Evening star., 1914-08-02
By CLAUDE GRAHAME-WHrTE

conducted in midocean would hardly be simple
affair. The natural tendency, besides, will be this:
Once is in the air, with his motor motors
ming well and the shore behind him. he will feel that he
wants to fly steadily on, to keep at the task till it is
done, risk nothing that may break his spell Of luck
What is favored in fact-and favored think rightly
in view of the hazardous nature of the schemes
bold bid for victory with reasonably fast machine
and in single fight.
THERE is a factor in the problem to which have
yet referred, although it is almost vital as the
endurance of motor and this the uncertainty of the
weather
In any fight today and with any type of aircraft,
the question of wind direction may arise. Head winds
may reduce the pace of fast machine to that of slow
side wind, pressing constantly upon his craft,
may drive pilot from his course; while wind astern,
should he be fortunate enough to obtain one, may add
many miles hour to his flying speed 1t is sound
policy always in long distance fight for an airman
to await favoring wind.
Timetables of course-albeit provisional oies-have
been drawn up for the flying of the Atlantic and in all
of them the wind is made to play its part. There is in
regard to this flight, reason to that the
wind may prove helpful. During the summer months
it has been shown that the wind, blowing away
from the of North America sets eastward toward
Northern Europe. The prevalence of such wind is,
indeed rather more than sporting chance: it has
been proved, time and again, that such trend does
exist; although sometimes it may, in actual direction,
be rather the south of eastward So working upon his
time schedule the would-be competitor may say:
u shall reckon following wind, while am in the
air, of from thirty to thirty-ve miles hour. This
that the strength Of the wind is added the
normal speed of my machine, shall be flying not at
sixty miles hour, but at ninety. So the flight
be made in twenty hours instead of thirty and shall not
be in danger of running short of PETROL as might other
wise have been, in the last few hours before landing
OF pilot, in calculating deliberately that he
will be aided by the wind, has nothing than
averages upon which to build. The wind blows
rule like this Occasionally, however, it south
west instead of west, and this would that
aeroplane might be thrust slightly from its But
here doubt the aviator would observe, ave should
not risk starting in 1uky wind. Having everything
ready, and the machine trimmed to start moments
call, should wait till the trend to be favor
able and quite steady"
This stills criticism the that the start of
their fight at any rate, the pilots would without
question be aided by the wind; but it does not
the possibility that perhaps after they had been hours
in the air. the wind might and blow sdewise
their path. Such a contingency of course would not
spell disaster; but it might serious reduction in
speed and the flying perhaps of many needless miles,
through the machine being driven off its
THERE is another risk in regard to the weather.
graver one than would be occasoned by any change
of wind and it that is appreciated clearly only