Evening star., 1925-11-29
END OF s3FLAMINC COFFIN'
TYPE OF PLANES In SIGHT
Safety Devices Being Perfected for All
Dangerous Tricks of Aircraft-New
FOkker Flies Itself.

crashes and fires, but even though
there was no evidence of mechan-
ical or structural failure, the accused
officer stoutly maintained faulty
equipment" He meant by that, his
friends emphasize, that had the
wings been fitted with slots, flaps or
other devices TO continue the fy:.-.,
speed almost to Standstill, the cr-eA
would not have occurred because in
stead of the plane spinning in" it
merely would drop it's nose down at
gliding angle and land safely. Fur
ther, the isolation of the gasoline tank
from the motor or its attachment to
, the plane so it could he dropped
when a serious forced landing ap-
peared imminent or the location Of
the tanks in the wings, all have been
suggested as cures for the fire haZ-
zard. In commercial planes, where
speed and maneuverability are not
paramount, these could and have been
adopted in many cases. But their
application to military planes as at
present constructed seriously impairs
their value
An airplane to he efficient must he
as sleek as a race horse. There should
not be any unnecessary obstacles pro
trudinE from any part of the plane. as
these cause drag" and reduce the
speed and maneuverability The sub
stitution of small thin pair Of
wheels for the regular service type
and the removal of WindshieldS and
the closing up of open spaces in joints
add as high as 90 miles an hour speed
to a plane. Therefore, it is evident
that an ordinary DeHavilland plane,
equipped with the multitude of de-
vices conducive to greater safety.
perhaps would render it almost use
less as a military plane. These fea-
lures must be incorporated in the
plane while it is on paper.
Cutting Out Stall.
The stall Is the source of most
crashes and to recover safely requires
an ability if not an instinct ito fly"
Stalls can occur high in the air or
close to the ground. Most stalls.
either due to pilot or motor. come on
the take-off when the plane is a few
hundred feet altitude and on a climb.
In the inclining position with the nose
up. If the motor quits dead and the
pilot is not quick enough there is
nothing TO save him from spin and
crash. Non-Stalla bic devices would
prevent this.
There is a close analogy between
the stall of an airplane and the move
ment of an automobile up hill. II the
motorist running at 35-mile speed
on level ground takes a hill without
increasing the power of the motor the
car will slow down and if the grade is
very acute and long the automobile
eventually will come to a stop. The
same applies to the plane II on the
climbing take-off the motor gives
below its normal power. the speed of
the climb is reduced until il is below
flying speed. In the air the pilot can
pull back on the control stick slightly
and the air speed indicator will drop
from 10 to 20 miles instantly. II he
continues to keep the controls in this
position and does not increase the
power of the motor, the speed will
| drop slower and slower until the plane
comes to a virtual standstill and then
falls off out of control. If. while fly
| ing along level, he pushes forward a
quarter of an inch. the speed will
jump to a corresponding or higher
| figure.
The main difficulty with students is
| TO prevent them from getting into a
| stall and the resultant spin. If the
student cannot keep an eagle eye on
| the altitude meter, the air speed indi-
Gator and the horizon ct the same
time to check his level flying. invari-
| bly, the plane will nose up of its own
| accord.
Plane Flies Itself.
Anthony H. G. Fokker, the noted
Dutch airplane designer and builder.
recently producted d three -engined
| monoplane with a passenger capacity
of 10. The aerodynamical construction
of the wing is such that the plane
takes off in an incredibly short field
and If pulled up into stall in the
air, merely drops into an opposite
angle position and picks up the neces-
sary flying speed again. This plane
flies itself. 1t also has a very slow
landing speed.
Planes designed for high speed must
have a small wing surface to elimin-
ate drag. The wings keep it in the
air. If the area is small the ship
must be shot through the air faster
and consequently must come into land
at a faster speed. The French Per
| bois." holder of the official maximum
| three-kilometer speed record of 27S
miles per hour. lands at 120 miles an
hour. Large thick wings give high
lifting power, but their construction
| sacrifices speed.
The time is not far distant when
| these various devices for safety will
have passed the experimental stage
and will be incorporated in new air
| craft. The ideal plane then will have:
Short take-on distance; high speed in
the air; non-stall; low landing speed
| and guarantee of no fire on crashing.
That at present is the most aviators-
desire. They are rot afraid of the
planes that do not embody these fea-
lures because of confidence in their
ability to keep them in the air and
| land them safely in all emergencies
But flying still is out of reach of the
| layman under these conditions.