WINGS FOR ALL

Cromwell Argus, Volume L, Issue 2647, 10 November 1919, Page 6

WINGS FOR ALL

NATION AI, AIB B KSKB VJv [By -Flight-lieutenant Svdm:v Picki.ks.J I believe that every able-bodied man and woman in Australia should, if possible, he taught to drive a motor car or 11 y an aeroplane. Neither of these accomplishments is difficult to aoi|nire by an ordinarily intelligent person. In peace time such knowledge would be useful in a hundred ways, especially to those who live far from town, and in ca-e of national emergency the mobilisation of an effective defence force would be rendered e.xtremly simple. The civilian motor drivers could he used for driving transport lorries and official cars, while the aviators would he valuable for all kinds of home-service living. '1 hey could test new machines, carry urgent war material or important people, and act as instructors to the young men who were being trained for actual war service as lighting pilots. ’Tints, the highly-trained permanent Hying corps pilots could be used to the best advantage at the front. Wlmt an immense amount of time would have been saved had Ihuu- been such a supply of experictic.d motor drivers and flyers at the beginning and dining the early stages of the linrojiean Wat. It is obvious thiit tlie aeroplanes to be used by civilians unde;- ordinaty conditions should Ire very different to the class ol machine reunited for active set vice. I herein ro machines lor active service should he classed differently ftom the civilian machines. It is very undesirable Unit high pertoininim e machines designed lor war purposes should he used for civilian Hying. The chief trouble would be that the high speed makes them very difficult to land. In England, since civilian flying has restarted. there have been many accidents from this cause. Still. anyone who has had a moderate experience on a peace type of aeroplane or seaplane can easily and quickly learn to handle the war machines. A great deal has been said about flying being only a young man’s game, and how quickly it makes nervous wrecks of the pilots. I am convinced that the age limit is very much more elastic than is generally supposed, and 1 am certain, too. that there is less nerve strain in flying a peacetime aeroplane under ordinary conditions than in driving a car along a crowded citv street.

With an aeroplane tin ordinary amount of judgment is required as the pilot takes off into the air. but immediately he is up and clear of the ground there is no call for much judgment or anxiety during the flight. When landing lie is required to use the ordinary amount of judgment again. This means that during the flight of perhaps hundreds of miles he can sit back comfortable in his aeroplane and direct it on its course, only being called upon to judge distances for a very few moments at each end of the flight. In the event (which is unlikely on a wellkept machine) of an engine failure, a forced landing can be safely. negotiated when (lying over average Australian country. Stretches of bad country should be traversed at a high altitude, to enable (lie pilot to reach any chosen patch of ground to alight on. The amount of judgment required tit either end of the flight is not by any means greater than driving a car along a •crowded thoroughfare in any city; if anything. it is legs. For when driving a car in such conditions one has to be constantly •ni the alert, as there is the ever-present danger of the careless pedestrian and other vehicles. And driving a motor car on a long-distance country run causes considerable mental fatigue by the constant application of judgment ; one cannot leave the steering-wheel alone even on a dead straight mad for more than about half a minute. Besides this, there is the fatigue caused to passenger and driver by the jolting .dong rough roads, and there is considerable discomfort caused by dust.

Tn flight tlipie is no strain !it the wlieel, there is m> jolting, and 11* » dust. The machine will fly itself. ! have flown an aeroplane with hoth my hands and feet off the emiti ids for a period of 25 minutes without any risk. One rises from the around and rides on the air. which is like a road of velvet, liven on very windy days there is rough riding. 011K a gentle swaying motion. Of .nurse, on a Might extending over several hours in a had wind, some had sailors might heroine seasick. Personally. lam a .erv had sailor, ns anyone who has travelled on hoard ship with me knows: yet I have made flights of 500 miles, in very had winds, withoyt feeling any discomfort. 1 am not endeavoring to show that the motor car will he superseded hy the aeroplane. The motor car will always be very useful where the aeroplane could not be used. But from this comparison between the aeroplane and the motor I think you will agree with me that anyone who can djivc a motor care safely should be able to drive an aeroplane equally safely. ft lias been said that mechanical knowledge of the engine is absolutely necessary to safely I rive an aeroplane lam sure that it is no more necessary than it could be for driving a car. I admit that such knowVdge is a very useful thing to have in cither case, but it is not essential. An aeroplane engine is far more simple to drive than that of any car. For a civilian aeroplane the engine should lie lilted with a standard car type of carburettor. Then all the pilot has to do is to move a lever, which opens the throttle. In speed up and get away, and close the throttle when he wants to alight. This is all the knowledge required : he knows when the engine is going properly by bis instruments. With a car. the driver has to !«■ constantly opening and closing 1 lie throttle, according to the road conditions. He has also to change gears and apply brakes. dear-changing is rather a ditticull operation to the average car driver. There is none of this to learn with the aeroplane. In fact, some of the most successful aviators I have known, both men and women, have had no mechanical knowledge.