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World Air Games Turin 2009 - The disciplines: gliding
 The origins of gliding
The German, Otto Lillienthal, is recognised by everyone as the father of gliding, if not the first person to fly with a heavier-than-air machine, which he did in 1891 with the so-called "Derwitzer Glider".
For historical accuracy, one should remember that, at least 40 years earlier, (between 1849 and 1853) Sir George Cayley (Great Britain) designed a glider that succeeded in leaving the ground several times.
Otto Lillienthal died on 9th August 1896 when a gust of wind snapped his wing and he fell from a height of 17metres. After being shelved for some time, gliding reappears in 1917, in attempts made by several young DarmstadtUniversity students on the Wasserkuppe (Germany) following the progress achieved by applying an engine to their rudimentary machines.
It was, however, the Treaty of Versailles in 1919 which, by preventing German youth from pursuing powered flight, forced them to seek the same pure excitement from gliding flight that was otherwise denied them.
Gliding in Italy
Gliding was still in its infancy and surrounded by a mysterious attraction, when it made its first appearance in Italy.
Organised by the National Air League (Lega Aerea Nazionale) with the help of a number of celebrated German pioneers, an international rally was held on the high plateau of Asiago in 1924. On the Italian side, there were only goodwill and enthusiasm, but no experience. Flights were, however, also made with Italian machines. Our home-grown pioneers were University of Pavia people, with their "Goliardia" and "Febo Paglierini". It was the first Italian glider pilots, Segré and Cattaneo, who carried out the first non-powered flights on the slopes of the Sisemol on the Asiago plateau, while the Germans gave clear signs of an enviable mastery.
At Asiago, on that occasion (October 1924), Franco Segré set national duration records as well as the first record for distance in a straight line with a flight which, starting with a launch (by 12 men on two bungees) from Mount Mazze, ended in a landing on the plain below at Fara Vicentina.
Also worth remembering are the flights by maresciallo Canavesi with his glider Condor, constructed by Luigi Teichfus.
The experience from the Asiago rally was not without fruit, but we have to wait until 1926 to record a repeat which signals the real start of Italian gliding.
It is, in fact, in the autumn of that year that Lt. Nannini, accomplishes several logged flights with a glider constructed by Luigi Teichfus on the airfield at Bologna.
From these first brief flights, Nannini became aware of the didactic possibilities of motorless flight and disseminated the idea of opening the first flying school of its kind in Italy at Pavullo, (Frignano) (under the patronage of the Air Ministry).
 In August 1927, after a one-month course, (on single seat gliders of a type based on the extremely popular "Zögling") the school awarded flying licences to the first Italian glider pilots.
For several years, the school at Pavullo turned out hundreds of "A" and "B" certificates and it was, in fact, close to that airfield that Nannini achieved the first Italian “C” certificate in 1929, with a slope-soaring flight of about 12 minutes.
Also in 1929, Nannini gave the first Italian demonstration aero-tow at an air show in Milan. The tow-plane was piloted by the famous test pilot Ambrogio Colombo, the glider was a "Gabbiano" (Seagull) with a high, wind-braced wing and an undercarriage that gave it a somewhat un-gliderlike appearance.
The system of launching by elastic cable (bungee) soon proved to be unsuitable for lowland flights and in 1934, winch-launching began. The successor gliders to the "Zögling" were called"Cantù"s. Adopting the winch system considerably raised the technical level of the flights, which reached altitudes of around 100 meters in the launch phase.
1934 was the year in which gliding flight of a certain importance began, accomplished, after innumerable less fortunate attempts, on the slopes of Vigna di Valle with a glider of the "Biancone" type, constructed by the Aeronautica Bonomi company (designer: Silva) and piloted by Nannini, who stayed in the air for more than 1 hour and a half. This was the first, regularly homologated, Italian duration record, quickly broken by Fulvio Zasa (2 hrs 50 minutes) who subsequently improved it to over 4 hours.
Launching was by winch or by bungee. The gliding flight was along slopes and always at relatively low altitudes. The possibility of progressing to dynamic and thermal lift is still far off, as much due to the characteristics of the area as to the pilots’ low level of experience.
The gliders flown were Italian designs (Teichfus and Silva) of various types and varying characteristics, mainly still close to the prototype state, until the appearance at Asiago of the Preti, which were the first gliding craft in Italy to go into serial production. In 1936, on the occasion of the Berlin Olympics, gliding was present as a demonstration sport. Italy was represented by a team led by Lt. Col. Nannini and composed of military pilots Tait, Moci, Peselli and Bellò and Angeloni, Garbelli, Caneppele and Venturini.
In 1939, the duration record was broken first by Mantelli, with 7 hours 29 minutes, then by Bellò with 8 hours 21m, and finally by Gada with 9 hours 10 minutes.
In 1940, Carlo Stricher takes the record to 10h45. This record would remain unbeaten for 14 years before the great Mantelli took it in one leap to over 24 hours.
In distance flights, of much greater technical and sporting interest, it is again Mantelli who inscribes his name in the golden record book with a flight of 107km, accomplished in 1939 and then beaten by him with 120km from Sezze Romano to Orte Umbria). This record also remained unbroken for quite a time.
