Rare Find?

A copy of the "Soaring School Manual" (7th Printing, 1971) published
by the Schweizer Aircraft Corp, Elmira, NY. Picked it up at the used
bookstore for 7 bucks.

A neat read, and for a newbie like me, a glimpse into the "golden age"
of American soaring.

I wonder how many of these are still laying around on bookshelves.

N

Adding any soaring book to your library is usually worthwhile. The
Schweizer Manual is especially good if you fly a 2-33 or 1-26.

Rarest soaring books include:

"Kronfeld On Gliding and Soaring" by Austrian soaring pioneer Robert
Kronfeld (1932 english translation / only 500 printed?)

"Art of Soaring Flight" by Wolf Hirth (1938 english translation).
Several other German language books by Wolf Hirth (later of Schempp-
Hirth sailplanes) are rare.

Vintage books with dust jackets can be quite expensive.
For example, the Kronfeld book in fair condition may sell for more
than $500, much more with a dust jacket, if you can find one for sale.

More contemporary "rare" is Helmut Reichmann's "Flying
Sailplanes" (1980), now out of print. His "Cross Country" book is
also quite good and still in print.

German soaring pioneer Peter Riedel's three book series (1986) on
soaring in pre-war Germany is now out-of-print. All German text but
many wonderful photos from his scrapbooks (the ones he showed me in
Miami in the early 1960's when visiting my father's gliderport.)

Any of the books by Joe Lincoln and Gren Seibels are somewhat rare,
and terrific reads especially about the "golden age" of soaring -- the
1960's, when glass ships began to be imported to the USA, and notables
including Ben Greene, A.J. Smith, George Moffat, Dick Schreder and
Paul Bikle took competitive and cross-country soaring to the next
level.

Any of the printed transcriptions of the legendary "Soaring Symposia"
lecture series presented by Ed Byars and Bill Holbrook are excellent.

I am really looking forward to when the project of digitally scanning
"Soaring" magazine is completed. Then I can consider tossing all but
my 1930's / '40's and '50's issues. OK, maybe I'll keep the
1960's . . .

Soaring has such a rich history to read about, and so many wonderful
"characters."

Then there is the memorabilia like the Loomis photos (Elmira, NY),
postcards, contest name badges, contest programs, pins and posters,
such as from the 1970 World Soaring Contest at Marfa, Texas.

Wonderful "stuff"!

Burt, the soaring book and memorabilia collector. (Always buying /
occasionally selling.)
Marfa, Texas USA
www.flygliders.com

Hello Nate,

Most of the mentioned books I have for sale.
You can contact me at
Please delete remove. first to contact me.

Antiquarian aviation bookshop Phönix
Hans Disma

"nate_fl" schreef in bericht
...
A copy of the "Soaring School Manual" (7th Printing, 1971) published
by the Schweizer Aircraft Corp, Elmira, NY. Picked it up at the used
bookstore for 7 bucks.

A neat read, and for a newbie like me, a glimpse into the "golden age"
of American soaring.

I wonder how many of these are still laying around on bookshelves.

N