Air transport using a fixed-wing aircraft with no engine of its own, which stays aloft and travels by exploiting rising air currents after being launched by a winch, a tow behind a powered aircraft, or occasionally a bungee or vehicle tow. Gliding developed as pilots studying heavier-than-air flight worked out how a wing could sustain unpowered flight, and it remains chiefly a sporting and recreational activity rather than a practical way to move people or goods.
Facts
Core ConcernSustaining unpowered flight in a fixed-wing glider or sailplane by using naturally occurring currents of rising air to remain airborne. 1 Origin YearWikipedia dates the start of gliding as an organized sport to the 1920s, with the first German gliding competition held at the Wasserkuppe in 1920, the year used here. Unpowered manned glider flight itself is older, tracing to glider flights associated with Sir George Cayley in the 1850s. Sources
1. Wikipedia: Gliding
WikipediaLead paragraph, first sentence
Gliding is a recreational activity and competitive air sport in which pilots fly unpowered aircraft known as gliders or sailplanes using naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmosphere to remain airborne.
Lead paragraph, second sentence
Gliding as a sport began in the 1920s.
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