List of notable glider pilots
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This list of notable glider pilots contains the names of glider pilots who have achieved fame in other fields as well as in gliding:
- Neil Armstrong - astronaut on first Moon landing[1]
- Richard Bach - author
- Paul Bikle - NASA Director, glider altitude record setter and Soaring Hall of Fame
- Barbara Cartland - author[2]
- Kalpana Chawla - astronaut
- John Denver - singer/songwriter
- Hugh Downs - television news anchor
- Richard C. du Pont - director of military glider program
- Steve Fossett - entrepreneur and record breaker[3]
- Matthew Fox - actor[4]
- Doris Grove - female world record breaker, first woman to fly 1000 km, and U.S. Soaring Hall of Fame member [5]
- Erich Hartmann - most successful fighter pilot of all times (352 confirmed victories)[6]
- Barron Hilton - hotel magnate and founder of the Barron Hilton Cup[7]
- Marsha Ivins - astronaut
- John Kerry - U.S. Senator and former presidential candidate[8]
- Thomas Knauff - author, instructor, world record breaker, and U.S. Soaring Hall of Fame member [9]
- Jean-Marie Le Bris - pioneer of French aviation
- Charles Lindbergh - winner of the Orteig Prize as pilot on first solo nonstop Atlantic crossing flight[10]
- Paul MacCready - aviation inventor, devised the MacCready Theory on speed to fly[11]
- Richie McCaw - All Blacks captain [12]
- Steve McQueen - actor[13]
- Peter Masak - U.S. Soaring Team member, developed the first practical winglets for sailplanes
- Mike Melvill - Spaceship One test pilot[14]
- George Moffat - author, two-time world champion, and U.S. Soaring Hall of Fame member[15]
- Story Musgrave - astronaut on Hubble telescope repair mission
- Robert Pearson - airline pilot who also glided a Boeing 767[16]
- Derek Piggott - flight instructor and movie stunt pilot[17]
- Christopher Reeve - actor[18]
- Helmut Reichmann - German professor, author and three-time gliding world champion
- Hanna Reitsch - test pilot[19]
- Cliff Robertson - actor[20]
- Michel Rocard - French former prime minister[21]
- Richard Schreder naval aviator and developer of the HP/RS-series kit sailplanes marketed from 1962 until about 1982.
- Peter Scott - naturalist (founder of World Wildlife Fund)[22]
- Alan Shepard - astronaut on first Project Mercury space flight
- Karl Striedieck - world record breaker, and U.S. Soaring Hall of Fame member [23]
- Peter Twiss - test pilot and former holder of the World Air Speed Record
- Wright Brothers - early glider pioneers, invented 3-axis flight control on 1902 glider, set world glider duration record in 1911 (also widely credited with inventing the airplane)
Other pilots can be found at Category:Glider pilots.
[edit] References
- ^ CBS interview with Neil Armstrong includes clip of gliding. Retrieved on 2006-09-26.
- ^ Barbara Cartland biography. Retrieved on 2006-09-26.
- ^ Link to Steve Fosset's glider altitude record. Retrieved on 2006-09-01.
- ^ Bio of Matthew Fox. Retrieved on 2006-09-26.
- ^ FAI World Records by Doris Grove. Retrieved on 2006-12-11.
- ^ New York Times article on Erich Hartmann, Oct 23 1993. Retrieved on 2006-09-26.
- ^ FAI article on the Barron Hilton Cup. Retrieved on 2006-09-26.
- ^ Boston Globe article on John Kerry. Retrieved on 2006-09-26.
- ^ FAI World Records by Tom Knauff. Retrieved on 2006-12-10.
- ^ Article on glider flight by Lindbergh. Retrieved on 2006-09-26.
- ^ Link to Paul MacCready bio. Retrieved on 2006-09-26.
- ^ Daily Telegraph report 17 Dec 2006. Retrieved on 2006-12-20.
- ^ Evidence that Steve McQueen was a glider pilot. Retrieved on 2006-09-26.
- ^ Mike Melvill bio. Retrieved on 2006-09-26.
- ^ FAI World Records by George Moffat. Retrieved on 2006-12-10.
- ^ Description of the Gimli glider accident. Retrieved on 2006-09-26.
- ^ Piggott, Derek (2002). Gliding: A handbook on soaring flight. A & C Black. ISBN 0-7136-6148-8.
- ^ Interview with Chritopher Reeve. Retrieved on 2006-09-26.
- ^ Bio of Hanna Reitsch. Retrieved on 2006-09-26.
- ^ National Aviation Hall of Fame article on Cliff Robertson. Retrieved on 2006-09-26.
- ^ Bio of Michel Rocard (in French). Retrieved on 2006-09-26.
- ^ Bio of Sir Peter Scott. Retrieved on 2006-09-26.
- ^ FAI World Records by Karl Striedieck. Retrieved on 2006-12-10.
