The Yale expositor., 1911-11-16
SAILING The AIR.
How Il Feels to Soar kIoft In 4
Balloon or AerOplane.
ALL SENSE OF HEIGHT LOST.
Consequently There Is No Feeling of
Dizziness or Giddiness. and After
Rising a Few Hundred Feet There 10
No Sensation of Speed.


Rising a Few Hundred Feet There Is
No Sensation of Speed.
Comparatively few persons can
look down from a great height without
creepy sensation running through
the nerves and chasing down the spine
and one would naturally think these
unpleasant symptoms would be in
tensified if one were to rise several
hundreds of feet in the air in flying
machine But that idea Is a mistake
according to Mr.. Charles G. Turner
in an article in the Pail Mall Maga-
zine, in which he tells how beginners
are taught the use of the aeroplane
and describes the sensations of flight
He says:
"The manner in which a course Of
fight lessons begins depends chiefly
on the weather If 1t Is fine and calm
q pupil is ut once taken out for pas
senger flights. sitting behind the
teacher or beside him. according to
the type Of machine. and having moth
ing to think about except the novelty
in which he sees familiar things
His first flight is great event in
the career of the pupil, and when 1t
is over he is anxious for the next.
His estimate OF the difficulties that lie
before him is more modest. and lie is
ready to besiege his instructor with
questions. He climbed into the pas
senger's scat and gripped the stanch.
ions with both hands. He need not
have gripped them quite so hard. for
he soon found that the motion of the
machine was NOT in the least disturb
ing.
ITO start il u mechanic stood behind
the main planes ana gave the propel-
Ter turn. and suddenly the engine
was giving Out II tremendous roar and
making the machine vibrate. Other
mechanics were hOldin" on 10 the tail
booms to prevent The aeroplane from
shooting forward before the pilot was
ready.
But almost immediately the pas.
senger observed the pilot hold up one
hand as q signal. and on the instant
the machine plunged forward over the
ground like a swift motorcar Before
he had time to observe and note his
feelings the sensations had changed.
The machine was travelling forward
with perfect smoothness. the noise Of
the engine had curiousy softened
down, the ground no longer raced be.
meath the machine. and he realized
that he was flying and that already
he was twenty. forty, fifty feet above
, the ground.
Flying has been compared to many
things. but in truth no comparison is
good. Perhaps | may correct one or
two common but false notions con.
cerning it,
''There is no sense of travelling ut a
great height. There is not the slight.
est danger Of giddiness. TO me this
gave no surprise. for, as every bal
loonist knows. it matters not whether
he looks down from 90 or 1000 feet
the sensation of height Is absent.
ITO take my own case. cannot look
down n 100 foot cliff for many Sec
onds before feeling unsafe. but | can
look down from n balloon that is two
miles above ground and can gaze at
the scene below for half an hour with
out a qualm. It is the experience of
every aeronaut.
"It is impossible also with reason
able accuracy without the aid of an
aneroid TO estimate ones height. You
see trees far below you. and if you are
high enough they appear to be mere
bushes, but you cannot tell whether
you are 400 feet up or 700.
again. the sense of speed is almost
entirely lost when you have attained
height Of 300 or 400 feet The ground
passes below you very slowly, while il
you get up to 500 or 1000 feet it is
only by steadily watching the ground
that you perceive that you are moving.
Yet all the while there is that steady
gale Of wind upon the face that in
forms you of your speed.
"Tn descending a pupil notices that
the speed of the ground rapidly accel-
crates The chances are that he can.
not distinguish the moment when the
landing wheels again come into contact
with the earth. The machine moves
forward over the ground until its mo-
mentum is exhausted, and he and the
pilot then descend from their seats"