Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-03-12

seat. Some days my mechanics have to
shove me on to the machine. Then, when
| get her started, l am all right and the
fear vaniShes. But I am baby until L
hear the motor going.
| believe. too. that each one of US has
his own peculiar form of fear in flying.
Some men feel their greatest fear at
the thought of the engine stopping sud-
denly and without warning. I have never
been troubled by this, though ] have had
il happen to me several times. Each time.
however. j managed to get down safely
and 1 have always felt that there was a
good chance in favor of the aviator if he
keeps his head and takes as gradual a
slant downward Is is needed to give him
control Of his machine. But, from my
novice day. ! have seemed to have the
knack OF gliding right and it has never
worried me much.
I know several men. though. who have
never got over their nervousness at the
thought of volplaning. as they term
coasting down without power. They
know how to do it and do actually per
form it successfully when they have
slant terror for them and the slightest
sound in the engine that hints of trouble
puts them in the same panic that the
thought of the tail of my aeroplane puts
me when am out for altitude records.
With such work as altitude flying. or
which / have made a speciality. there
is all too much time for the nerves to
get on edge and. unfortunately. the
higher man climbs under the increas-
ingly difficult conditions, the more the
strain begins to tell on the nerves. and
it is only by a sharp pulling together of
all the aviator's self-control and Will
power that he is saved at times from
complete and fatal panic.
X y
AS man mounts higher and higher
into the air, the familiar objects of earth
I, ie o;oIt oy,d he hno n
miss them. for they were something that
belonged 10 him and to his world and
they kept his mind occupied. Now. how
ever. he becomes overpowered with a
sense of being absolutely alone-of being
cast adrift and dependent entirely upon
his own resources and upon a power
plant which he knows may fail him at
any moment.
I'd and up he climbs and soon he enters
the region Of the clouds. Here the sense
of loneliness becomes intensified with
feeling of the utter emptiness OF every
thing: he sees nothing above MN, De-
low him. on either side OF him. lie seems
TO be whizzing through an immense void
with neither sides nor top nor potion,
and the unreality of it all and the i'm
mensity of it Cypress him and the nerves
begin their unpleasant little trerors that
tell of approaching fear.
Then above the clouds he bursts, into
the glaring. brilliant sunlight and the
warmth that seems hot after the GOODNESS
of the haze, and here again he meets
conditions that increase the nerve
tremors.
Sudden gusts of wind catch him. They
are quick and dangerous just above the
clouds on a sunshiny day, and they give
no warning of their approach. so 1t
means every faculty on edge to prepare
for all kinds of contingencies. and the
strain begins 10 tell. 1t has not yet
perhaps grown to the proportions Of abb
soiute fear but one can feel 1t coming
and one knows. too. that the most trifling
loss of self-control or mental balance
will mean the immediate topping over
of the entire nervous structure. So one
grits ones teeth and sits tighter and
looks to the whirling propeller or the
aneroid barometer or anything to take
ones mind off the loneliness and the vast
ness and his own impudence in coming
up so high into a region in which he has
no rights.