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# 1956 World Gliding Championships
- URL: https://ghostinthelens.com/1956-world-gliding-championship/
- Published: 2026-07-19T13:59:01.000Z
- Updated: 2026-07-20T15:13:35.000Z
- Author: Roj
- Tags: Misc'

**Over the weekend of 4/5 July 2026 a celebration was held to commemorate the 70th Anniversary of the World gliding championships held at Saint Yan airfield in France in 1956.**

**Unfortunately, it turned out to be a low-key affair as there was little publicity other than by word-of-mouth and a few local posters.** 
**However, it was a good effort by the local gliding club with much preparation of superb photographic material and documentation being on display in the airfield's museum.**

**Very few gliders were on display along the 'crowd' line but again, poorly documented for the few visitors who did attend, and hardly anyone around to ask for information.**

**It is interesting to note that the Championship was won by an American aeronautical engineer, Paul McCready, who has many inventions to his name. One of which is the McCready Speed Ring; a device which probably helped him win this event.**

**His device, that calculates the best speed for the pilot to fly a glider, is based on the predicted rate of climb or sink to the next thermal and the glider's rate of sink at different air-speeds. Sailplane pilots still use the "**[**MacCready speed ring**](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed%5Fto%5Ffly)**" to this day on their rate-of-climb instrument to optimise their flying speed between areas of 'lift'.**

[Paul MacCready - Wikipedia![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d8/25/d8251852-d7f4-41d9-bbc3-b2c76eb0c23e/content/images/icon/wikipedia-f8cfe7bf-1614-4ecd-920f-5a3b7484374c.ico)Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.Contributors to Wikimedia projects![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d8/25/d8251852-d7f4-41d9-bbc3-b2c76eb0c23e/content/images/thumbnail/Paul_maccready-f24974bd-cc1a-4a90-8023-0d42b99fa575.jpg)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul%5FMacCready)

**It was a disappointing few hours, but at least some effort was made to commemorate such an important milestone in aviation history.**

**Let's hope there will be a much improved and better attended 75th Anniversary from lessons being learned at this years event.**

**However, I was pleased I went along as you always make new friends.**

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d8/25/d8251852-d7f4-41d9-bbc3-b2c76eb0c23e/content/images/2026/07/133A0EC2-9587-447F-A2DB-9E4C0DD134D7_1_105_c.jpeg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d8/25/d8251852-d7f4-41d9-bbc3-b2c76eb0c23e/content/images/2026/07/89C42834-2326-47FC-8F3B-74436CF74095_1_105_c.jpeg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d8/25/d8251852-d7f4-41d9-bbc3-b2c76eb0c23e/content/images/2026/07/B05C89C2-B318-46C9-8707-8F1560C2EDB0_1_105_c.jpeg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d8/25/d8251852-d7f4-41d9-bbc3-b2c76eb0c23e/content/images/2026/07/24B6AE28-8D46-468D-AFC8-A896B526E49C_1_105_c.jpeg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d8/25/d8251852-d7f4-41d9-bbc3-b2c76eb0c23e/content/images/2026/07/86A8C983-472F-4C88-BC4A-892DF0D0301F_1_105_c.jpeg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d8/25/d8251852-d7f4-41d9-bbc3-b2c76eb0c23e/content/images/2026/07/0D3F03CD-B273-4EDA-9394-5CC4ADA19B7A_1_105_c.jpeg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d8/25/d8251852-d7f4-41d9-bbc3-b2c76eb0c23e/content/images/2026/07/8ABC1CB7-BD56-4723-AA4F-B789DE0A64B9_1_105_c.jpeg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d8/25/d8251852-d7f4-41d9-bbc3-b2c76eb0c23e/content/images/2026/07/50E0C6FB-269F-4E74-B1D7-0021A5A15E7F_1_105_c.jpeg)

****A crowded flightline!**

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d8/25/d8251852-d7f4-41d9-bbc3-b2c76eb0c23e/content/images/2026/07/01264F9D-EDB3-4849-B8B6-22301A257D95_1_105_c.jpeg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d8/25/d8251852-d7f4-41d9-bbc3-b2c76eb0c23e/content/images/2026/07/Saint-Yan-Poster-Translation-4-7-July-2026-1.jpg)

****Reverse of Flyer/poster with translation**

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d8/25/d8251852-d7f4-41d9-bbc3-b2c76eb0c23e/content/images/2026/07/F4929D87-E0CE-437A-A3D5-482D2978A34E_1_105_c.jpeg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d8/25/d8251852-d7f4-41d9-bbc3-b2c76eb0c23e/content/images/2026/07/Translation-of-Breguet-Glider-Note.jpeg)

****Breguet Glider from 1956 which won the Championship flown by Paul McCready, the World famous American Aeronautical Engineer.**

July 2026