# German Glider Training/ Sailplanes WWII Era Historic Film 74232

This historic German educational film shows flights of sailplanes or gliders. After World War I many gliders were built for sporting purposes in Germany, because of post-WWI regulations forbidding the construction and flight of motorized planes. As a result the country's aircraft enthusiasts often turned to gliders and were actively encouraged by the German government, particularly at flying sites suited to gliding flight like the Wasserkuppe. A glider or sailplane is a type of glider aircraft used in the sport of gliding. It has rigid wings and an undercarriage. Some gliders, known as motor gliders, are also used for gliding and soaring, but have engines which can be used for extending a flight and, for some types, for take-off. Aircraft such as hang gliders and paragliders are foot-launched and so are described in separate articles, though their differences from sailplanes are covered below. Glider aircraft that are used for purposes other than recreation, for example military gliders, do not soar. Sports gliders benefit from creating the least drag for any given amount of lift, and this is best achieved with long, thin wings and a fully faired narrow cockpit. Aircraft with these features are able to climb efficiently in rising air and can glide long distances at high speed with a minimum loss of height in between. Early gliders had no cockpit and the pilot sat on a small seat located just ahead of the wing. These were known as "primary gliders" and they were usually…

- Kind: Film
- Genres: War, Industrial and advertising
- Archive: [Internet Archive](https://archive.org/details/74232GermanGliders)
- Licence or status: none stated by the archive
- Who can watch: Teens profiles and older (the archive gives no rating; placed by Invisible Network from its collection and subjects)

[Watch now](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/watch/archive/ia/74232GermanGliders?play=1)