Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-03-19

measure explain why it is that after
man has made one height record
he usually quits and let's those with
less. experience have chance.
Still, the man who flies close To tfs
ground will frequently meet with nils
and valleys in the air not so great
nor so suddenly presented as these
bumps and holes" that | have de-
scribed, but yet unpleasant and DTS
concerning enough to put his nerves
on edge and give him an uncomfort-
able sensation for some days after
ward.
I have flown at n comparatively low
height and found that where there Is a
hill in the ground there is usually
hill in the air Immediately over II,
and where you viii rnd valley or
a ravine you will find correspond
ing valley or ravine in the air imme'li-
ately above. The atmosphere which
lies directly upon the oarths surface
seems to follow the contour of ihe
earth almost exactly, and l have no.
ticed that under certain atmosphere
conditions even IA house or. clump "t
trees will present a counterpart IN
the air above. This is PARTICULARS
true when the air is moist or heavy or
dense from any cause whatever. ana
can assure any would-be aviator that
he will find it extremely unpleasant 10
bump into this unseen obstacle just
at a time when he may be flying cas-
lily and be under the impression thar
aviation is the simplest and most
pleasant of all the sports in the world.
These bumps are found even on
the calmest days. On days when the
wind is inclined to be at all gusty or
titful the ayiator's danger is increased
tenfold for then he not ohlE p.fiPN
the bumps. but he rocks ana sway
from side to side and is blown mp anu
down I'm a way that threatens destruc-
ton at any minute
On such DAYS the man who uses "A
Bleriot usually keeps his machine IN
its hangar. for the Bleriot was h"I
built for fitful winds. | have, however
seen men go out on days when III WAS
a toss-up whether they would come
down alive or not. and l have been Tar
more frightened for them than 1 have
ever been for myself; for i know nt
nothing which puts greater stralh
upon the nerves than to stand helpless
upon the ground watching AN airman
battle desperately with the WINDS, eS-
peciallr when one has been in the
same predicament ones self and knows
exactly the fearful possibilities whlcn
each dip and roll of the machine ia
dictates. When man goes up under
such conditions. IL means hGht-hGht-
fight all the time. constantly, inces-
sanity, with the hardest part still to
come, for landing In high wind is
operation.
Time after time you will see gust
OF wind catch underneath the front
plane and threaten to turn the machine
q back somersault in the air. Again.
when the machine Is tilted downward.
a sudden puff will catch the upper
surface of the front control and threat
en- to send man and machine crashing
to the earth.
Flying broadside to the wind. you
will see the aeroplane blown upward
first on one side and then on the other.
and il you will watch closely through
a strong glass you will see that not
for one minute does the aviator cease
fighting. but that the hand on the lever
is going constantly forward or back
ward or to one side or the other. as
the gusts catch him and throw him off
his even keel
No. flying is not the smoothest and
easiest kind of travelling. especially
when there is trough riding To be
done. when there are aerial bumps"
to be bumped.
Copyright. 1911. by Henry NJ. Nicely. CopyriSht
in Great Britain and Canada. All rights
reserved.l