Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-09-02

est trained Army pilots, and DR.. Meyers.
an Army surgeon, have constructed an
airplane pilots seat that can be placed
in all the attitudes of the seat of a
msneuvering airplane. BY blindfoid-
II. the occupant of the seat and plac-
ing 1t in different flight attitudes the
most skeptical pilot can be convinced
that his senses are hopelessly confused,
do to the effects of rotation and that
the use of instruments is the sole sure
means OF returning to normal flight
attitude.
The writer, flying n wartime train
ing plane out of a cloud over Long
Island Sound, was amazed. on coming
out of the cloud, to see ferry boat be-
low. apparently tipped at an angle Of
about As degrees and rapidly turning
around in short circles. This was
delusion created by the abnormal fight
attitude which the airplane had reached
in the cloud However, there are in
struments today which will accurately
indicate the flight attitude of an air.
plane. and pilots trained 10 use them are
able to keep an airplane on an even
keel through fog
When the writer had his first flying
instruction, early in 1917, his instructor
pointed To the meager equipment OF i'll
struments on the plane and said: See
those instruments? Pay no attention to
them. In the first place. they are not
accurate, and ] want you to get the feel
OF the ship regardless Of Instruments.
In those days the instrument TO meas
IRE stability WAS a water level which Is
worthless under the conditions when II
! is needed. Today gyroscOpic instru-
ment of great accuracy has been per-
| fected 10 measure lateral stability. As
/ yet there Is no special instrument III
| common Use 10 measure longitudinal
! stability, but in the meanwhile the air
! speed indicator. today reliable lnsLru-
/ ment. serves the purpose of indicating
! If the ship is diving or climbing.
The second way of maintaining stabi-
! tty without a horizon namely, by the
! use nf an inherently stable plane-~is To
| let the plane fly itself insofar AS lateral
and longitudinal stability are concerned,
| If not interfered with, some of the
| best types Of modern aifplaneS VIII
| return Immediately 10 normal flying al
! titudes after violent wind disturbances.
: ON recent flight In & modern stable
I plane the writer and Col Lindbetgh,
| Who was in the pilots seat, exchanged
| seats, and during the change The plane
! was allowed to fiy itself. With the
| airplane Of the past. such an act might
, have been fatal, in some Of the air"
J planes Of today and all Of tomorrow,
there VIII be nothing at all hazardous
! IN such actions.
n 4 n *
! THE second Of the listed problems, the
! maintenance Of course and location
! Of landing fields while flying through
i fog, Is being solved, thanks to develop
! ments in direciion~findlng radio. IL IL
! based on the principle that the direction
! from which radio signal is sent can be
! accurately ascertained by means Of a
| radio coil and receiving set installed IN
an airplanc. Every amateur radio en-
| thusiaat operating a loop aerial knows
| that there Is only one fine point toward
: which he can turn his loop in order To
get the cleafest reception from any par
ticlllar broadeastlng station, and that