The aircraft is a 1935 Schempp-Hirth Gö-3 Minimoa. The ship on final looks to be landing to the south at Gorham.
Richard DuPont set the world altitude record (21,939) in 1938 in one of these using a thunderstorm to find the lift. Flying in thunderstorms makes rotor seem like light turbulence.
The story is written up in Soaring mag, December 1938. You can find it online at SSA, and it is worth a read. It's the story of the very first wave flight at Mt Washington, even if the wave wasn't properly identified as such by the pilot, Lew Barringer.
I remember taking a tow into wave behind a Stearman that was based in Gorham. It was part of the ride operation there. The tow rope was a 1" manilla thing that sagged a good 10' below the tug/glider pair. Both aircraft were off the grass well before the rope.
The story is also posted on the MWSA site and is archived as part of the National Historic Landmark of Soaring for Mount Washington.
Conway NH circa 1975.
ReplyDeleteI let someone else name the glider, it's to easy.
It's waaaaaay before 1975.
ReplyDelete-T8
I'm not so sure. This glider could have been around in 1975. We're still flying one that was designed in the forties!
ReplyDeleteBut this glider *wasn't* around in 1975. Another clue.
ReplyDelete-T8
It's hard to tell, but I think the guy flying it looks like Andy.
ReplyDeleteThe aircraft is a 1935 Schempp-Hirth Gö-3 Minimoa. The ship on final looks to be landing to the south at Gorham.
ReplyDeleteRichard DuPont set the world altitude record (21,939) in 1938 in one of these using a thunderstorm to find the lift. Flying in thunderstorms makes rotor seem like light turbulence.
Kevin: right vintage, anyway.
ReplyDeleteTime for another clue: this is an American designed and built sailplane.
-T8
Another clue, I suspect, is that we were about to go to war with the folks who were flying the Minimoa.
ReplyDeleteSomehow it reminds me of this plate: http://tinyurl.com/6db8y7p
ReplyDeleteOkay, Rick's got it. It's Harland Ross' Ibis, the successor to the more famous Zanonia. Now, who brought it to NH and what did they do with it?
ReplyDeleteMan I'd love to watch that thing get towed aloft by some cowled radial engine hotrod of the same era. A Monocoupe maybe. Or an Airmaster.
-T8
zzzzZZZzzzzzzzzzzZZZZZzzzzz
ReplyDeleteMan, this crew is sleepy.
The story is written up in Soaring mag, December 1938. You can find it online at SSA, and it is worth a read. It's the story of the very first wave flight at Mt Washington, even if the wave wasn't properly identified as such by the pilot, Lew Barringer.
-T8
I remember taking a tow into wave behind a Stearman that was based in Gorham. It was part of the ride operation there. The tow rope was a 1" manilla thing that sagged a good 10' below the tug/glider pair. Both aircraft were off the grass well before the rope.
ReplyDeleteThe story is also posted on the MWSA site and is archived as part of the National Historic Landmark of Soaring for Mount Washington.
Here: http://tinyurl.com/3fjss46
ReplyDeleteI had to recuse myself since I wrote that story.
That's a much more believable excuse than some we've heard.
ReplyDelete