson. This is Steve Ember.
VOICE TWO:
And this is Shirley Griffith. Join us again next week at thistime for another EXPLORATIONS program on the Voice of America.