Evening star., 1927-10-13
Flying With Gen. Patrick
BY MAJ. GEN. M. M. PATRICK,
Chief of the Army Air Corps.
Right Turn in the Air.
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Unlike the automobile. the airplane
requires no shifting of gears, yet the
pilot makes many movements of
hands and feet as he guides his plane
through the air. The passenger notes
the result, but perhaps is unfamiliar
with the methods of executing so
simple change in direction as a
right turn. In making a turn the
sciously or otherwise, certain factors
which need not concern the driver
of an automobile or the pilot of q
vessel.
The plane is proceeding at the rate
of 100 miles per hour. The pilot de
cides to make a right turn. He
presses with his foot upon the right
lever. This in effect would be like
turning the wheel of an automobile
to the right if the plane We're in con-
tact with a surface or road. But the
plane is in the air and it is travelling
at high speed. Merely to turn the
rudder to the right will not send the
plane along new course. It's mo-
mentum continues to carry it in the
direction of its first course even
though its nose is pointed elsewhere.
Such handling of the plane would
result in skid sideways and away
from the center of the turn just as a
fast-moving automobile skids in maxi
ing turn on a slippery pavement.
The wings or lifting surfaces of the
plane would not then meet the air
in the correct manner and with the
lift and forward motion of the plane
gone, the factors necessary for flight,
the plane would fall.
Turn at High Speed.
But the pilot does more than press
the rudder lever in making a turn.
AS he turns the rudder to the right
he also shifts the joy-stick to the
right. In so doing he elevates the
aiIeren on the right wing and lowers
the one on the left, which results in
fitting the plane sideways, in this
case to the right, known as bank.
ing.' In making a left turn this
procedure is reversed. Che bottom of
the wings then meet the air in a way
which opposes the momentum of the
plane in it's original direction. The
sideways movement as a result is
only such as is necessary to complete
the turn.
1t has been observed that an aver
age plane must maintain q forward
speed of about 40 miles per hour to
retain it's position in the air. 1t is
obvious, therefore, that the plane cam
not slow down in the manner of an
automobile on level ground in max
ing turn. Right or left turns in
the air usually are taken at cruising
speed.
Sharp Bank Steep.
The banking of plane is compar-
able to the banking of an automobile
race track or a running track. 1t
would be Just as disastrous for an
automobile on level ground to attempt
a turn at 100 miles an hour as 1t
would be for an airplane to shift its
course without banking. In the case
of the automobile race track the bank
is built into the course and enables the
car to make the turn at top speed
without turning turtle. In the case
of the airplane the pilot must pro.
vide the bank by turning the plane
at an angle. The sleeper the bank of
an automobile race track the faster
the car may go, and, similarly, the
sharper the turn the plane makes in
the air the sleeper must be the bank.
The pilot must exercise care not to
overbank. Overbanking usually re-
suits in side e-slipping. and if the lift
ing surfaces are tilted so that they
do not meet the air at. the proper
angle the plane will fall. This does
not mean, however, that the pilot has
lost control of his machine. BY
manipulating the rudder and by mos
ing down. and then operating the
elevator the plane may be righted and
made TO resume it's previous course.
1t is essential for the pilot to kno
at just what angle he may bank
plane without losing the lifting force
necessary to keep him in the air.
One of the cardinal principles in
flying is to keep the plane in such an
attitude that the air pressure always
is directly in the pilots face. In this
position the plane is engaging the air
and the lifting and controlling sur+
faces are functioning efficiently. In
the event of skid or a side-slip the
pilot feels the wind on his check, and
it is not a difficult matter for skillful
pilot to recover his correct position.
providing he has sufficient altitude.
(CoDyright 1921