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1 World glider records  





2 Other flying accomplishments  





3 Books  





4 References  














Thomas Knauff







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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 


Thomas Knauff
Born1938 (1938)
DiedFebruary 21 2024 (aged 85)
OccupationWriter
Glider pilot
Flight instructor
NationalityAmerican
GenreNon-fiction
SubjectAviation

Thomas L. Knauff (1938 – February 21, 2024) was an American writer, glider pilot, flight instructor, former Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Designated Pilot Examiner, and a member of the U.S. Soaring Hall of Fame. He was an early pioneer of ridge soaring in the Ridge-and-valley Appalachians in the 1960s, ultimately setting five world records flying gliders there. He was the stunt pilot in the 1999 film The Thomas Crown Affair.[1]

Knauff was the first glider pilot to fly 750 km and 1000 km triangle course flights in the United States, and was the first to fly 1000 km with a passenger. His 1,647 km (1,023 mi) out-and-return flight in 1983 was the world's longest glider flight at the time, stood as a world record for nearly 20 years, and is still a U.S. national record. He has set more than 50 other U.S. National soaring records.

His glider flight training manuals, Glider Basics from First Flight to Solo and Glider Basics from Solo to License are the most popular in the U.S., and he is still one of the most respected glider flight instructors in the world despite his death in February 2024. He was one of the few FAA designated pilot examiners authorized to issue initial flight instructor certificates.

Knauff lived near State College, Pennsylvania with his wife Doris Grove, another hall of fame glider pilot. They owned and operated the Ridge Soaring GliderportinJulian, Pennsylvania which they founded in 1975 (closed 2022).[2] Knauff died on February 21, 2024, at the age of 85.[3]

World glider records[edit]

Knauff has set the following records:[4]

Other flying accomplishments[edit]

Knauff's other accomplishments include:[5]

Books[edit]

Knauff has written the following books:[6]

References[edit]

  1. ^ [1] Archived May 22, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  • ^ Grove, Doris. "About the Author" in Transition to Gliders: A Flight Training Handbook for Power Pilots
  • ^ "Death Notices". StateCollege.com. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
  • ^ "FAI Record File".
  • ^ "The Soaring Hall of Fame Alphabetical Listing". Soaringmuseum.org. Archived from the original on 2006-10-08. Retrieved 2013-10-19.
  • ^ "The rec.aviation.soaring bibliography FAQ version 1.04". W3.gwis.com. Archived from the original on 2008-08-06. Retrieved 2013-10-19.

  • Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Thomas_Knauff&oldid=1218822916"

    Categories: 
    1938 births
    2024 deaths
    American aviation record holders
    American aviation writers
    American flight instructors
    American glider pilots
    American information and reference writers
    American instructional writers
    American aviation pioneers
    Glider flight record holders
    People from State College, Pennsylvania
    Hidden categories: 
    Webarchive template wayback links
    Articles with ISNI identifiers
    Articles with VIAF identifiers
    Articles with WorldCat Entities identifiers
    Articles with LCCN identifiers
     



    This page was last edited on 14 April 2024, at 02:06 (UTC).

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