Evening star., 1934-06-17

angle between this line aid the fore and aft
axis of the plane, correcting it in terms Of
ground speed In this way he can discover what
the planes drift is
Wait secondl He does not know the ground
speed. Quickly Gross times with stop watch
the passing of a tree between two other wires
set at right angles to the line of flight. Know
ing his altitude by quick glance at the alti-
meter, he refers to table which reveals the
speed in miles.
The wind is constant today. blowing from
the south five miles an hour. That simplifieS
the flight. Within a minute Gross corrects the
pilots course. The two engines roar into the
west. The sea-going Army ship should reach
Bishop Rock in 72 minutes
1t arrives-on time. Under the left wing the
waves break, gray and menacing, over the
Jagged shoals Meantime fog has been forcing
the plane lower and lower At Bishop Rock
the plane is within 800 feet of the surface.
Nonchalantly the crew proceeds about its busi-
ness At the rock Fitzgerald swings the plane
16O degrees right and takes up his new course.
Gross speaks into the interphone.
We're too low. We may lose the antenna."
The plane maintains contact with the ground
stations by means of copper wire. which trails
down and backward 300 feet
Right" the pilot replies. "Weu pull her up
o little
Gross watches the altimeter carefully. up.
up. up the ship climbs Up 1900 feet. There
it emerges from the shroud- like blanket. As far
as the eye can see, fog covers the Pacific. Yet
Fitzgerald emerges exactly on course, en- route
to Pyramid Head, 20 miles distant on San
Clemente Island.
IRON here to Pyramid head it is not possible
to take drift readings. The heavy fog con-
tnues to boil within itself offers no solid back
ground necessary for an observation.
h1tDd rod fapt ohOvp he toni tho roUhih
roars on. Far ahead is Pyramid Head Three
quarters of hour after turning. the rocky
promontory flashes by, visible through the
cabin windows less than quarter r-me distant.
Again Fitzgerald swings the plane toward the
right, and an hour later is comparing notes with
fellow members of his crew, safe in the opera
tions Office at Rockwell.
If the is obscured during flight radio
bearing may be taken. The pilot need only
signal two coastal radio stations and quickly
experts solve the triangle, two sides of which
lead unerringly to the plane. But the pilots
acquire self-reliance by learning dead reckon
ing" flying.
More than once a crew has flown west over
the Pacific only to find the fog extending hum
dredS of miles in all directions. In that case
they turn at the plotted point and speed east
ward hundred miles or more when their flying
time and instruments, after interpretation tell
them they have reached the home port, where
fog blankets the field.
The landing runway stretches out fiat 5000
feet below. The pilot has fulfilled his mission
but how to land?
The Army has worked out Its own technique
of landing blind on the ground. Simple-when
you know how. And safe. Scores of landings
have been made at Rockwell in this manner.
THE pilot fixes his attention artificial
! horizon by which he maintains lateral con-
troll and on the gyroscopic turn indicator for
direction. He keeps his air speed constant and
holds the plane in position so the rate -of-climb
of 400 feet minute
In few seconds he literally flies on two
wheels into the ground. On the first bounce.
instead of pulling the tail down in ordinary
flying. he continues to hold the controls in
neutral until the plane settles of its own accord.
Even here an instrument guides him.
'ArA .s Z