The Pioche record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1908-1925, 1912-01-06
SAILING The AIR.
How II Feels to Soar A!oft In a
Balloon or Aeroplane.
ALL SENSE OF HEIGHT LOST.


Dizziness or Giddiness. and After
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
| tenSihpd if one were TO rise several
hundreds of feet in the mir in dying
machine But that idea is a mistake
according to MIR. Charles 9. Turner
In an article in the Pail Mall Maya
zine. in which he tells how beginners
are taught the use of the aeroplane
and describes the sensations of fight
He says:
The manner in which course Of
fight lessons begins depends chiefly
on the weather, If 1t is fine and calm
pupil is ut once taken out for pas
seneer fights. sitting behind the
teacher or beside him. according to
the tyre of machine, and having 10th
ing to think about except the novelty
Of his experiences and the new aspect
in which he secs familiar things
Ills 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. lie climbed into the pas
scnger's seat and Gripped the stanrh.
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.
TO start II n mechanic stood behind
the main planes and gave Tie prorei
Ter a turn, and suddenly the engine
was giving out Il tremendous roar and
making the machine vibrate. Other
mechanics were holding on to the tail
blooms to prevent the aeropiane from
shooting forward before the pilot was
ready.
"But almost Immediately the pas,
| etA-t' 'i'1'iN'N hltt I'ilot hpiu VII WV
band as signal, and on the instant
the machine plunged forward over the
ground like n 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 curiousiy softened
down, tho ground no longer raced be,
meath the machine, and he realized
that he was Tying and that already
he was twenty. forty, fifty feet above
the ground
"Flying has been compared to many
things. but in truth no comparison il
good Perhaps ! may correct one or
two common but false notious con.
corning It.
There Is no sense of travelling at q
great height There is not the slight,
est danger OF glddiness. To me this
gave no surprise, for, as every bal
ioonist knows. II matters not whether
he looks down from 20 or 1000 feet
the sensation of height is absent.
ITO take my own ease. ! cannot look
down 100 foot cliff for many sec.
ends before feeling unsafe, but can
look down from balloon that Is two
miles above ground and can gaze at
the scene below for half an hour with
ont a qualm, 1t is the experience of
every aeronaut.
ut is impossible also with reason.
able accuracy without the aid OF nm
anerod to estimate ones height You
see trees far below you. and If you are
high enough they appear 10 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 a
height Of 800 or 400 feet. The ground
passes below you very slowly, while II
you get up 70 500 or 1000 feet II 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 yonr speed
'ln descending a pupil notices tina,
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
|