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Wasserkuppe
The is a mountain within the German state of Hesse. It is a large plateau formation at an elevation of and is the highest peak in the Rhön Mountains. Great advances in sailplane development took place on the mountain during the interwar period, driven by annual contests. Near the summit there is still an airfield used by gliding clubs and pilots of light aircraft. Etymology The German name is derived from ''Wasenkuppe, Asenberg'' or ''Weideberg'' and means ''Pasture mountain''. Geography The Wasserkuppe lies in the administrative district Fulda north of Gersfeld. Other villages nearby are Poppenhausen ( west - south west) and Wüstensachsen ( east, part of Ehrenberg, Hesse). It is part of the Rhön Biosphere Reserve. The Wasserkuppe sources the spring of the river Fulda (the western source of the Weser) and the river Lütter which joins the Fulda after . The other peaks near the Wasserkuppe are Abtsrodaer Kuppe (north, NN), (east, NN) and Pferdsk ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rhön Mountains
The Rhön Mountains () are a group of low mountains (or '' Mittelgebirge'') in central Germany, located around the border area where the states of Hesse, Bavaria and Thuringia come together. These mountains, which are at the extreme southeast end of the East Hesse Highlands (''Osthessisches Bergland''), are partly a result of ancient volcanic activity. They are separated from the Vogelsberg Mountains by the river Fulda and its valley. The highest mountain in the Rhön is the Wasserkuppe (), which is in Hesse. The Rhön Mountains are a popular tourist destination and walking area. Origins The name ''Rhön'' is often thought to derive from the Celtic word ''raino'' (=hilly), but numerous other interpretations are also possible. Records of the monks at Fulda Abbey from the Middle Ages describe the area around Fulda as well as more distant parts of the Rhön as ''Buchonia'', the land of ancient beech woods. In the Middle Ages beech was an important raw material. Large scale wood c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gliding
Gliding is a recreational activity and competitive air sport in which pilots fly unpowered aircraft known as gliders or sailplanes using naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmosphere to remain airborne. The word ''soaring'' is also used for the sport. Gliding as a sport began in the 1920s. Initially the objective was to increase the duration of flights but soon pilots attempted cross-country flights away from the place of launch. Improvements in aerodynamics and in the understanding of weather phenomena have allowed greater distances at higher average speeds. Long distances are now flown using any of the main sources of rising air: ridge lift, thermals and lee waves. When conditions are favourable, experienced pilots can now fly hundreds of kilometres before returning to their home airfields; occasionally flights of more than are achieved. Some competitive pilots fly in races around pre-defined courses. These gliding competitions test pilots' abilities to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rhön-Rossitten Gesellschaft
The Rhön-Rossitten Gesellschaft (RRG) or Rhön-Rossitten Society was a German gliding organization, the first one in the world that was officially recognised. The Rhön-Rossitten Gesellschaft was mainly responsible for establishing gliding as a sport, not only in Germany but eventually throughout the world. Because the Treaty of Versailles forbade any form of powered flight in Germany, many young pilots and aircraft designers turned to gliding as a sport. Under Oskar UrsinusReitsch, H., 1955, The Sky My Kingdom, London: Biddles Limited, Guildford and King's Lynn, and Theodore von Kármán, hobbyists and serious university study groups began building gliders. The first contest was held in 1920 on the mountain of the Wasserkuppe in the Rhön region of Hesse. While many of the entering designs were no more than kites and many of the 'flights' were no more than stumbles ending in a crash, Kármán and his team from the RWTH Aachen with their glider ''Schwarzer Teufel'' (Black Devil ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oskar Ursinus
Carl Oskar Ursinus (11 March 1877 – 6 July 1952) was a pioneer of German aviation and is remembered mainly for his contributions to sailplane designs and the sport of gliding. He has been nicknamed the ''Rhönvater'' ("Rhön father") because he founded Germany’s first gliding club at the Wasserkuppe in the Rhön Mountains in 1920.Reitsch, H., 1955, The Sky My Kingdom, London: Biddles Limited, Guildford and King's Lynn, Ursinus was born in Weißenfels and attended Technical College in Mittweida. After graduation, he worked for Borsig on compressors for locomotives, and spent some time working on mining machinery in Romania for the firm. In 1908, back in Germany, Ursinus began to publish a magazine titled ''Flugsport'' ''Flugsport : Illustrierte technische Zeitschrift und Anzeiger'', which was published bi-weekly from December 1908, then monthly from 1940 up to v. 36, no. 9 (September 1944). (“Sports Flying”), since he had become fascinated by the new technolo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Poppenhausen, Hesse
Poppenhausen is a municipality in the district of Fulda, in Hesse, Germany. it is the home of Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co is a major manufacturer of sailplanes located in Poppenhausen, near Fulda in Germany. It is also the oldest sailplane manufacturer in the world. History The company was founded in 1927 by Alexander Schleicher u ..., the oldest manufacturer of gliders. References Municipalities in Hesse Fulda (district) {{Hesse-geo-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fulda (river)
