Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-07-19

ment and I felt a sure confidence in
! the driver. Philip Houser, Mechan-
| burg, by the way, and the pleasure
of the trip ahead.
Taking the air or hopping off
| in the aerial vernacular, has exact
| ly the feeling of an automobile
reaching a smooth road after a
broken rough stretch. 1t is only
when one sees that buildings and
trees are below instead of along
side that realization comes. A plane
rides with a steady smooth motion
uninf1uenced by the passenger lean
ing far over the side of the car to
look downward. 1t gives gently to
the air currents like the responsive
springs of fine car, the only objec-
tionable features being the loud
roar of the unhooded engine, which
prevents speech, and the intense
force of the wind which would make
flying without goggles almost an i'm
possibility.
The terms aircraft and 'airship'
are most expressive for l felt very
much the way I have when off the
coast in a fishing smack. Never
having been troubled with seasick-
ness, thoroughly enjoyed climbing
the air pockets as if in a boat TAX
ing a heavy swell and settling into
them as into the trough of a wave.
Far below little men drove little
loads of hay along narrow white
ribbons of road between toy houses
which seemed the playthings of
children. With one eye on the alti-
tude gauge / turned to my pilot and
motioned that I preferred to climb
higher. He nodded and up, wave
by wave, we toated to a distance of
1000 feet. The average passenger
never ascends above 1900.
"One of the strangest feelings to
novice is the consciousness of the
weight of air beneath buoying up
the plane just as a swimmer feels
the safety, in deep water. of the sus-
tanning power which floats him. We
were entirely out of sight of the
spectators we had left in the field
and the country lay like a beautiful
map beneath us. The rush of the
air was cold but 1 could feel the
heat of the sun on my hand where
1t rested upon the padded frame of
the car. Utterly relaxed and en-
Joying it hugely. l caught myself
actually hummins the refrain of a
popular song.
Mr.. Houser was anxious to give
word OF greeting TO some friends
in a flying field nine miles from
Warmensh so we came down for a
short call, rising again as easily as
II driving away from your door.
When at a considerable height 1
felt my body suddenly forced
against the back of the seat. Look
ing at the nose of the plane 1 saw
that we were headed sharply down
ward at an oblique angle. But the
engine still roared and the pro-
peller hummed, so that I feared
nothing. From having watched
air maneuvers I realized we were
taking what is known as a nose
dive 1t is a proceeding far more
thrilling to spectators on the ground
assume you, than to the partici-
pants. I have been much more
excited shooting the chutes at
Coney Island
Space and speed are almost OBJ
liberated in air travel. We flew at
the rate of 120 miles an hour part
of the time and it seemed no more
than about 20 to 80. Turning in the
air, tipping far over apparently
balanced upon one wing, is real
sport. You almost look for spray
to wash over the port gunwale!
When finally we sighted the
home field and landed with a snort
and puff of that outrageously noisy
engine, my one regret was that I
had to climb out again. All honor
to the ingenuity of the brains which
have perfected such an exhilaratins
delightful and-I say it earnestly-
safe means of travel for I think that
in the hands of an efficient pilot one
is in even less danger than upon
our over-crowded highways"