Helmut Reichmann (1941 – March 10, 1992) was a German

glider pilot Glider or Gliders may refer to: Aircraft and transport Aircraft * Glider (aircraft), heavier-than-air aircraft primarily intended for unpowered flight ** Glider (sailplane), a rigid-winged glider aircraft with an undercarriage, used in the sport ...

, thrice World Gliding Champion, and co-founder, along with millionaire

Barron Hilton William Barron Hilton (October 23, 1927 – September 19, 2019) was an American business magnate, philanthropist and sportsman. The second son and successor of hotelier Conrad Hilton, he was the chairman, president and chief executive officer of ...

, of the

Barron Hilton Cup The Barron Hilton Cup (BHC) was a worldwide soaring contest, founded by the late ex-chairman, president and chief executive officer of Hilton Hotels Corporation, Barron Hilton, and the late Prof. Dr. Helmut Reichmann. The European Aeronautic Defen ...

. He was an arts teacher and a professor of industrial design in his native

Saarbrücken Saarbrücken (; Rhenish Franconian: ''Sabrigge'' ; ; ; ; ) is the capital and largest List of cities and towns in Germany, city of the state of Saarland, Germany. Saarbrücken has 181,959 inhabitants and is Saarland's administrative, commerci ...

, in Germany. Born in

Wilhelmshaven Wilhelmshaven (, ''Wilhelm's Harbour''; Northern Low Saxon: ''Willemshaven'') is a coastal town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the western side of the Jade Bight, a bay of the North Sea, and has a population of 76,089. Wilhelmsha ...

, Reichmann was raised in

, where he eventually taught at the Institute for Sport Science. Reichmann earned his PhD at the

University of Karlsruhe The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT; ) is both a German public university, public research university in Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg, and a research center of the Helmholtz Association. KIT was created in 2009 when the University of Ka ...

, with a thesis "On the Problem of Airspeed Optimization in Cross-Country Soaring Flight." Reichmann started soaring in 1958 and soon achieved prominence as one of the most successful and influential people in the history of

gliding Gliding is a recreational activity and competitive air sports, air sport in which pilots fly glider aircraft, unpowered aircraft known as Glider (sailplane), gliders or sailplanes using naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmospher ...

: *1965 German Junior Champion *1968, 1971 and 1973 German National Champion *1970 and 1974 World Champion in the Standard Class *1978 World Champion in the

15-Metre Class The IYRU Fifteen Metre class yachts are constructed to the First International rule of 1907. A total of twenty 15mR yachts were built between 1907 and 1917, the four that have survived are still actively raced. History The IYRU International Ru ...

*1978 FAI

Lilienthal Gliding Medal Lilienthal Gliding Medal – the highest soaring award in the world, established by Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) in 1938, and is given at the annual Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) General Conference. It was cr ...

, the highest honor in

soaring Soaring may refer to: * Gliding, in which pilots fly unpowered aircraft known as gliders or sailplanes * Lift (soaring), a meteorological phenomenon used as an energy source by some aircraft and birds * ''Soaring'' (magazine), a magazine produced ...

*1973 to 1992, German National Team Coach. Reichmann retired from competitive flying after his third world championship, wishing to dedicate more time to

flight instruction Flight training is a course of study used when learning to pilot an aircraft. The overall purpose of primary and intermediate flight training is the acquisition and honing of basic airmanship skills. Flight training can be conducted under a str ...

in cross-country and

competition Competition is a rivalry where two or more parties strive for a common goal which cannot be shared: where one's gain is the other's loss (an example of which is a zero-sum game). Competition can arise between entities such as organisms, indi ...

soaring. He taught gliding at the Sports Studies Institute at the University of Saarbrücken, but he eventually moved to the university's Faculty of Fine Arts, where he taught experimental sculpture and design. Reichmann was the author of two books on soaring: * ''Streckensegelflug''. Also available in English as ''Cross-Country Soaring'', in French as ''La Course en planeur'' (Seidec edition, 1985), and in Spanish as ''Vuelo Sin Motor – Técnicas Avanzadas''. It is still a primary reference on soaring. * ''Segelfliegen – Die praktische Ausbildung''. Also available in English as ''Flying sailplanes – A Practical Training Manual'', and in Spanish as ''Vuelo Sin Motor – Enseñanza Practica''. This has become a standard reference for pilots. Reichmann died in the

French Alps The French Alps are the portions of the Alps mountain range that stand within France, located in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur regions. While some of the ranges of the French Alps are entirely in France, others, such a ...

in 1992 when his Discus collided with an LS4 flown by Lars Gölz, who was also killed. Reichmann had been leading four members of a German squad at the time.

References

Additional reading

* Reichmann, H. ''Streckensegelflug''. Motorbuch Vlg., Stuttgart, 1975. English translation as ''Cross-Country Soaring'' published in 1978 by the

Soaring Society of America The Soaring Society of America (SSA) was founded at the instigation of Warren E. Eaton to promote the sport of soaring in the USA and internationally. The first meeting was held in New York City in the McGraw–Hill Building on February 20, 193 ...

, . * Reichmann, H. ''Segelfliegen – Die praktische Ausbildung''. Motorbuch Vlg., Stuttgart. English translation as ''Flying sailplanes – A Practical Training Manual'' Thompson Publications 1980, ASIN B0006E1VSK. 1941 births 1992 deaths Aviation writers German aviators German flight instructors German glider pilots Lilienthal Gliding Medal recipients Recipients of the Saarland Order of Merit People from Wilhelmshaven {{Germany-bio-stub