borne him to the base of the cloud and departs in search of others. In this way cross-country flights of great distances can be accomplished. The world's distance record for sailplanes stands to-day at over 400 miles, and was set up by Rastorguzev in Russia. Thermal flight is the ambition of every hill soaring pilot. As long as he is a hill soarer he is confined to beating up and down above his hill, and he wants to be free to wander, instead of 500 feet high, at 5,000, where.he has a much greater range. The rising air of the hill must therefore be regarded merely as a spring-board from which he can find the thermals which can set him free. On days when there is too little wind to hill soar, or if it is blowing in the wrong direction, it will be realized that the soaring pilot has to find some other means of obtaining the initial height to look for thermals. Aeroplane towing is just becoming commonplace in this country, and as a means of getting soaring craft into the air is most successful. A 300 foot length of 3/16 in. steel cable is attached to a quick release in the aeroplane tail. The other end is attached in the same way to the nose of the sailplane. The aeroplane takes off, tows the sailplane behind it, and at 2;000 feet or so the sailplane pilot disengages his end of the tow cable and begins to study his variometer. He finds his thermal, and up and away he goes. Aeroplane towing is surprisingly easy, and a comparatively inexperienced pupil may be launched quite safely by this means. There is little to compare with the joy of thermal flying. To climb in graceful circles, in a good machine—watching the variometer as if your very life depended on it—playing a sort of blind man's buff with the column of rising air—has to be experienced to be believed. There is only the whistle of the wind for company, and only a little instrument plus your own skill in using it, to enable the flight to be prolonged. The patch of ground from which you have taken off has shrunk to the size of a postage stamp and you are rubbing shoulders with the clouds. Surely this is a thrilling enough goal for anyone with a little imagination to aim at? Why not join a gliding camp and make a start next summer? J. S. Sproule.
TIDWORTH TATTOO, 1938.
Before the commencement of the Tattoo there was a march past by men of the South African War Veterans' Association, the salute being taken by Major-General W. G. Tindsell, D.S.O., O.B.E., M.C. 32
