FLYING RISKS

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 75, 21 December 1929, Page 13

FLYING RISKS

Sir—ln Australia to-day there are over 200 civil aircraft. Above half of these are privately owned by aero clubs or individuals, and the remainder . belong to various air line companies. It is a very significant, fact that ot the last seven accidents to aircraft in Australia, which have resulted in the death or injury of one or more of the occupants, six of these accidents have occurred to privately-owned aeroplanes, in each case the aeroplane has been a light aeroplane, the type of machine which has been described as the .motor-cycle of the air. In five out of the seven accidents the cause has been attributed to an error of judgment on the part of the pilot. . And now, accidents have started in New Zealand. . Of course it is natural that most of the privatelv-owiied aeroplanes throughout the world are “light” aeroplanes. First cost, and running costs, are quite sufncieut to account for this. But in order to keep down these costs, there has been a tendency on the part of the manufacturers to fit an engine of very low horsepower, Equally there is the tendency on the part of the owner to try to make that engine flo more than it should —either in speed or, worse still, in the amount of load he tries to take up. ' Both of these factors tend to make the risk of accident in the light aeroplane of low horse-power greater than that in the bigger machine equipped with an engine which offers a reserve of power. I go so far as to say that a good reserve of engine power is an absolute necessity if .flying is to be safe. Light aeroplanes have developed more rapidly.- and to a greater state of efficiency in England than in any part of the world. And every year has seen the fiorse-power of their engines increase, until to-day the Moth, Avian, Bluebird, and Spartan are all equipped with engines, of over 100 h.p. And yet these arc only two-seater light aeroplanes for a pilot and one passenger. Can it be supposed that the makers would have gone to this extra expense and trouble unless they had felt it to bo necessary? The only pity is that they ever designed and sold machines of low horse-power, which, though perfectly safe in the hands of an expert, can be extremely dangerous to a beginner, or even to a moderately experienced pilot who is not in regular flying practice. The question of pilots is a very delicate one. Every pilot tends to think he is as good as. a Lindberg, a Kingsford Smith, or a Waghorn. But Ido beg people who are considering going up in an aeroplane to remember that the qualifications of a pilotNlepend on the answers to the following questions: How many hours’ flying has he done? Has most of it been done round an aerodrome, or is he an experienced cross-conn- ‘ try pilot? How much experience has he had on the type of machine in which he proposes to take us up? How do other pilots regard his capabilities? Is he in recent flying practice? If the answers to these queries are satisfactory, there remains the question of the aeroplane. When was it last inspected by a properly certificated ground engineer? Has it been heavily landed, or excessively stunted, since that inspection? Has it a safe margin of reserve engine power considering the number of people r who are to go up in it? (Remembering that Moths, Avians, Spartans, etc., arc now equipped with engines of not less than 85 to 115 horse-power, and that flying boats or seaplanes should have at least half as much again horse-power as land machines of similar passenger capacity, we should be able to form an opinion for ourselves.) However, if we do not feel competent to judge for ourselves, there is always the Director of Air Services to whom we can refer. Let us have, in New Zealand, flying nnmarred by tragedy.—l am, etc.. R. R. MONEY. Wellington, December 14.