The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-02-21
FLYING BY NAVAL MEN.
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coil six-pounder is mounted in front,
which shoots a two-inch projectile.
The gasolene is pumped from the
main tanks by two little windmill I
pumps up to a tank in the top wing and
from there it is fed by gravity 10 the
earburetors.
As this machine is so large, it is no
longer possible to fly it by the sense of
feel as in the ease of the lighter ma
chine, and the pilot has to depend on
instruments It is very important to
know the number of revolutions each
motor is making and there is gauge
known as tachometer for each of
the motors. There are two throttles and
two spark levers. The altimeter shows
you how high up you are and this is
important in cireling into the wind to
make a landing or in making spirals. !
The air speed Indicator is one of the
most important instruments as it shows
whether you are above or below the
safe flying speed A bubble shows you
whether You are making the proper
bank. If the bubble is one side of the
te1ttl H@NsHoNS# YOU are ShiuuiiS.
If upon the other, it is proof that YOU
are 'Sside slipping Another bubble
shows YOU at what angle you are climb
ing or gliding down. The fellows call
! it E'the little game of chasing the
bubble. In addition to the above in
struments you have one or more COM
passes to help you keep your direction.
BY the aid of the compass and the bub-
/ BILE you can keep your course accurate
" even through clouds or rain.
The first day, the student is instruct
ed in taking the machine off the water,
making the gradual turns and landing
the machine safely. Also he is taught
+, how to operate the thrcttles and how TO
| taxi on the water. The rudder, so SEN
sitive in the air, is almost useless on
the water when no blast OF air is rush
ing by it, and YOU have TO depend on
your motors to steer the machine on
the water. Later lessons include the
making of spirals, flying with but one
motor, what to do if one motor sud
denly fails when in steep bank, fy-
ing without the use of the rudder and
flying compass courses. The student is
required TO learn to spiral up as well
as down. Always he has to keep that
bubble in the center. Finally from a
height of 1900 feet, he is required to
make two complete spirals with the
motors shut off and land within stat
ed distance of a buoy. To do this it is
, necessary to estimate carefully the di-
| reetion and velocity of the wind. While
learning the above, the student has
flown upwards of thousand miles in
, a period of several weeks. If his origi-
nal instructor says he is all right he is
sent out for a check-up with the solo
| instructor. If he passes the solo in
) structor, he is sent out alone with
sandbags to balance the machine. The
mechanics always go along to watch
the motor and their chief work is to
watch the temperatures of the oil and
water, the oil pressure and the proper
feeding of the gasoline.
The navigation course is the last one
on the schedule. Each student is re-
quired to take six flights of approx
mately 40 miles each, three as pilot
and three as observer. These flights
e start at the whistling buoy outside the
: entrance to Pensacola Bay and 90 out
over the Gulf of Mexico, oftentimes out
: of sight of land. On many of the trips
a the machine goes through clouds and
h now and then through rain. These trips
g emphasize the Importance of naviga.
:. ton. If the student knows navigation
J. he gets back, if not, he is apt to end
O up far from his detination.
V Never will | forget one of the navi
! cation trips. 1t was beautifully clear
: afternoon with scarcely a breath OF
r wind AS we went out of the harbor
s the dark waters of the bay. changed
+ to the clear, green water of the gulf
Far UP and down the coast stretched
the white beach of sand We passed
above several schooners and had tc
take their bearings and note their po
q sition, character and direction They
y looked like toy ships on sea of glass
q About 90 miles out, we could see lone
Y patches of brown stuff in the water, evi
!. IDENTIFY some kind of tropical vegetation
4 BY this time, we were up about 3 00l
4 feet and 1000 feet below we could Sc,
, punches of clouds which looked Xix,
|. puffballs.
The sun made a lane Of gold in tn,
yater in which the old wind streak,
made twisting paths. The air wa
II smooth and the machine went alon.
n with no bumps.
le Three times on the trip | had t,
send a radio message back te-the sta