Thomas Knauff

Last updated • 3 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
Thomas Knauff
Born1938 (1938)
DiedFebruary 21 2024 (aged 85)
OccupationWriter
Glider pilot
Flight instructor
NationalityAmerican
GenreNon-fiction
SubjectAviation

Thomas L. Knauff (1938 – February 21, 2024) was an American writer, glider pilot, flight instructor, former Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Designated Pilot Examiner, and a member of the U.S. Soaring Hall of Fame. He was an early pioneer of ridge soaring in the Ridge-and-valley Appalachians in the 1960s, ultimately setting five world records flying gliders there. He was the stunt pilot in the 1999 film The Thomas Crown Affair . [1]

Contents

Knauff was the first glider pilot to fly 750 km and 1000 km triangle course flights in the United States, and was the first to fly 1000 km with a passenger. His 1,647 km (1,023 mi) out-and-return flight in 1983 was the world's longest glider flight at the time, stood as a world record for nearly 20 years, and is still a U.S. national record. He has set more than 50 other U.S. National soaring records.

His glider flight training manuals, Glider Basics from First Flight to Solo and Glider Basics from Solo to License are the most popular in the U.S., and he is still one of the most respected glider flight instructors in the world despite his death in February 2024. He was one of the few FAA designated pilot examiners authorized to issue initial flight instructor certificates.

Knauff lived near State College, Pennsylvania with his wife Doris Grove, another hall of fame glider pilot. They owned and operated the Ridge Soaring Gliderport in Julian, Pennsylvania which they founded in 1975 (closed 2022). [2] Knauff died on February 21, 2024, at the age of 85. [3]

World glider records

Knauff has set the following records: [4]

Other flying accomplishments

Knauff's other accomplishments include: [5]

Books

Knauff has written the following books: [6]

Related Research Articles

A motor glider is a fixed-wing aircraft that can be flown with or without engine power. The FAI Gliding Commission Sporting Code definition is: a fixed-wing aerodyne equipped with a means of propulsion (MoP), capable of sustained soaring flight without thrust from the means of propulsion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">London Gliding Club</span> Airport in Dunstable Downs, Bedfordshire

The London Gliding Club (LGC) is a members' club whose airfield is located at the foot of the Dunstable Downs. Many privately owned gliders are based there. It has the facilities to train pilots in powerless flight, and in the skills necessary to fly cross country using nature's sources of energy. Aerobatics and instructor training are also available. The LGC is open 364 days a year and is the second largest and one of the oldest Gliding Clubs in the United Kingdom, smaller only than Lasham Gliding Society. The club provides gliding courses, one day courses and trial lessons for members of the public.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schempp-Hirth Mini-Nimbus</span> German single-seat glider, 1976

The Schempp-Hirth Mini Nimbus is a 15 Metre-class glider designed and built by Schempp-Hirth GmbH in the late 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin Schempp</span>

Martin Schempp was a glider pilot and founder of Schempp-Hirth, a major manufacturer of gliders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schempp-Hirth Nimbus-2</span> German single-seat glider, 1971

The Schempp-Hirth Nimbus-2 is an Open Class glider built by Schempp-Hirth during the 1970s. The Nimbus-2 first flew in April 1971 and a total of over 240 examples of all subtypes have been built until the beginning of the 1980s. It replaced the Schempp-Hirth Cirrus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schempp-Hirth Nimbus-4</span> German single- or two-seat glider, 1990

The Schempp-Hirth Nimbus-4 is a family of high-performance FAI Open Class gliders designed by Klaus Holighaus and manufactured by Schempp-Hirth Flugzeugbau GmbH in Kirchheim, Germany. The Nimbus-4 first flew in 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glasflügel 303</span> German single-seat glider first flown in 1976

The Glasflügel 303 Mosquito is a composite 15 metre Class single-seat sailplane manufactured by Glasflügel between 1976 and 1980.

The European Gliding Championships is a gliding competition held every two years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ridge Soaring Gliderport</span> Airport in Pennsylvania, United States

Ridge Soaring Gliderport was a public-use glider airport located two nautical miles (4 km) southwest of the central business district of Unionville, in Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States. It was privately owned by Knauff & Grove, Inc.

George B. Moffat Jr. is an American author, twice world champion glider pilot, and a member of the U.S. Soaring Hall of Fame. He began flying airplanes in 1953, gliders in 1959, entered his first national soaring competition in 1962, and was still an active competition pilot as of 2008. Before competing in sailplanes, he compiled a winning record in International 14 foot Dinghy racing and is still an active sailor.

Doris Grove is an American world record breaking glider pilot, flight instructor, and a member of the U.S. Soaring Hall of Fame. She was an early pioneer of ridge soaring in the Ridge-and-valley Appalachians in the 1970s, ultimately setting three world records flying gliders there, and becoming the first woman to earn the FAI 1000 km Diploma. She was also a stunt co-pilot in the 1999 film The Thomas Crown Affair.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grob G103a Twin II</span> German two-seat glider

The G103 Twin II is a high-performance two-seat sailplane manufactured in Germany by Grob Aircraft. The aircraft is of T-tail configuration, and is fitted with upper-surface airbrakes and a non-retractable undercarriage. Of fiberglass construction, it is designed for training, high performance cross-country racing and simple aerobatic flying.

Klaus Ohlmann is a German glider pilot who has established 36 world records approved by FAI. Among these is the record for a free distance flight with up to 3 turn-points by flying 3,009 km from Chapelco Airport at San Martín de los Andes (Argentina) in a Schempp-Hirth Nimbus 4 DM on 21 January 2003 with his co-pilot Karl Rabeder. On 9 January 2003 at El Calafate in Argentina he made a flight of 2,247.6 km in a Schempp-Hirth Nimbus 4 DM. This set a new world free distance record, breaking the record set over 30 years earlier by Hans-Werner Grosse.

Ingo Renner OAM was an Australian glider pilot. He won the World Gliding Championships four times.

Richard H. Johnson was a glider pilot, aeronautical engineer and prolific writer of articles for gliding magazines. He was an 11-time U.S. National Champion glider pilot, 9-time US Soaring Team pilot at the Soaring World Championships, held two World Gliding Records and is a member of the US Soaring Hall of Fame. He flew for 70 years and logged over 14,000 flying hours, including over 10,000 hours of non-powered flight time in sailplanes. He authored over 100 articles on soaring and flight tests of gliders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gliding</span> Recreational activity and competitive air sport

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Air Force Gliding & Soaring Association</span>

The Royal Air Force Gliding & Soaring Association (RAFGSA) is a voluntary organisation which exists to provide recreational flying to all RAF servicemen and women, in particular those employed in ground duties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Lee (pilot)</span>

Douglas George Lee MBE is a glider pilot who was world gliding champion on three consecutive occasions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Susanne Schoedel</span>

Susanne Schödel is a multiple world record holder and women's world champion glider sport pilot.

References

  1. Archived May 22, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  2. Grove, Doris. "About the Author" in Transition to Gliders: A Flight Training Handbook for Power Pilots
  3. "Death Notices". StateCollege.com. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
  4. "FAI Record File".
  5. "The Soaring Hall of Fame Alphabetical Listing". Soaringmuseum.org. Archived from the original on 2006-10-08. Retrieved 2013-10-19.
  6. "The rec.aviation.soaring bibliography FAQ version 1.04". W3.gwis.com. Archived from the original on 2008-08-06. Retrieved 2013-10-19.