Wind and Wings: The History of Soaring in San Diego.
By Gary Fogel. San Diego: Rock Reef Publishing, 2000. Notes, glossary, illustrations, index, 226 pages. $21.50 Paper.
Reviewed by Rolf Schulze, Professor Emeritus of Sociology at San Diego State University, who has been flying a variety of powered aircraft and sailplanes since 1957.
At first glance the history of aviation appears to be relatively brief. After all, the Wright brothers made their well-documented powered flight less than one hundred years ago. However, we tend to forget that they and others before them flew gliders to improve their aircraft designs and flying skills. Thus non-powered or motor-less flight has a somewhat longer history than powered flight. Gary Fogel's well researched history of glider flying in San Diego begins with and documents the earliest aircraft and pilots to experience active flight in, over, or near San Diego. There is still no consensus among aviation historians whether John J. Montgomery or Otto Lilienthal was the first to conduct and complete a successful glider flight. Montgomery was reported to have made a few short flights south of San Diego in 1883, while Lilienthal made over 80 well-documented flights in Berlin, Germany, starting in 1889. If Montgomery was first, then San Diego's eminent
role in aviation is indeed assured.
The dream of human flight has been with us since the first human beings marveled about the seemingly effortless flight of eagles and other raptors circling in unseen thermals above. Perhaps only mountain climbers could gain a bird-like perspective, until the early balloonist achieved a similar feat toward the end of the 18th century. Ballooning, though not static, was still subject to the direction of the prevailing winds. Thus the first experimental glider flights finally gave humans the ability to achieve real three-dimensional movement in the air. Truly a remarkable achievement for the aviation pioneers in the last decades of the nineteenth century.
Gary Fogel's richly illustrated book is an important contribution to Southern California's aviation history. At first, motorless flight was primarily gliding down from a suitable elevation into the prevailing (mostly westerly) winds. This gave San Diego an advantage over other locations since the West Coast, including San Diego, has many gentle and hilly areas facing the prevailing westerly winds. Starting in the 1920s aircraft technology had advanced sufficiently to permit true soaring flight; that is, sailplanes were built in San Diego which could rise above their initial launch altitude to attain sustained flight lasting several hours. By 1930 real soaring flight had become possible.
Fogel's first chapter lists virtually every glider built or flown in San Diego during the period from 1883 to the late 1920s. Some of the data collected and reproduced by Fogel shows that this material was assembled primarily to make the case for the Torrey Pines glider port as a national historical landmark. Subsequent chapters cover the aircraft and early glider records set by local pilots and others who came to San Diego to fly our coastal cliffs, particularly Point Loma, Mount Soledad, and the Torrey Pines area. Of particular note is Charles Lindbergh and Anne Morrow Lindbergh who both earned their glider licenses here. Among other notables is Paul MacCready who has a distinguished record in modern aviation, among other accomplishments, being the designer of the Gossamer Albatross which resulted in the first successful human powered flight over the English channel.
Fogel's compilation of the first seven decades of motorless flight is of interest primarily to those interested in this type of aviation. However, soaring or sailplane flight is still quite popular in San Diego as well as the rest of the world. Even though modern sailplanes are much more capable than the earlier models described in Fogel's book, they can also be quite expensive. Nevertheless, soaring is typically more affordable than flying powered aircraft. Thus soaring enjoys widespread popularity, particularly in countries where most other types of aviation are less accessible and usually prohibitively expensive.
The later chapters of Gary Fogel's book contain the more interesting and often first-hand accounts of the pioneering efforts of our local pilots. Typically these pilots were flying very light and fragile aircraft in often turbulent, high, and thus cold conditions without the instrumentation and relative comforts of modern sailplanes. Nevertheless, many records were set in terms of distance, duration, and altitude attained. Mishaps and accidents also occurred as they do to this day. However, what is remarkable is the perseverance and persistence of the pioneers described in this delightful volume. This book illustrates the allure of the sport of soaring quite well. It is hoped that Gary Fogel will indeed finish the second volume in the series covering the next fifty years through the end of the millennium.
