HOW IT FEELS TO FLY.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 13545, 5 October 1909, Page 2

HOW IT FEELS TO FLY.

TRIPS THROUGH THE AIR DESCRIBED BY PASSENGERS.

In the light of M. Bleriota wonderfu, achievement, many people are w °"« e what it feels like to fly. At present only a very few have had the opportunity of «P« lcn . c : ing tho eens-tion. Below are d"" 1 "*" .J°? impressions of the passengers on one or otner of the flying machines that already exist. One of tho most vivid "descriptions of the sensations of a passenger in a biplane lias been given by a writer who signed himself "Parisian in. the "Motor." "We were off . • .. : and. with such a rush that we seemed to have been shot forth from the mouth of a cannon. Prepared as I was for a quick start, the terrific impetus, nevertheless, staggered mc. "Had it been possible J, should doubtless have shouted out, for surely thero was something wrong with this high-speed switchback, which did not even provide the momentary hill teforo tho downward plunge. , "But almost before my thoughts had time to definitely shape themselves: ib was over. There was a thud in the rear—only the wooden bogey, which had dropped to the ground on reaching the end of the starting rail. "No need to worry about that, and we were being gently swayed in a calm atmosphere. We were climbing upwards, moderately fast, to judge by the way in which the ground was slipping away underneath. CRADLED IN THE AIR. "But a minute later even this Th ad stopped, and we were slowly advancing; with a gently undulating motion, whioh made one smile at the thought that this could end in disaster. . "Why, we were hardly moving; and even if the engine should stop, or if the pilot should lose his head, we could never come to any harm at this speed. There wa_ no vibration, no need to clutch the sides of the seat as wo had done a moment before. . "If only this engine, roaring and spluttering an occasional spark on my right, would behave as a self-respecting engine ought to behave, the sensatio-i would have been the embodiment uf peace. Calmness without stagnatioi; a gentle cradling by invisible hands; tho motion of a boat without the lap >t water or the splash of oars. "But how deceiving it was! The sensation suggests that you are being cradled in the air; you are moving so gently that you could not come to any harm if you fell; there is not much wind, only a gentle breezenothing whatever to disturb you. "And reason insisted; you are travelling nt forty miles an hour; you have got nothing to support you; down there, 50ft away, under the purple heather, is the hard grouml waiting to wreck you and the machine; if the engine stops, tho air which is now lulling you will turn traitor and let you fall cruelly; if the pilot forgets himself for an instant you may rush downward at the speed of an express train, or you may overturn altogether. "Sensation's reply was, 'Nonsense 1' And Sensation won. . ." AN EXQUISITE EXPERIENCE. Another Frenchman, M. FrantzReichel, writing-in the "Figaro," recorded his impressions in the following manner:— "I have known to-day a magnificent intoxication. I have learned how it feels to be a bird. I have flown. Yes, I have flown! "I am still astonished at it; still deeply moved. For nearly an hour I have "lived that daring dream vainly pursued through all the agea by audacious man. ' "When we started there -was a sudden impression of a plunge into space which give mc - coup a -'estomao. Then Suddenly it was all very smooth, a cradling amid the thunder of the motor. I did my utmost to see well,, to feel everything, radiant, but not daring to move or even to stir. ; "We advanced towards the horizon, the dunes, the hills, the fir trees, in a giddy gliding. It was strange and exquisite. The air flowed upon mc caressingly. I could keep my eyes wide open ; the air bathed mo but did not whip mc. This was the first impression a mile from tho starting place, above a magnificent carpet of heather. "I hung out my head and looked at the crowds below. They were waving handkerchiefs. Gently, with my elbow firmly fixed to my side, I moved my arm in a mechanical manner, like a dummy. I let go of the iron bar by which I was supporting myself. It was quite 6afe to move, and I risked' more and more. . "The sun is sinking, we are flying in the twilight. From the ground appears and descends a slight mist, which covers the big glens with a white carpet. It is the doubtful and suspicious hour of the day. - "The night lias come. It is getting dark, and' the moon is rising. Silence reigns over the woods and fields. I cannot believe that it is I who am flying in the night. Tlie sensation is so magnificent that I long to pass several hours in such a manner. "Night is now complete. Cyclists, peasants and chauffeurs have lighted their lanterns or their torches. And this illumination pierces through the darkness. But we fly on, chasing our shadow, which the moon throws before us. "If I had known I should have brought a pencil and a writing block with mc, and have recorded my impressions. One is able to write much more comfortably in an aeroplane than in a train or motor car." The Hon. C. S. Rolls, who made a flight in October last, thus described his sensations in "The Times": "Once clear of the ground the feeling of security was perfect, and I was able to watch with great interest the movements of the operating levers. We tore along at a speed of forty miles an hour. SPEED THAT BROUGHT TEARS. "One has been accustomed to consider the atmosphere as a mass of air, decreasing in density with its altitu_e, but otherwise uniform. Experience on a power-driven flyer, however, shows that, far from this being the case, the atmosphere near the earth's surface — even in what we call calm weather— is made up of spiral movements of varying diameter, sometimes vertical and sometimes horizontal, undulations of all sorts, little hills and valleys, and 'streams' of air; in fact one might call it a new 'world' conquered by man—a world' with 'scenery' of great variation, which, though invisible to the eye, is none the less felt by the operator of a flying machine. "Sometimes wo flew above the trees, sometimes wo flew three feet off the ground, entirely at the will' of the operator, who thus showed the most perfect control over his machine that anyone could imagine. "Our speed in the early morning caused tears to roll down our cheeks, but with goggles on one -would have no difficulty in reading a map, making notes, or taking photographs. "The sensation of flight was' novel and delightful, and the fact of accomElishing what several eminent scientistavo 'proved' impossible gave also an added satisfaction."