Primary glider
Encyclopedia
Primary glider
s 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.
Constructed of wood
, metal
cables and cloth, primary gliders were very light and easy to fly. They generally had no cockpit and no instruments.
, 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.
and safety enhancements.
Glider aircraft
Glider aircraft are heavier-than-air craft that are supported in flight by the dynamic reaction of the air against their lifting surfaces, and whose free flight does not depend on an engine. Mostly these types of aircraft are intended for routine operation without engines, though engine failure can...
s are a category of aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
that enjoyed worldwide popularity during the 1920s and 1930s as people strove for simple and inexpensive ways to learn to fly.
Constructed of wood
Wood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
, metal
Metal
A metal , is an element, compound, or alloy that is a good conductor of both electricity and heat. Metals are usually malleable and shiny, that is they reflect most of incident light...
cables and cloth, primary gliders were very light and easy to fly. They generally had no cockpit and no instruments.
Operations
Primary gliders were generally launched by bungee cordBungee cord
A bungee cord , also known as a shock cord, is an elastic cord composed of one or more elastic strands forming a core, usually covered in a woven cotton or polypropylene sheath...
, 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.
Modern Primaries
Modern versions of primary gliders are still built, but, while they are much like the originals in appearance, they are usually constructed with compositesComposite material
Composite materials, often shortened to composites or called composition materials, are engineered or naturally occurring materials made from two or more constituent materials with significantly different physical or chemical properties which remain separate and distinct at the macroscopic or...
and safety enhancements.
Types
Examples include:- Detroit G1 GullDetroit G1 Gull|-See also:...
- DFS SG 38 SchulgleiterDFS SG 38 Schulgleiter|-See also:...
- Elliotts Primary EoNElliotts Primary EoN|-See also:...
- Jongblood PrimaryJongblood Primary|-See also:...
- Manuel VI PrimaryManuel VI Primary|-See also:...
- Payne I.C.1Payne I.C.1-External links:*...
- Reynard R.4 Primary
- Sands Replica 1929 Primary GliderSands Replica 1929 Primary Glider|-See also:...
- Schweizer SGP 1-1Schweizer SGP 1-1|-See also:-External links:**...
- Slingsby Grasshopper
- Slingsby PrimarySlingsby Primary-See also:-References:* Ellison, N.H. British Gliders and Sailplanes 1922-1970. A & C Black, 1971* Simons, M. Slingsby Sailplanes. Airlife Publishing, 1996 - ISBN 1-85310-732-8...
- Stamer Lippisch Zögling