Glider of Ganymede
By Henry Gade
On this world, where air currents swirl about
precipitous mountain slopes, the
glider principle prevails
GANYMEDE is perhaps a bit larger than our own Luna, being 3,273 miles in diameter. It is a rugged world, composed of low, jagged ranges of crystal cliffs rather than high mountains. Because of the more or less barren desert nature of the general terrain, the atmosphere in the vicinity of these cliffs is agitated and thrown aloft in spiraling currents along the ridges. Such air currents provide ideal glider currents, and since the world does not seem to have been fortunate enough to have provided its inhabitants with a very great opportunity for a highly developed civilization, we may assume that their engineering skill is rather limited. Thus the aircraft of this world, without stretching the imagination too far, could logically be assumed to be of the kite or glider type.
Since the gravity of Ganymede is perhaps one-fourth that of Earth (it would be possible to construct quite large glider planes which would perform in the air currents with great efficiency.
They probably weigh much more than practical, to judge from Earth gravity standards, but on Ganymede, their heaviness of construction lends sturdiness to them which permits glider capacity and performance unknown here on Earth.
The glider of Ganymede, launched from its catapult on the top or side of the inevitable pink cliffs, would be able to soar on the ridge currents for many hundreds of miles, on a planned route and return which would be as reliable in performance as a mechanically powered aircraft.
The craft itself would be a large thing, compared to our tiny gliders, surpassing even the huge ships proposed as cargo carriers in this second world war. They would range from passenger ships a mere three hundred feet long, to huge cargo carriers as much as a thousand feet long which could circle to whole planet using glider principles for their sole motive power.
Mechanically they would be constructed much as are Earth gliders, having a torpedo shaped fuselage, on the general shape adopted by almost all aircraft except the flying wing. They would possess huge wings extending out from the fuselage for support, and rudders at the rear for steering.
Mounted in the nose would be a series of smaller wings which could be used to lift the nose of the ship out of speed-producing dives, and to utilize the greatest portion of the "lift" energy of the air currents rising from the ridges of the cliffs above which the ship generally travels.
This principle of taking up added impetus by diving into an up-sweeping current of air, and then riding it aloft for more height would be almost instinctive with the Ganymedean, He would be able to handle his great ship just as a boy handles a kite, sending it ever higher simply by little tugs on the string, except that in gliding, the "string" is the uprising current of air from the unevenly heated surface, and from the slopes that turn winds into an upward course.
The people of Ganymede are very agile, being a half-human, half-cat race. Perhaps they developed the principle of glider flying from evolutionary days when, like the flying monkey of our own South America, they leaped from cliff-sides and by spreading the loose skin of their body and arm surfaces, floated and skimmed down to the surface. Being cat-like, climbing back to the heights was equally easy.
The glider of Ganymede is probably constructed almost entirely of wood, and fibrous plants. The use of hardwoods in body construction is permissible because of the light gravity. Thus we have giant glider liners with as solid construction as an ocean liner, yet as comparatively light and maneuverable as an Earth airplane.
On both wings, and along the base of the fuselage, sturdy wooden runners are constructed, so that the glider can land, either on the cliff tops, on prepared runways, or on the desert area on both sides of the cliff-ranges.
The adjustable wings in the forepart of the ship can be used to brake the ship almost to a stop before gliding in to land. Thus, long runways would be unnecessary, and in the event of forced landings, a safe landing could be effected even atop a precipitous cliff with little room to spare. Take-off from such places would also be easy, since a false start would only mean another simple emergency landing further down the slope.
The glider of Ganymede is the ultimate "kite" used to transport both freight and passengers on the wings of the wind itself.
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