The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1917-11-12
SENSATIONS IN
AN AIRPLANE FLIGHT
Fred H Harris of Brattleboro Writes
of His First Two Experiences at
East Greenwich, r. l.

Fred II. Harris of Brattleboro, found
er and first president OF the Dartmouth
College Outing club and the holder of
many tennis championships at different
times. is now enrolled as a student in
aviation with the Gallaudet Aircraft
corporation OF East Greenwich. Rhode
island. He has already made two
flights as an observer. He will continue
his studies and work at East Greenwich
until he gets his pilot $ license, with
the expectation then of entering into
government service. In q personal let
ter Mr.. Harris writes:
ION the day OF my first flight, Jack
Instructor McGce,) after warming up
the motor and going over every part
lof the machine, TAXED down the field
fand turned around and started up into
the wind. He put on full power and we
began shooting over the ground about
40 miles an hour The transition from
the earth to the air as a supporting
medium was almost imperccptibIe, but
soon the earth seemed TO be drawn
away from US. We swung up over the
hangar and were out over the water Nv
first peculiar sensation came when Jack
made the first ''bank One side up
/ anu the OlHtI uONi anu j WIS ltUllluH
out over the cockpit with nothing be
low for 1000 feet. Quickly the big
machine swung around like a gull and
was again on an even keel. We eirclcd
around the field several times and then
started out over the water. ! could
Sbarelv see our shadow en- the waves
| We turned, went north again, swung
| to the left and came back Jack
! throttled down his motor and said I'VE
are now Just 800 feet. soon he
| started to slide down and in a matter
| of seconds the field was rushing up to
meet us and we landed with no Jar
lwhatever, and went shooting toward
the hangar.
In writing of his second flight Mr..
Harris said:
1T was pretty windy going up the
first few hundred feet. | am told that
there are always more or less air dis
turbanccs near the ground. This
seemed to be the ease today, because,
when we reached an altitude of 5000
feet, il was Just a. steady as could he.
You ought to feel her dip and rise and
swing 1T the lower attitudes.
We could see the capitol in Provi.
dencc and look cut over the many
islands III the bay. 1t Was one of the
IprettieSt sights | have ever seen 4
big estate down below would look like
a doll house with the walls aud gar.
dens behind laid out in squares and rec
tangles,
E. Z. = The sensations in the air are. !
Find, a good deal rs / thought they
twould be. There is TO sensation OF
fdizziness whatever You need some
thing with which to compare YOU
height to experience al dizzy feehn.
|. land when flying in spater You haven Z
any such comparison tt make.
When you mako downward shoot
YOU feel a little the. saWe2 NAY YOU. d,
when shot off ski uni. but there j
none Of that sinking sensation notices
i'll an elevator. at least. l have expc
rienccd none. That may come latel
, on nosc-divc or something Of tina
sort
II find an aeroplane. can be nor
nearly compared To a bird than | sup
posed. It is susceptible to every littl
: pun or change Of wind and il is tn
4 unconscious feel OF the air that tn
. skilled aviator learns to acquire. As
: noticed smaIl birds flying about now
$ can see numerous characteristic
r which are q lot similar TO those of tn
I acroplanc
i We went up in 4 90-horse.powc
$ Cmtiss biplane and il seems TO be
:, fine machine with all the parts rs sin
I pie as possible.