The Fulda () is a river of Hesse and Lower Saxony, Germany. It is one of two headstreams of the Weser (the other one being the Werra). The Fulda is long. The river arises at Wasserkuppe in the Rhön mountains in Hesse. From there it runs northeast, flanked by the Knüll mountains in the west and the Seulingswald in the east. Near Bebra it changes direction to the northwest. After joining the Eder river it flows straight north until Kassel, then changes direction to the northeast, with the Kaufungen Forest east and the beginning of the Reinhardswald forest northwest. The north end of the river meets the Werra in Hannoversch Münden, Lower Saxony, where the Fulda and the Werra join to form the Weser river. Cities along the Fulda include: * Gersfeld * Fulda * Bad Hersfeld * Bebra * Rotenburg an der Fulda * Melsungen * Kassel See also * List of rivers of Hesse *List of rivers of Lower Saxony All rivers in the German state of Lower Saxony flow directly or indirectly i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Abtsrodaer Kuppe
Abtsrodaer Kuppe is a mountain of Hesse, Germany. It is close to the summit of Wasserkuppe and belongs to the Rhön Mountains The Rhön Mountains () are a group of low mountains (or '' Mittelgebirge'') in central Germany, located around the border area where the states of Hesse, Bavaria and Thuringia come together. These mountains, which are at the extreme southeast end .... Mountains of Hesse Mountains and hills of the Rhön {{Hesse-geo-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Glider Aircraft
A glider is a fixed-wing aircraft that is supported in flight by the dynamic reaction of the air against its lifting surfaces, and whose gliding flight, free flight does not depend on an engine. Most gliders do not have an engine, although motor-gliders have small engines for extending their flight when necessary by sustaining the altitude (normally a sailplane relies on rising air to maintain altitude) with some being powerful enough to take off by Motor glider, self-launch. There are a wide variety of types differing in the construction of their wings, aerodynamic efficiency, location of the pilot, controls and intended purpose. Most exploit lift (soaring), meteorological phenomena to maintain or gain height. Gliders are principally used for the air sports of gliding, hang gliding and paragliding. However some spacecraft have been designed to descend as gliders and in the past military gliders have been used in warfare. Some simple and familiar types of glider are toys such a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sailplane
A glider or sailplane is a type of glider aircraft used in the leisure activity and sport of gliding (also called soaring). This unpowered aircraft can use naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmosphere to gain altitude. Sailplanes are aerodynamically streamlined and so can fly a significant distance forward for a small decrease in altitude. In North America the term 'sailplane' is also used to describe this type of aircraft. In other parts of the English-speaking world, the word 'glider' is more common. Types Gliders benefit from producing the least drag for any given amount of lift, and this is best achieved with long, thin wings, a slender fuselage and smooth surfaces with an absence of protuberances. Aircraft with these features are able to soar – climb efficiently in rising air produced by thermals or hills. In still air, sailplanes can glide long distances at high speed with a minimum loss of height in between. Sailplanes have rigid wings and eithe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pferdskopf
Pferdskopf is a mountain of Hesse, Germany, in the vicinity of the Wasserkuppe in the Rhön Mountains The Rhön Mountains () are a group of low mountains (or '' Mittelgebirge'') in central Germany, located around the border area where the states of Hesse, Bavaria and Thuringia come together. These mountains, which are at the extreme southeast end .... Mountains of Hesse Mountains and hills of the Rhön {{Hesse-geo-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Weser
The Weser () is a river of Lower Saxony in north-west Germany. It begins at Hannoversch Münden through the confluence of the Werra and Fulda. It passes through the Hanseatic city of Bremen. Its mouth is further north against the ports of Bremerhaven and Nordenham. The latter is on the Butjadingen Peninsula. It then merges into the North Sea via two highly saline, estuarine mouths. It connects to the canal network running east-west across the North German Plain. The river, when combined with the Werra (a dialectal form of "Weser"), is long and thus, the longest river entirely situated within Germany (the Main, however, is the longest if the Weser and Werra are not combined). The Weser itself is long. The Werra rises in Thuringia, the German state south of the main projection (tongue) of Lower Saxony. Etymology "Weser" and "Werra" are the same words in different dialects. The difference reflects the old linguistic border between Central and Low German, passin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lütter
Lütter is a river of Hesse, Germany. It flows into the Fulda near Eichenzell Eichenzell is a municipality in the district of Fulda, in Hesse, Germany. It is situated on the river Fulda, 7 km south of the town Fulda. The letter processing center for Deutsche Post The Deutsche Post AG, operating under the trad .... See also * List of rivers of Hesse References Rivers of Hesse Rivers of Germany {{Hesse-river-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
