Volume 8 No 3 Jun 1957.pdf - Lakes Gliding Club

the adjoining hill. At a lecture to theSociety of Arts in February 1939, hedescribed his methods, and gave hisopinion that "the future .of gliding willdepend very much on whether gliding, eansystematically be used with success aspreliminary instruction for aeroplanepilots."One must confe~s a disappointment onhearing the great pioneer of highperformancesoaring talk like this. Andwhen, on meeting him at Dunstable duringthe war, I suggested that gliding should beregarded primarily as a means to soaring~ight, he dismissed such an outlook as"idealism." But in 1947, when he landedat Bramcote during our national contestafter flying straight from Switzerland, wherehe had met the leading soaring pilots, hehad obviously been infected with theirenthusiasm, and a visit to any post-warWorld Championship would, One feelscertain, have won him over for good-ifhehad lived to see one.THE WAR 'YEARSDuring the war Kr.oTJ!eld threw himselfwhole-heartedly into mllitary gliding, andhis war-time career will be found well andappreciatively described by Robin Fenderin the SAILPLANE & GLIDER for March1948. His efforts won him the Air ForceCross in 1943. When it was over, he becamea test pilot, and in February 1948, wastesting a large taiIJess glider, built as a tryoutfor a larger powered machine, when itperformed a violent "bunt" and itsoccupants were subjected to extremely highnegative "g". His companion remainedsufficiently conscious to escape by parachute;but Kronfeld's injuries were such asto have probably caused instant death.Only a few days before this, an unexpectedside of Robert Kronfeld's characterwas revealed when, at a chancemeeting in the Royal Aero Club, hedescribed to me how he had once cured afellow-officer of a severe neurosis by applyingthe classical technique of psychoanalysis,though he had no medical training.So often does the versatility of a clever mango unsuspected by those who thought theyknew him well.NQw, to perpetuate his name, we havethe Kroofeld Club in London as a meetingplacefor all those who owe so much to hispioneering.A.E.S.-139-WORLD GLIDINGCHAMPI'ONSPAY TRIBUTE TOVENNERACCUMULATORSD~ar Sir,Il is It'ilh Ilr~a' plCQsur~ ,lrar I omable to "f'O" .ueen. In 'he World GlidingChampiOlfship dll~ in no Jmall mNSW, (0your V~nnD' c,Us.QIf tlt."O oUl of tht uvm days 0" whichCOnt~sl flyIng rook pIQC~, Ih~u '~'~r~ heavy,hWrd~rstorm$ a."d in eo