Evening star., 1937-04-18

the alrl1neS OF human limitations.
which affect the safety Of air trans
port operations. 1t has been sug-
gested that the operation OF modern
aircraft, with their multiplying VOL
umes Of equipment, further compIi-
Gated by radio communications, radio
beacon work and the problems of
navigation, is imposing such a burden
upon pilots that in cases Of emergency
they finally reach the point where
they cannot function properly.
In the early days Of flying the strain
upon the pilot was far less than it is
today in military and transport air
planes. He had few instruments to
watch; little or no navigation work to
do. He had no worries about altitude
or speed effects in maneuvering.
Today's military pilot faces a multi
tude Of problems of which the pioneers
never dreamed. He must supply him
self with artificial atmosphere, heated
clothing or cockpits, and must concern
himself with such added problems as
radio, the management Of flaps, re-
tractable landing gear and adjustable
pitch propellers. He is a unit of
formation at all times In modern
tactical flying, which adds greatly to
his complications. Above all these,
which are mechanical, are the pri-
mary demands Of his military mission
ana these are more intricate and more
specialized than ever before.
With the modern transport pilot
the problems are, If anything, more
complicated. The airplanes, except
IN the case Of bombardment and Navy
patrol flying boats, are larger and de-
mand more skill and training. The
number Of demands upon the time
and attention Of the pilots has in
creased steadily Pilots now are en-
cased IN an iron-bound routine which
gives them not an instant in which to
relax. Each minute brings its in
exorable responsibilities and they are
keyed constantly to the highest mental
pitch.
Pilots are not super-men, even
though they represent the pick of the
human race, physically and mentally.
1t is to be determined whether the
burdens imposed upon them in the
operation of modern aircraft are such
as can be shouldered by ordinary men
or whether, in fact, they are burdens
which could be carried only by super
men.
The Wright Field laboratory is high
ly specialized, since it deals with
phases Of research beyond the scope
OF any ordinary medical or surgical
laboratory. 1t was located at Wright
Field, the home of the Air Corps
Materiel Division, upon the joint de-
cision of the chief of the Air Corps
and the Surgeon General, so that
advantage might be taken of the ex-
pert Judgment available in all aero
nautical engineering lines and of the
well-equipped engineering shops, where
special experimental equipment can
be constructed
The heart of the laboratory is
massive high-altitude chamber. around
which are grouped Offices, physiological
laboratory, biochemical laboratory. op-
Grating room, balance room and stock
room. The whole laboratory is air
conditioned to obtain uniform tenn
peratures essential to accurate opera
tion of test instruments and in certain
analyses
The physiological laboratory con-
tains, in addition to standard medi-
cal equipment, blood gas analyzers,
an air analysis apparatus, spiro-
meter, storage chamber for gas to be
used in rebreather tests and other
equipment for the most exhaustive
research on human subjects.
The altitude laboratory contains
three pressure chambers and repre-
sents the results Of years Of expert
mental work. The chambers are in
a steel tube 81 feet long and 8 feet
inside diameter. They may be used
separately or thrown together as one
large chamber. The chief purpose of
the center section, however, is to act
as an airlock so that entrance to the
end chambers may be made without
disturbing the pressure conditions in
them. Air evacuation to the equiva-
lent of an altitude of 10000 feet above
sea level and refrigeration to IS de-
grees below zero Fahrenheit can be
accomplished in the chamber.
One OF the chambers is so arranged
that it will reproduce the conditions
of supercharged pressure cabin air
plane, while the surrounding air will
be that encountered at high attitudes.