gliders
no, not lighter-than-air vehicles. even a dirigible is heavier than air until you fill it with helium or hydrogen, and even then it's only lighter than the low-level, denser air. it rises till the sum of its weight and that of the hydrogen or helium trapped in it match the weight of the air it displaces. but that has nothing to do with gliders. neither do biplanes, although a well-designed biplane can be lifted into the air by a breeze from the right direction. damn, engineers have gotten good at design! but gliders! gliders have no engines. nothing pulls you forward. another airplane or a ground-based vehicle with a tether must get you airborne. and then you glide. You delicately balance lift and weight, with only momentum to keep you going. A good glider pilot appears to do it by will alone. she or he even appears to choose the descent and touchdown and slide to a stop - under control all the way! wow! you emerge and feel like dancing your gratitude to gravity, air currents, and engineers, except you probably think of them as glider gods. you solemnly thank your pilot although you want to salaam at his feet. yes, gliders. may you be informed enough that they scare you to death, and childlike enough to do that dance. behold gliders!
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