Evening star., 1927-10-15
Flying With Gen. Patrick
IBY MAJS GEN. Nj. nj. PATRICk,]
| Chief of the Army Air Corps.
Looking Down to the Sky.

Flying 20 a height of about 5000
feet, the pilot now prepares to give
his passenger a taste Of the more
spectacular phases of flying.
The air.speed indicator shows about
100 miles an hour. The pilot pushes
the stick forward, causing the eleva'
tors to move below the horizonal from
it's hinged support. The additional air
resistance created on the under side
OF the elevators tends to send the tail
up and the nose of the plane down.
With the nose pointed downward, its
speed Is increased from 25 to so miles
per hour. Gradually the pilot pulls
the stick hack, and in doing SO raises
TIE elevators. The air current catches
the raised portion of the tail plane.
depressing 1t and shooting the nose
upward in graceful semi-circie.
AS the plane reaches the top of this
semicircle the pilot and his passenger
seem to look down to the sky and up
to the earth. At this point the pilot
pulls further back on the stick. The
plane is upside down, and the action
Of the controls in this position Is re-
versed. The air acting on the elevator
now swings the nose downward and
and completes the circle or loop.
Loop Is Not Dangerous.
Viewed from the ground, the loop
appears to be a hazardous display OF
flying ability. In reality 1t is not dan
gerous or difficult when executed by a
skilled pilot. 1t is probably the Oldest
form of stunt" flying. This and other
acrobatics train the pilot to be able
to handle his plane, no matter in what
position 1t may be thrown. His ability
to right his plane from any position
is highly important, particularly in
combat during war.
Almost every one has ridden on a
Ferris wheel. and many enjoy that
form of amusement. The sensation
.one experiences on a Ferris wheel Is
akin to the feeling one experiences In
looping IN a plane, save t.4dt in the
latter instance this sensation is more
pronounced. with the added thrill of
shooting through the air for time in
an upside-down position.
The angle at which the wings of an
airplane meet the air is known as the
'angle of attack" The angle neces-
sary to sustain the airplane in hori-
zontal flight varies in different wing
designs, and Is controlled more or less
by the weight to be sustained. If the
nose of the airplane is pointed below
the horizontal, it will lose altitude.
This does not imply. however, that
the descent will be in a vertical plane.
The airplane still retains all the sus'
tanning qualities necessary for flight.
and is merely being flown down an in
visible inclined plane toward the earth.
On the other hand, II the nose of the
Cd lcYN f, @tvfA al 1n
,zontal at an angle greater than that
required to sustain 1t in horizontal
flight. 1t will gain altitude. The limit
to which this angle may be Increased
and still maintain the necessary for
ward speed to sustain the craft In
fight varies in different types Of air
planes, according to their design and
power. When this limit Is reached a
stall" viii result.
Must Overcome Stall.
Stalling his plane while in flight has
been the undoing Of many an embryo
pilot. A student at the Army Primary
Fiyning School is not permitted to fly
alone until he has demonstrated his
ability to recover from a stall" and
any other difficulty in which he Is
likely to become involved.
The skilled pilot senses the approach
Of the stalling angle. and so manipu
lates his controls as to quickly re
store his plane to the normal flying
position. IL he fails to do this. the
plane, having lost it's necessary for
ward speed and the consequent sus
tanning lift" which goes with 1t, re-
spends to the forces Of gravity and
falls. Due to the shape of the air
plane, this fall is in the form OF a
very steep spiral descent, which Is
called the "tail spin" Prior to the
World War tail spin was considered
to be NEST dangerous. War pilots
who could recover from spin used
this maneuver as sort Of flying