Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1919-06-15
AMERICAN AND
BRITON HOP-OFF
ATST. JOHNSFOR
IRISH HEADLAND
Vickers-Vimy Ship Due
At Destination This
Morning
TRUST METHODS
OF NAVIGATORS
Lieut.. Brown Explains.
How Course Across
Will Be Steered.

ST. JOHNS, N S., June 14.-(By
Associated Press THE Vickers-VIs-
my biplane started on an attempt al
a nonstop transatlantic flight at
4:30 o'clock this afternoon, Green
wich time. The plane carried two men.
Captain Jack Alcock, a Briton, as
pilot, and Lieut.. Arthur Whittier
Brown, an American. as navigator.
By applying methods of marine
navigation Lieutenant Brown and
Captain Alcock expect to "make a
landfalp' within twenty or thirty
miles of their objective in Ireland or
England.
Lieutenant Brown was an Ameri-
can electrical engineer before he
joined the British flying service in
1914. He described in a statement
which he prepared for The Associa-
ted Press before the start of the
flight an interesting description of
the difficulties encountered in trans
Atlantic flight and the methods by
which he hopes to overcome 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 Lieuten-
ant Brown.
Difficulties Arise.
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
with the speed at which it is blown.
In the second place the speed of the
airplane is from five to ten times as
great as that of the commercial yes
sell
"The high speed of the airplane
renders it necessary to make frequent
observations for position, and this in
turn makes it undesirable to use the
slow, albeit accurate means of cal
culation ordinarily employed. In con-
sequence special charts have been
devised for use with the sun or stars
which enable the piolt to fix his po-
sition in very short time, although
not with the accuracy demanded in
marine work With the aid of these
charts, together with sextant, for
observing the sun or stars, chro-
nometer, and compass, the pilot
should be able to make landfall
within twenty to thirty miles of the
desired point.
"This, however, he will not be-
able to do unless he keeps careful
watch on the direction and strength
of the wind, which may alter be-
tween his observations and without
his knowledge. In order to check this
an instrument known as the Drift
Indicator has been devised by means
Of which the pilot can ascertain the
direction of the wind, and the speed
at which he is travelling over the
ocean and the flares or smoke-bombs
which he drops into it for the pur-
pose of making his observations Of
drift. "a
May Go Miles Off Course.
"Should the pilot be flying in
clouds so that he can see neither the
ocean nor the sky, he can anly de-
pend upon his compass, which gives
direction only. Under these circum-
stances he may drift many miles out
of his course without being aware Of
it, unless he employs late develop
ment of'wireless telegraphy by means
of which he can measure his bearing
from two or more land stations and
fix his position at the point Of inter-
section. For short distances this meth
cd has proved its reliability, but it has
yet to be proved that it is suitable
for such journey as the trans-At-
! Continued on Page Fiye.)