Hanna Reitsch (1912-1979) was a well-known aviator, who started flying gliders. She made glider flight records one after another from 1932 to 1939, such as woman’s gliding endurance (5.5 hours), women’s gliding distance (305 km), first women to cross the Alps among others. During WW2, Reitsch became a test pilot for the Luftwaffe, and actually flew some technologically advanced military aircraft, such as the Me 262 jet fighter and the Me 163 rocket fighter. After the war, Reitsch returned to flying gliders and made remarkable glider records from 1952 to 1957.

The photo here shows the DFS Habicht (German: “hawk”) glider and Reitsch in 1938. 

This particular glider has been rebuilt several times after the war. One of them is shown here: it first flew in 2001. 

If you are interested in the technical aspects of the DFS Habicht, here are some. It’s a one-man glider: 6.58 m long, empty weight: 250 kg, maximum speed: 250 kmph, maximum glide ratio: 21. The last figure shows the performance of the glider particularly; it means that if a glider is 100 m high in the sky, it can travel 21 times that or 2,100 m in ideal conditions (without taking into account the wind).

Let me show you one of today’s popular gliders. It’s the German Grob G102 Astir, more than 1,200 machines have been built. Its glide ratio is 38. 

Are there any differences between those gliders before the war and after? One major advancement is the use of carborne fiber in today’s glider, resulting in lighter, stronger, and smoother-surfaced machines.  

What is the attraction of flying a glider? Without an engine, you can fly like a big bird by catching thermal drifts, aiming to fly longer, higher, and faster each time.  

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