The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-05-06
MANY REASONS FOR
AIRPLANE CRASHES
Too Often Only the Dead Flyer Ever
Knows Just What Sent His Machine
to the Ground, But oftentimes
II is Mechanical Defects.

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Dallas, Tex, May 6.-There Is rea
son for every aviation accident, Some
times IL is an obvious one but too Otter
only the dead flyer ever knew what sent
his machine crashing 10 the ground.
Up to the middle of April there had
been SO fatalities in the six Texan avia
tion camps and in many of the accidents
that caused them no one knew Just what
unexpected condition, just what weak
ness in man or material had developed
high in the air. Fort Worth with il
three aviation fields and its preponder-
enee Of flyers training under the British
officers in the Royal Flying corps mad a.
deaths,up TO April IL; Houston was next
with 10.
Crashes may be due TO msapplcatioa
of rules, unfamiliarity with peculiar aeri-
a conditions, faulty material in the mir.
plane, sudden fright seizing the aviator
or mere Tecklessness.
In flying there arc no brakes to apply.
The pilot must be alert and ready for
any emergency. A plane just leaving
the field has the advantage over a plane
about to land in an impending disaster.
The landing plane is going much faster
than the one just ''revved up The
pilot just starting up must be careful
not TO misiudge his start and thus be
Overtaken by plane that is powerless
to avoid the crash.
Machines passing in the same direction
should have an interval of at least 200
yards to insure safety against collisions.
When they are passing over and under.
they must pass at a distance of at Les =
so yards and those approaching a head
on pass must have at least $50 Yards
between them.
One OF the most common reasons (
accidents, as given by instructors, is dis
obedience OF orders. At certain height
and going at certain we'll defined speed,
so many loops or dives or whatever man.
never is TO be adopted, may be made
with safety. If the aviator disregards
the laws Of mathematics in which ne has
been drilled and undertakes one. r.ore
loop, the consequence may prove fatal
Landing in cross wind is highly dan.
gerous. 1t frequently causes the plane
to turn completely over and pins the
pilot underneath the heavy engine.
There have been numerous deaths.
fight commanders say from pilots sing
their nerve. The driver finds he has
lost control of his engine, makes a fran
tic effort to right the plane, fails the
first time, lapses into unconscious less
and the plane falls to earth at sLch
errifice speed that the aviator is desd
before he reaches the ground.
During their periods of instruction
'adets about to fly are given a strict |
curse to follow in the air. The location |
n which some airplanes have fallen in. |
Heated that the cadets, once up in the /
,ir, disregarded their instructions srd |
ollowed their own sweet will. Accord /
ng TO the rules of the air if each pane /
las kept its course, under normal e1nd- /
ions collision with another plane is not
possible,
Lieutenant c. S. Chase of Ellington
eld. Houston, recently described some Of
he hazards and duties of an airman.
following the first exercises
n which the students develop their
ense of balance and stability, they are
rilled in aerial dynamics.
Lieut.. Chase declared that "air poe
cts are HUl Ppthtls NJ all out are
scending and descending currents caused
V hot and cold waves in the air. \
lane ascends in warm currents and falls I
cold currents. Forests and wet grass
nd trees make cool air; level stretches
here the sun shines contain warm air,
An aviator must understand meteor
Iogy. photography, wireless telegraphy
nd be master of machine gun fire,
lieutenant Chase added When he be.
,mes flying cadet and wears a white
at band, he gets his first ride aloft. Att
few trips he does solo" that is, a
,es up alone, the most important part {
his training. Next he flies in forma {
on and then on cross country trips
here he is compelled to land guided |
lily by maps and instruments. Then !
mes his higher development with ma c
line gun fire and other special training
hich increases his usefulness as one of
lie "eyes of the army"
Officers commanding the Texas camps. F
lille deploring the fatalities that have /
the training of Uncle Sans o
fers, say that, in comparison with che n
imber of men who have been trained d
Id become expert, the total is surpris- u
gly small 5