This lecture is an attempt to provide a general view of soaring, including the views of the pilot, the meteorologist, the engineer, and the club. If this can be done, it will be easier for each specialist to recognise how he can best contribute to the advance of the pastime.

I think that the technique to build a glider has been available for several hundred years, but the knowledge and desire have only recently grown. The present state of gliding is due to advance in two ways, in art and practice, and in organisation. Perhaps I should not leave out science which is the record of the practice and of the experiments which have been made to improve the practice.

Squadron Leader Buxton has pointed out the lack of basic design data for sailplanes available in English. To alleviate this condition to a certain extent, the following data are presented. All the data arc from German sources and the Society is indebted to Alexander Lippisch, A.F.R.Ae.S., and to the Deutsche Forschungsanstalt fuer Segelflug for much of the information.