Evening star., 1927-10-10
Flying With Gen. Patrick
IBY MAI. GEN. M. Nj. PATRICK,
| Chief of the Army Air Corps.
Getting Acquainted with the Plane


was 60 years old when learned to
fly. 1t was really one of the big mo-
ments in my life, as it was contrary
to the current belief that one in late
middle age could do 50. / am sure
there are many, old and young. who
yet may take safely to the air, whether
for military or commercial purposes.
While flyers recognize such a thing
as inherent flying sen@e," the ability
to pilot plane under ordinary cir
cumstanceS is not al eSoteric accom-
plishment. Flying in many Of its
aspects is not unlike driving an auto
mobile. Most of us can recall the
early days of motor-driven vehicles
and the reluctance with which the av
erage person ventured into one of the
new contraptions. A feeling some
what akin to this is harbored by many
nowadays with respect to the airplane.
A better understanding of the plane
and the medium through which it
travels, I believe, will go far in dis
pelling from the individuals mind
many of the bugaboos about flying.
That thought, therefore, is the basis
for this and subsequent articles in this
series, in which the novice is made
acquainted with the why's and where
fores Of flying.
No Parking Places in Air.
Let us assume that at the air field
the sky is slightly threatening. The
probability of rain dictates delay in
taking off and affords an opportunity
to look about the field and view some
of the planes at close range, In the
foreground are two giant twln-bomb-
ers, newly arrived from the factory
nd TG lxo hni crh
huge masses of STEEL which soon are
to take wing" with the ease and
grace of a swallow. There are smaller
craft Misunderstanding pursuit planes.
observation planes and training planes.
How such masses of steel, wood and
fabric can float" in the air is myS-
terry to the average individual Truly,
it would be battling if planes Weighing
1000 to 10000 pounds or more could
be made to float" in air. But before
starting it should be borne in mind
that flying is not floating" Power
must be applied to drive an airplane
through tn. air. and unless it main
tains a certain speed forward-about
40 miles per hour for the average air.
planet will not retain it's position in
the air, but will fall to earth. OBJ
serve bird in the air; it is constantly
in motion. There are no parking
places in the air.
Planes Drawn Ahead
Flight suggests motion. 1t is OBJ
tained by driving through the air a
surface-in the case of the plane, the
wings-inclined slightly upward and
toward the direction of motion. A
cursory examination of a plane will
reveal certain general features char.
acteriStic of all planes, and will help 70
understand how one flies by manipu-
lating such machine.
At the forward end is the propeller,
a steel or wooden surface, about feet
long, attached to an axis. The pro-
peller. also known as "air screw"
literally screws through the air, pull
ing the airplane forward as it bores
its way. When the plane is in mo-
ton the propeller advances through
the air much in the same fashion
as the homely corkscrew proceeds
through the neck of a bottle. With
every revolution of it's axis the pro-
peller advances certain number of
feet forward.
Plane Has Big Motor.
The wings are the surfaces that pro-
vide the ''lift" which, combined with
speed, produces flight. That part of
the plane containing the pilot and his
passengers, and to which is attached
the tail-plane, is the fuselage. 1t may
be compared to the body of an automo-
bile. The wheels, or landing gear, are
not an integral part of the flying
mechanism, although they facilitate
taking off and landing.
The sky has cleared, and so the
flyers prepare to don their suits and
harness" ready for the flight. While
hoping there will be no need for the
parachutes, they strap them on and
proceed to the plane. The craft is a
two-seater Douglas observation plane,
equipped with a 12-cyclinder Liberty
motor. The pilot walks about the
plane, examining it to make certain
everything is in flying shape. AS they
climb into the cockpit, the pilot as
sures his passenger it is perfectly
good flying form to sit on ones para
chute. They fasten the safety belts
and the pilot tries the controls to
make sure all are in working order.
He presses the starter button; there is
contact; the propeller starts whirring;
the engine spits fire. They are ready
for the flight.
Copyright. 1927
This is the first of a series of articles by
Gen. Patrick intended to acquaint the public
with facts about aviation not generally
known Following articles will be published