Impressions 23

Translated an newspaper article about the Dolkosh. The „swift-part“ is here:

[comment to pic of me entering the swift (see dropbox)]
Suppleness is an advantage when entering the narrow cockpit of the Aeriane Swift. The wingspan of the wing is comparatively huge, it is just under 13 metres. 

A flying wing Aeriane Swift was one of the special features of the Dolkosh recently at the flight school in Kühndorf.

The mere fact that only one of his kind recently landed at the Dolmar flight school at the Dolkosh flight meeting illustrates the special position of the single-winged aircraft. Flying wings, belong to the "tailless". These are aircraft that have no other horizontal surfaces besides their main wing. Unlike a "normal" aircraft, they do not have a separate vertical stabiliser. The stability necessary for the flight around the longitudinal and transverse axis is generated by the wing itself. These gliders - mainly represented in Germany by the flying wing "Swift", a construction originating from the USA - represent a special facet of ultralight (UL) aviation. They are comparatively inexpensive, light, removable and then also transportable on the car roof.

Flying like a bird has always been man's dream. It has never been so easy to enjoy unlimited freedom. This is how fans rave about the Swift, which closes the gap between dragon and glider. Easy to fly, easy to control and absolutely safe, it should be the Swift, which comes in its basic version as a foot-start-capable hang glider.

The Swift is also available as an electric version (electric drive) and gas powered gliders. The engine and propeller are mounted behind the pilot. Motorised is given complete independence from UL towing and winch towing. "Start with engine power, get into the thermals and use silently rising air and then just slide and enjoy," Swift pilots are enthusiastic who can rely on engine support. Whether flying, crammed in a bathtub-sized capsule in an approximately lying position, is actually a pleasure, the question will hardly be asked by a Swift pilot. Anyone who has observed at the recent Dolkosh how difficult it was to enter the pulpit of a motorised Aeriane Swift PAS may have certain doubts about enjoyment. Not so the pilot who recently landed at Dolmar after a flight lasting several hours. His facial expressions expressed nothing but limitless fun in flying.

The roots of the only wing construction principle go back 120 years. The Austrian Ignaz Etrich developed the first only wing in 1903 on the model of the flying seed of a plant (for example, the "Pusteblume" dandelion) and received a patent on it in 1905. During the Second World War, the first aerodynamic experiments were made with jet-driven only wings. Two German brothers, Reimar and Walter Horten, developed the first single-winged jet. Although the "Horten IX" was no longer used in war, the experiences of the Horten brothers later flowed into the development of the stealth bomber B-2 Spirit Stealth in the USA.