Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-08-07
ASSISTANT SECRETARY
of+he NAVY ROBINSON
and ADMIRAL WOFFE7T
inspect HE FLIGHT
TRAINING School
the subsequent joking Of their In
structor by his fellow officers.
X X X

/
| structor by his fellow officers.
/ X ~
|ONE of the lessons that the young
~ student sometimes has difficulty in
| acquiring is caution, and. in fact, Ger.
tain pilots never get it. 1t is the wise
| aviator, however, that tries out new
plane carefully and then comes back
TO the rest of the bunch and reports,
Il know one thing about that plane.
and that is 1 don't know much" But
| it is the effort to teach that to their
pupils that gives the flight instructors
their gray hair overnight.
| According to Capt. A. w. Marshall,
who graduated from the Pensacola
school as an aviator last year. and
with Capt. j. J. Rabie had the honor
| of attaining the coveted gold wings
| though 80 years older than many OF
! the young men who take the course,
air currents are the speediest of all
! the currents. There are none on land,
and water currents are the next in
! swiftness, and in some instances. as
between two islands or the west coast
of Scotland. may run very rapidly.
! The steamer Thomas w. Ralston
| was lost in Pentland Firth, as the
| tidal current runs through there, and
sea that even huge battleship may
find itself in difficulties. 1t may even
run as high as Il miles an hour. or
making for 2 miles an hour drag
backward. but air currents may be
as high as 120 miles an hour.
Capt. Marshall found his greatest
thrill in flying when he first learned
to fly his plane from the field. In
some cases the aviator student gets
his biggest kick" when he is turned
loose and has the plane out for his
first solo hop, and his second thrill
when he makes his first loop. Early
in the game the act of banking and
similar maneuvers are mechanical and
require the attention of the pilot.
Later on this becomes instructive, and
it is then that the aviator may be said
to be at home in his plane, as much
so as the average person is in his
automobile.
An aviator must have the great gift
of judgment and always have a pos.
sible place in view during the fight
where he could land in an emergency.
1t isn't the fall that is dangerous; it's
the stopping, or, as the bricklayer
said on his way down the IS stories.
I'm all right so far, down to the last
half inch"
There are many things besides the
actual art of managing a plane in the
air that the young pilot has to learn
before he is ready for his wings"
and one of the most important Is
knowledge of weather conditions and
how they affect possible cross-country
hops. 1t is usually a surprise to the
pupil to discover that the average
model day, with perfect sky" &C.
cording to the landsman. is far from
nprfnPt uhan viewed
aerially.
In fact, "bumpy" day is one with
beautiful sunshine and soft, fleecy
clouds that let the sunshine through
so that there are areas of hot and
cold air for the plane to traverse. The
warm air tends to rise and the effect
on the pilot is somewhat analogous to
taking dive in ice-cold water when
he is going swimming and striking a
spring.
A gray day makes for far easier
flying. The atmosphere tends to be
Of all one general temperature, as the
ceiling isn't so high under the con-
tinual layer of clouds. The aviator
thus learns to pay considerable at.
tention to the weather reports issued
each day for his special benefit, 30
that he may plan for the conditions
and possible currents he may meet
II the upper atmosphere.
At the air station. watch is kept
II the various wind changes, and sym.
ools, such as rep pennant and ball,
are installed on the tower of one of
he hangers to warn the pilot before
le attempts TO come in for his land.
ng that the wind has changed since
he hopped off. This is important, par
lcularly for the novice, since the
anding must always be into the wind,
which tends to cut down his landing
peed.
In the last six years, the Govern.
nent has managed to cut down the
lumber OF crashes due to the fault of
,llots by no less than so per cent.
This is an enviable record. but it has
meant a steady, hard grind by the
light instructors, who must not only
each their pupils to fly. but try also
o inculcate in them that sense of
he air" that will make them air.
'orthy in the pinch.
For happy landings" are no acct.
ent. They are the net result of long
ours of patient and skillful tutoring.
nd IKE the famous Chinese culinary
Xpert. Joey Wing Low of Brooks
'ield. who declared to the Judge that
e could 'f1y anything" the aspirants
II gold wings must be able to do their
tunts in the oldest as we'll as in the
ewest ship" But not a third of
ne pupils that pass their first check
light ever reach the high pinnacle of
fading orders that send them to duty
18th the Air Squadron Of the United
lates Fleet. Those who do deserve
lie grade, and to paraphrase a well
orn saying. only the brave deserve
le air."