Vojtěch Hájek:
Bezmotorové létání v českých zemích 1918–1939

Abstract

Powerless flying in Czech lands 1918–1939

This paper focuses on some important developmental aspects of Czech powerless flight in the interwar period. The first aspect is the institutional development that culminated in the establishment of the Masaryk Aviation Fund in 1922 and its subsequent transformation into the Masaryk Air League in 1926. The relationship of Czech glider pilots to German sports aviation, which served as a significant inspiration, especially in the 1930s, continues to represent another important and still neglected fact. This manifested
itself in the construction of gliders and sailplanes, and in the purchase of construction plans from Germany. Promotional and publishing activities were not neglected either – here in particular we can see the influence of Tomáš Antonín Pánek, a skilled writer and promoter. Powerless flight in the interwar period became a basic prerequisite for the deployment of Czech pilots in the Allied armies during World
War II and laid the foundation for the massive post-war development of gliding in post-war Czechoslovakia.

Language: czech

Keywords: gliding; soaring; Masaryk Air League; glider; technical sports; aeroclubs