The Rathdrum tribune. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1903-1963, 1916-11-24
pER|LS or AVIATION
Some of the Dangers the Man In
the Air Must Boldly Face.
LANDING is A SERIOUS TASK.
For the Beginner 1t ls Not Only DIFF.
fioult, but Fraught With Deadly Pos
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Caused by Air
Suction-The Fear of Fire.

spiral course as he approaches the
earth. There are two reasons for this
In the first place. he is maneuvering
so as to land against the wind. In
the second place. he is accustoming
his eye to the mountaineering his
judgment of distance. After one has
been up for an hour or so at anything
like respectable height lie loses his
sense of altitude. He cannot tell by
the eye whether he Is fifty. feet or
200 feet from the ground. 1t is neces-
sary always TO train his eye for dis
lance again, just as baby trains 1t.
! This takes only few moments. but II
is absolutely necessary.
Landing Is the most difficult and the
most important department of avia-
| ton. Half or three quarters of the
accidents occur because the aviator has
made bad contact. 1t used to he
noticed in the early days of aviation
that most of the accidents occurred
near the ground. People supposed that
this was because the lower air cur.
rents arc the most tKeacherous.
That is not true. ] am inclined to
think that with the exception OF
holes" air currents have little to do
with aviation accidents. 1t was be-
cause aviators did not know how to
land. You must shut off your engine,
catch the air and volplane down
against the wind. This Is most impor-
tant. If you land with the wind, even
the lightest breeze, you are likely tc
turn somersault aud bring up smash
ed under your own engine.
But volplaning down and facing the
wind are not enough. Just before
alightinS you must make all upward
turn, SO that the machine at The mo-
ment of contact Is travelling parallel
with the ground. 1t is beautiful to see
how real master drops as lightly as
feather. If you fail TO make that Lit.
tie upward turn at the right moment
you will strike with force that will
either wrench your machine or smash
it. according to how fast you are going
and the nature of the ground.
You must, as have said, land facing
the wind. That is the first principle
Knocked into you in the schools. When
flying low an aviator dislikes to skirt
any obstacle like tree or building
on its windward-and his leeward--
side. for IL he Is steering by compass
or even by sense of direction lie Is very
likely to fool himself and edge over
with the wind toward the obstacle.
The French call this travelling Ell
crabe. A course set by the compass,
when you have wind on the beam. is
not straight course at all. The wind
Is always Siding you away from your
theoretical direction. driving you north.
east by north when you think you are
pointing due north
This accounts for collisions In the
air, an accident that happens some.
times even to experienced aviators and
Tint Is not uncommon In the schools.
On my first day of instruction | saw
one man killed aud another crippled
Tor life by such collision, and 1t near
~ took my nerve. They had started Mt
the same time on what they thought
were parallel courses. One of them
made allowance for the wind and drove
straight. The other did not. His ma.
chine began sliding over ell crabe un
I'll they came near each other. and sue.
lion did the rest. As every one prob.
ably knows, that principle of suction
accounts for great many ma rine dis.
lsters. Two ships run close to each
other. and suction brings them togeth.
er. 1t Is the same with aeroplanes.
1nly that In the nature of things the
suction is hundred times more power.
'u
One danger TO the aviator. that from
Ire. has never been eliminated. al
.hough it is not so great as 1t was be-
'ore aeroplane engines reached the
present standard of excellence. The
rouble lies In the propeller. IL II
moving faster than anything made by
nan ever moved before. The slightest
obstacle will break 1t. And IL 1t breaks
sharp off the powerful intake OF those
iir cooled motors Is sure 10 suck the
lame into the carhurctor. when the
whole machine goes up In fire like q
in of gasoline. OF course the aviator
stands no show at all.
We are instructed from the first to
eave nothing loose about the machine
or about our clothing Many a man
has been killed because his cap blew
off. caught in the propeller and broke
1t. 1t Is even dangerous to leave q
loose tool. such as a monkey wrench,
In the chassis. If it happens to shake
out backward the powerful wind en-
gendered by your high speed may car
~ 1t, heavy as 1t is. into the propeller.
So fast and powerful Is the motion OF
the propeller that | have seen ma
chimes come out OF hailstorm with
the blades all split and splintered
through striking the hailstones. There
have been many experiments with Are
proof machines. but none has succeed
ed as yet. Fireproofing always makes
the machine too heavy and cumber-
some. The trouble is that. except for
aluminium, the highest materials are
also the most infiammable. A Military
Aviator In Saturday Evening Post
DonAttttfrew away your old shoes IN,
you We got new ones.-Dutch ProyeFh. 4