Hi,

I'm prepping for a presentation and was wondering: who was the first to
actually thermal.

I would cite Max Kegel who more or less accidently got caught in a
thunderstorm in 1926 and turned that into a record distance of 50km
as one candidate. The incident earned him the nickname of
"Gewittermaxe".

Another candidate might be Robert Kronfeld who might have been first
to intentionally seek out thermals. On August 6. 1928 he discovered
the circling technique and managed to arrive back 500m above his
takeoff point.

Robert Kronfeld also is the first glider polit to use a vario.
When asked about it he reportedly declared it as coffee pot to
keep the advantage in contests.

Ciao, MM
--
Marian Aldenhövel, Rosenhain 23, 53123 Bonn.
Fon +49 228 624013, Fax +49 228 624031.
http://www.marian-aldenhoevel.de