Diagram showing action of wind on flight of aeroplane. The force and direction of the wind being represented by the line A B, and the propelling force and steered direction being A C, the actual path travelled will be A D.
In flying across country a sharp lookout is kept on the land below. If it be of a character unfit for landing, as woods, or thickly settled towns, the aviator must keep high up in the air, lest his engine stop and he be compelled to glide to the earth. A machine will glide forward 3 feet for each foot that it drops, if skilfully handled. If he is up 200 feet, he will have to find a landing ground within 600 feet. If he is up 500 feet, he may choose his alighting ground anywhere within 1,500 feet. Over a city like New York, a less altitude than 1,500 feet would hardly be safe, if a glide became necessary.
Mr. Clifford B. Harmon, who was an aeronaut of distinction before he became an aviator, under the instruction of Paulhan, has this to say: “It is like riding a bicycle, or running an automobile. You have to try it alone to really learn how. When one first handles a flying machine it is advisable to keep on the ground, just rolling along. This is a harder mental trial than you will imagine. As soon as one is seated in a flying machine he wishes to fly. It is almost impossible to submit to staying near the earth. But until the manipulation of the levers and the steering gear has become second nature, this must be done. It is best to go very slow in the beginning. Skipping along the ground will teach a driver much. When one first gets up in the air it is necessary to keep far from all obstacles, like buildings, trees, or crowds. There is the same tendency to run into them that an amateur bicycle rider has in regard to stones and ruts on the ground. When he keeps his eye on them and tries with all his might to steer clear of them, he runs right into them.”
Practicing with a monoplane, 20 feet above the ground.
When asked what he regarded the fundamental requirements in an aviator, Mr. Harmon said: “First, he must be muscularly strong; so that he will not tire. Second, he should have a thorough understanding of the mechanism of the machine he drives. Third, mental poise—the ability to think quick and to act instantly upon your thought. Fourth, a feeling of confidence in the air, so that he will not feel strange or out of place. This familiarity with the air can be best obtained by first being a passenger in a balloon, then by controlling one alone, and lastly going up in a flying machine.”
Grahame-White on his Bleriot No. XII. The lever in front of him operates all the controls through the movement of the drum at its base.
Mr. Claude Grahame-White, the noted English aviator, has this to say of his first experience with his big “No. XII.” Bleriot monoplane—which differs in many important features from the “No. XI.” machine in which M. Bleriot crossed the English Channel: “After several disappointments, I eventually obtained the delivery of my machine in working order.... As I had gathered a good deal of information from watching the antics and profiting by the errors made by other beginners on Bleriot monoplanes, I had a good idea of what not to do when the engine was started up and we were ready for our first trial.... It was a cold morning, but the engine started up at the first quarter turn. After many warnings from M. Bleriot’s foreman not on any account to accelerate my engine too much, I mounted the machine along with my friend as passenger, and immediately gave the word to let go, and we were soon speeding along the ground at a good sixty kilometers (about 37 miles) per hour.... Being very anxious to see whether the machine would lift off the ground, I gave a slight jerk to the elevating plane, and soon felt the machine rise into the air; but remembering the warnings of the foreman, and being anxious not to risk breaking the machine, I closed the throttle and contented myself with running around on the ground to familiarize myself with the handling of the machine.... The next day we got down to Issy about five o’clock in the morning, some two hours before the Bleriot mechanics turned up. However, we got the machine out, and tied it to some railings, and then I had my first experience of starting an engine, which to a novice at first sight appears a most hazardous undertaking; for unless the machine is either firmly held by several men, or is strongly tied up, it has a tendency to immediately leap forward. We successfully started the engine, and then rigged up a leash, and when we had mounted the machine, we let go; and before eight o’clock we had accomplished several very successful flights, both with and against the wind. These experiences we continued throughout the day, and by nightfall I felt quite capable of an extended flight, if only the ground had been large enough.... The following day M. Bleriot returned, and he sent for me and strongly urged me not to use the aeroplane any more at Issy, as he said the ground was far too small for such a powerful machine.”
