DISTANCE FLYING

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 48, Issue 91, 27 January 1928, Page 2

DISTANCE FLYING

HOW THE ROUTE IS KEPT. On the eve of setting out with Captain Mclntosh on the attempt to fly to India, Mr Bert Hinkler, wrote the following informative article specially for v the “News of the World”:— I It is not twenty years ago since the long-distance record stood at a single figure. At the time I write, it stands at 3.'911 miles, and occupied two nights and two days to set up; and by the time these lines appear in print, I hope we shall have attained our objective— India, and a distance of at least, 4000 miles. But then, as now, the secret of success was the same—preparation. Every contingency must be allowed for; every detail of navigation, material' and organisation carefully checked, So that in the air the _ fliers are working to a set and scientifically constructed programme. In our case, the machine is one that has been used for years in the rough-and-tumble grind of cross-Channel air lines. Captain McIntosh has handled it frequently before, and, moreover,( he has already taken her off with the huge overload of 740ga1, of fuel, which we are carryi ing now. On that, and other flights the petrol consumption, which differs a little in individual engines of the same type, had been worked out, and consequently we know from practice and not theory that the machine had the range we needed to break the record. - The Meteorological Department of the Air Ministry, in touch with countless stations and sub-stations all over the world, forecast that about this time winds likely to help us on our way could be expected. Before- we started we made a final trial flight over the Midlands, obtained the latest weather forecast, and then, after a meticulous engine examination, prepared to set off, confident that human caution could have done no more. The point that puzzles the average man more than anything is probably liow the airman finds his way, and he generally concludes either that he is a- man blessed with great luck or some secret intuition denied the ordinary earthbound mortal. As a matter of fact, there are three different ways of -keeping a course and reaching one’s objective,l and all are used by the airman on a flight of this nature. The first is obviously by maps. But, equally obviously, when part of your course is over -the sea , when you must fiy through several hours of darkness, and when fog may veil the country below you, this method would be useless What is called a compass course is then flown. Reduced to its simplest terms, you find out what quarter of the compass your objective is in, and fly in that direction. That sounds easy enough, too. But, unfortunately, the air is continually in motion, and whichever way the air is moving, that way the aircraft is borne, whichever way its nose is pointing, so that the resultant course is a compromise between the two And the only way this can be checked is by taking sights with a special instrument called a drift indicator,” and altering the course accordingly. Incidentally, the compass ltseFf' is also continually varying according to the place in which you happen to be” at the time. . The third method is one of ascertainino- your exact position at a given time with a sextant. You “shoot” the sun, or find its angle with the horizon by means of a sextant, and'by working out the,result with complicated tables it is possible to find, your exact position at the time of the sights. At night you “shoot” the moon or two convenient • stars. Consequently, 1 will be seen that long-distance flying is not half so boring as it might at first sight seem. One or other or us will be always occupied in taking sights, map reading, compass checkin”. watching the manifold instruments that tell of machine and engine's welfare, or working out our course while the other is at the joystick ” However, it’s a welcome change from my 1200 miles’ non-stop flight to Riga recently, when I broke the light ’plane long-distance record. _ Dor then, being alone, I had to remain at the “stick” with my feet on the rudder bar all the time, and the only way to ease mv cramped legs was to push the rudder bar hard over while the little ’plane skated off her course.