Before people were fortunate enough to have access to powered airplanes, pilots supported their flying addictions by taking off in basic open gliders. Even after the event of powered flight, people would fly gliders as it was a less expensive way to take to the skies. And the peace and quiet of powerless flight is still preferred by many pilots today.
A glider that became popular in Germany was called the Schulgleiter SG 38, designed as a trainer in the early 1930s. As many as 9,000 SG 38s were built through the 1960s, according to Baden-Wurttembergischer Luftfahrtverband e.V. Several examples are found in museums in Germany today, but there are a few that can still be seen flying.
While the open, single seat glider may look slightly precarious, there is no mistaking the pure fun this pilot is experiencing as he is flying a SG 38 replica in this video.
