wing-tips as directed by the pilot. This unorthodox method relied upon the incidence changing with the increase and release of tension, and was also expected to confer increased stability in pitch and roll by automatic changes in wing-tip incidence; however, it gave no direct control over the wing-tips. The flying career of the Weltensegler was very brief, it being destroyed during the 1921 Rhön gliding competition after the wing failed during a sharp spiralling dive at excessive speed, resulting in the death of Willy Leusch, the Weltensegler's company test pilot. Following the Weltensegler's tragic loss, the gull wing was avoided by the majority of aircraft designers for almost a whole decade. During 1930, Alexander Lippisch's record-breaking Fafnir represented a high-profile comeback for the gull wing, which contributed to its resurgence shortly thereafter. Fafnir featured a laterally stabilising dihedral, an uncommon feature for gliders of the era, which spanned roughly 40 percent of the inner wing span. Lippisch had chosen to adopt this configuration for its increased wingtip clearance, as well as the ill-founded belief that it would improve its stability during turns; however, studies have shown that normal gull wing configurations result in significantly less severe and more easily recoverable stalls. Inverted gull wings exhibit the opposite stall behaviour, but both normal and inverted gull wings impede lift-to-drag ratio and climb performance. The performance demonstrated by Fafnir, such as a flight between the Wasserkuppe and Magdeburg in late August 1930 that established a new world record, quickly encouraged numerous aircraft designers to perform their own investigations into the gull wing. Accordingly, numerous other gliders, as well as other platforms, would soon feature broadly similar wing configurations as well. Having become a trend of the glider industry during the 1930s, the gull wing remained a staple feature amongst high-performance sailplanes through to the 1950s. Notable gull wing sailplanes Bowlus Senior Albatross DFS Habicht DFS Kranich DFS Reiher Göppingen Gö 3 Minimoa Lawrence Tech IV "Yankee Doodle" Lippisch Fafnir Ross RS-1 Zanonia Schweyer Rhönsperber Slingsby Kite Weltensegler Ikarus Košava Seaplanes The gull wing design found its way into seaplanes by the early 1930s. As engine power increased, so did the need for large propellers that could effectively convert power to thrust. The gull wing allowed designers to ensure adequate propeller tip clearance over the water by placing the engines on the highest point of the wing. The alternative was placing the engine