The Elbert County tribune., 1912-11-08
WRSeY W.wSzze1ry zzczzxE

moving horizontally upward in opposition 10
the surface of the planes. should be falling then
the support of the flying machine is suddenly
diminished to that extent. and the aeroplane
drops. Again, II the aviator is travelling against
a stratum of wind of definite speed and then
purposely descends reaching an air belt OF lower
speed or altered direction, these changes may re-
duce the force of the air striking the surfaces
OF his planes, and this drop in pressure may
cause his machine to fall speedily earthward.
This is another proof of course of the imaginary
vacant places IN the air
We must bear in mind that the problem of
the flying machine is quite distinct from that or
the balloon. The balloon floats because II is
either lighter than the air ii displaces-when it
rises-or remains at IA fixed altitude because there
ia perfect balance between it's weight and that
of the air which it thrusts aside. 1t remains
aloft whether drifting with the wind or being
driven by a motor. The heavier-than-air flying
machine on the other hand. is sustained in flight
only long its movement forward arouses
sufficient opposition the part of the air to lift
or to sustain 1t. When the propellers cease to
revolve the aeropane starts earthward. and dis
aster can be avoided only by volpaning or per-
forming a sweeping spiral descent maneuver
of this sort is nothing more nor less than a
modified drop. The safety of the aeroplane,
therefore. when in mdair depends upon the nice
balancing of the machine and the proper equaliz-
ing of pressure upon the planes Eddies in the
air any other disturbance which will bring
the aeroplane into conflicting atmospheric belts
OF zones VIII lmpeTl tHe stdDllity VI tie
chine and the life of the aviator unless he be
ever watchfu and there some of these con-
ditions against which he cannot sufficiently
guard.
The flying machine, in going ahead hits the
air succession of rapid blows, and by this
causes an area of compression which is equal in
the force of its reaction to the weight of the
flying machine. The fact of 1t is, this compress
sion actually affects volume OF air equal in
weight to the air craft it sustains and cubic
foot nf at al n n
pound at the freezing point, little figuring will
show how wide Is the area upon which the avia-
tor must draw for his support
What happens then when the flying machine
has moved onward and the atmosphere tries to
resume its normal state? The reaction is like
the release of spring. and the air acquires a
vbratory moton-greatest in a vertical direction
akin to the prolonged bobbings of partly
water-soaked log after being hit blow. But this
is not all.
We are living at the bottom of an ocean of
air and we living in that region of the at
mosphere where 1t is densest. The natural ten
dency for the atmosphere is to fall when not
made lighter by heat and caused to rise. An
aeroplane shooting through this lower belt Is
substantially knocking out the foundations from
beneath the atmospheric columns reaching many
thousands of feet heavenward. and we have in
the air virtual duplication of our bobbing log
many many times repeated at every stage of
the onward movement of the flying machine and
the successive reactions OF the compressed air
which has momentarily sustained that mechan-
ical flight. Isn't 1t clear. then, that aviator
when passing above below another aviator
is either stumbling into air holes thus created
or producing similar condition to menace his
nearby fellow? The airman advancing at the
greater speed will produce the wider of dis
turbance and, within any prescribed limit, the
dangerous reaction.
The flying machine when aloft is in a state OF
decidedly delicate equilibrium. otherwise the
mere hexing of wing tips would be incapable of
correcting its horizontal position. Any change
pressure at the extremity of It's wings is equiva-
lent to adding reducing the weight at the one
the other tip. and upsetting movement is
started 1t is quite probable that though
one aeroplane may be full hundred feet above
or below another, still the greater speed of the
overtaking machine may cause sufficient down
ward movement the part of the air to over
weight suddenly wing of the other machine.
This is certainly what happened In the case of
Lieutenant Briez Mile Dutrieu and number of
others.
The task set the Investigators is that of find
ing how wide is the region of agitation created
by flying machine in flight, and, with this
knowledge. to prescribe the proper distances
which aviators must observe when approaching
another
Fortunately the flying machine is studied
in the laboratory. and recent progress in expert
mental aerodynamics Is doing much toward
clearing the way for safe advance in the near
future, but the public must be patient and It
must realize that flying is full of hazards at
best and we really scarcely much more than
upon the Threshold of this wonderful sciencA