Flieger HJ Activities

Figure 1.--Here we see a Fliger-HJ boy at an early stage of gliderv training. He is familarizing himself with the controls on the ground. The photograph is undated, but we would guess was taken about 1937-38.

The Flieger-HJ program was designed to teach boys the basic principles of flying. Younger boys began by building building model airplanes for the first 2-years of the program. Here the focus was model gliders that the boys could actually tesst out. This helped to stimulate interest as well as to present basic principles of aeronautics. They were also instructed in the theory of flight. The younger boys would help man the catapults that launched older boys in actual glider training. After the younger boys completing the model phase of the program they proceeded to prepare to fly actual gliders. The boys worked on A, B, and the advanced C level of glider certifications. The boys that were successful with gliders would progress into the Luftwaffe. Gliding was very useful in honing flying skills. Many Luftwaffe's pilots began as glider pilots and the Flieger-HJ provided greatly expanded opportunities for boys to work with gliders. The HJ organized an annual Flieger-HJ aviation competition. The boys competed to find who built the best model airplanes. The primary competition was to find whose model glider could fly the longest distance. The awards given were highly prized bythe boys. In one year there were 1,500 paticipants in the competition.