The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1919-06-16
AIR MEN TELL
DIFFICULTIES
OF LONG TRIP
Most of Hardships of Flight
Were Anticipated and
Sofety Precautions Pre-
arranged.

st. Johns n. F., June 15.-By ap-
plying methods of marine navigation.
Lieut.. Arthur Written Brown expect
ed to fly across the Atlantic in the
Vimy bomber machine, piloted by
Captain Jack Alcock, and to make
landfalI within twenty or th.Gy
miles Of his objective in Ireland.
Lieutenant Brown was an American
electrical engineer before he Joined
the British air service in 1914 He
has described in a statement which
he has prepared fer the Associated
Press an interesting description of the
difficulties encountered in a trans
Atlantic flight and the methods by
which he overcame them.
In flying an airplane over large
bodies of water such as the Atlantic
ocean where the pilot may be for
hours out of sight of any landmarks
by which he could Judge his position,
it is to the methods of navigation
which have been developed by the
mariners that the pilot turns to learn
where the location and the course
to his destination is" writes Lieut.
Brown.
Unfortunately difficulties arise
from the start in applying these
methods with accuracy This Is true
because the airplane is at the mercy
of the wind and appears to move in /
the direction in which the wind blows I
with the speed at which it is blown. !
In the second place the speed of the |
airplane is from five to ten times that |
of the commercial vessel.
THE high speed Of the airplane
renders ii necessary to make fire. |
quent observations for position, and |
this in turn makes it undesirable to |
use the slow, albeit accurate. means !
of calculation ordinarily employed. In !
special charts were de-
vised for use with sne sun or stars |
which enable the pilot to fix his posi- |
ton in a very short time, although |
not with the accuracy demanded in
marine work.
How IL Seems.
Let US take flight from st. Johns
steering the airplane along the short
est route for Galway bay, and start
ing some time in thS afternoon.
Before leaving the ground, the
drift indicator is set to the required
course and an approximate compass
course is worked out which will al
low for the drift caused by the pre-
vailing wind. After rising into the
air and gaining sufficient height, the
airplane is Set on the compass course,
and this course is then corrected un-
til the desired course set on the Inui-
Gator is made good. The time of pass
ing over the coast is noted and the
speed over the ground is measured.
The direction and speed of the wind
at the height of the airplane are call
he drift I'M |
FULLY watched so as to detect any
and to make the necessary
During the first hour the height |
81 the sun above the horizon is meas
lred by means of the sextant, the
exact time of the observation being
noted. The special chart is then
brought into use, and If there mas
been no error in the allowance IUr
Wind, it shows exactly what point has
,een reached on the desired track
% Galway bay. This is then checked
Ip with the position which should
nave been reached according to the
measured ground speed, and in the
ihort distapce traversed during the
irst hour. there should be no APP
,reciable discrepancy. II
The navigator now has time to
he journey after the hurried prepa-
alton at the start, and to pay a little
attention to the many calls coming
'ver the wireless. BY this time he I
S almost out of range with his send
ng apparatus. but signals continue to &
ome in bearing messages of cheer,
nd perhaps some humorous sugges- I
ions as to conduct enroute, to which,
nhappily. the appro .Jriate replies can i
lot be sent.
Another hour passes, and il is time r
or another observation. This is TAX
n in the same way as the first and r
s the hours slowly pass, SO the ais
ance increases, and the data obtained
rom the observation piles up and
ives one an increased faith in the
Instruments devised by man.
Night comes on, and the stars
egin to peep out. This is the best @
me for the navigator, for there are
lany stars and observation on two or
nree of them give him a more ac-
urate position than he can obtain
rom the single observation afforded
y the sun 1t is too dark to see the
lrface of the ocean and the drift L