In altitude flying too, progress was being made, starting with 1,609 meters by Nannini in 1936, by Guerrini with 2,400m. in 1939, by Deslex with 3,650m in 1939, to peak with a climb to 5,050 m. carried out at Asiago, also by Deslex, with "Cat 28". This record too would resist for a long time.
The outbreak of war did not interrupt the gliding activities, which received a major push in 1941 and 1942 but for predominantly pre-military purposes. To respond to a lack of training gliders, the FL.3 aircraft was used, which, having no propeller, was towed into the air by a variety of different aircraft, from Breda 19 and 25, to RO37, RO41, up to CR42 and SM81.
In the immediate post-war period, in Milan, gliding enthusiasts founded the FIVV (Italian Gliding Federation), of which the Baron Casana was the first president, followed by Vittorio Bonomi.
In 1948, at the World Championshipsin Samaden, an Italian pilot, by name, Fulvio Padova, participated for the first time, but it was only at the 1952 Worlds in Madrid that an official Italian team competed in world championships for the first time.
The Italian team was composed of the only three pilots to hold the FAI Silver "C" , minimum qualification for entry to the competition and they were: Mantelli, Baldisseri and Guerrini with the two-seat glider "Canguro" and Brigliadori Riccardo with the single-seat "Pinocchio".
The raggle taggle expedition thrown together a bit haphazardly was headed by Nannini. Just imagine, that for lack of a suitable trailer, Guerrini’s glider was aero-towed from Florence to Madrid by Major Greco over two long flying days.
Our team returned from Madrid with many valuable awards and with satisfying results.
The Mantelli-Baldisseri pair came 4th and Guerrini 16th, in the two-seat category, while Brigliadori was 29th out of 38 competitors in the single-seater and brought home a Gold “C” distance badge for having completed a flight of 340 km.
On 28th October 1949, Adriano Mantelli, on board a Meise, finally beat the Italian free distance record, taking it to 440 km.
Gliding in Turin
In 1933, the Aero Club d'Italia invited dr. Robert Kronfeld in order to present the growing "gliding” movement in Italy.
Robert Kronfeld, an Austrian Jew, was an aerobatics champion, student of gliding technology, writer of technical texts regarding the glider and meteorology, in function of motor-less flight. For racial reasons, Kronfeld moved to England which is where he died.
Kronfeld was invited to Turin by the then president of the Aero Club of Turin, Count Thaon di Revel. Kronfeld presented the glider in an enthusiastically-received air show at the Gino Lisa airfield in Mirafiori.
On that occasion, Kronfeld met Baron Casana, the happy owner of a Caproncino, and invited him to take part in an air show which was held in the skies over Vienna, at the LuxembourgCastle, in the presence of the Chancellor, Dolfuss.
With the impulse of this energy, the « sailing flight » or gliding section of the Aero Club of Turin was established, with the Baron Piero Casana its first director.
In July 1939, the first Turin gliding week was held at the Gino Lisa (Mirafiori) airfield.
 The second gliding week was organised at Turin’s Aeritalia airport in 1948 (forerunner of the now traditional "City of Turin Trophy") and was particularly successful, due to the participation of numerous glider pilots old and new, among whom we should mention Mantelli, Vaghi, Galimberti, Lagler and Riccardo Brigliadori (elder brother of Leonardo who won the World Championships in Standard Class in 1985).
Very active, among others, in the gliding section of the Aero Club of Turin were two brothers, Piero and Alberto Morelli (pilots and designers of gliders) and it was the Engineer Piero Morelli who, in 1950, replaced Baron Casana in charge of the section, when the latter took on the vice-presidency of the Aero Club under the president, FIAT’s Giovanni Agnelli.
The competitions
The Glider Grand Prix Racing competitions
This type of competition was initially tried and tested in France, where it was invented, with the first World final at Saint Auban in September 2005.
Take-offs and landings will take place in front of the public, who will be in the grandstands or on the grass.
The ideal moment for take-off is between 12.00 noon and 14.00h.
After take-off, the tow-plane with its glider attached will turn west towards the closest mountains, about 10 km, which they should reach in about 9 minutes.
In this zone, and at a height of 1,000-1,300 meters, the glider will release from the tow-craft, which returns to the airfield, while the glider maintains position awaiting the Start.
The competitors set off all at once(regatta start) crossing the virtual startline, which is situated between Monte Musinè and Monte Curt.
The competition area extends around the city of Turin, to the North, West and South, over Piedmont andLombardy.
The furthest points are Varese to the north east and Mondovì to the south and in June, it is normal to be able to fly more than 250 Km.
The competition route is decided according to the meteorological conditions of the day and communicated to thecompetitors during the morning’s daily briefing.
The gliders must complete the assigned task, which includes having to turn inside virtual shapes or turn-pointscorresponding to references on the ground (churches, bridges etc.)
GPS equipment on board checks that the pilots do not cut corners, in other words, that they have indeed fully completed the assigned course.
The first pilot to return and cross the finish line at the Aeroporto di Torino Aeritalia and in front of the crowd of spectators will be the winner.
Organising experience
Aeroclub Torino has a great deal of experience in organising gliding competitions. For over 45 years, they have organised at least one national level competition annually.
TEST EVENT
At Aero Club of Turin from 16th to 21th June 2008.
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Right from the construction of the first gliders, after the Wright brothers started flying, the glider has been considered above all as a means of flying for sport. This, apart from the training role, is its principle use today.
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