Gliding

This is an aviation practice involving flights on unpowered aircraft—gliders—that utilize aerodynamic properties and rising air currents to sustain and control flight. Modern gliding as a sport began to take shape in Germany after World War I, when the Treaty of Versailles restricted the production of powered aircraft, thereby encouraging the development of unpowered aviation. In 1920, the first gliding competitions were held at the Wasserkuppe mountain, organized by Oskar Ursinus, marking the systematic development of this sport. In the USSR, gliding began to actively develop from 1923, when the first All-Union glider trials were held in Koktebel, organized by Konstantin Arceulov. In the following decades, Soviet glider pilots set numerous world records, and by 1941, they held 13 of the 18 records registered by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale. In 1936, gliding was presented as a demonstration sport at the Berlin Olympic Games, and the Olympia glider model was developed for participation; however, plans to include it in the Olympic program were canceled due to World War II. In 1948, the All-Union Gliding Section was established in the USSR, and in 1966, an independent Gliding Federation was formed. Today, gliding encompasses various disciplines, such as distance, speed, and precision flights, and remains a popular sport and recreational activity in many countries around the world.