WHAT IS IT LIKE?

Evening Star, Issue 20959, 25 November 1931, Page 1

WHAT IS IT LIKE?

SIX MILES A MINUTE Only present and past members o t the high speed Eight, from which ti:o Schneider Trophy team was selected, know what it is like to ily at six miies per minute, and from them one might; get the impression that it is not very wonderful (writes Major C. C. Turner, in the ‘ Daily Telegraph’). The “feel” of the machine is extraordinarily nice. Although tho spaco is limited, you are not too craijapeti. The view ahead is not more than 45deg, and below all is hidden by tho budge of the fuselage. The only sensation of speed is obtained by watching a landmark ahead, and noticing how quickly you com j to it; the view forward opens out very rapidly, as in a quickened movie picture. The joystick, held firmly but lightly, scarcely needs moving; indeed, the slightest movement of it produces decided results. Half an inch to the right, and on the instant your left wing is up on a vertical “ bank ”; and if you have not at the same moment put on the rudder for a turn the seaplane is side-slipping upwards. Through the joystick to your hand comes tho feel of the pressure of the air on ailerons and elevator; when you move joystick and rudder for a turn you feel the strong, steady pressure of air on every sixteenth of an inch, for, the controls are marvellously adjusted, and balanced. You make a turn, and from horizontal you are in a second canted up vertically. Your hand has put the joystick over half an inch, no more, and your foot one side of the rudder bar half an inch forward. Yet the radius of your turn may be 500yds.' Almost suddenly blackness comes, as if the sun had gone out. You know, what that was, and you ease off, bringing the seaplane back to horizontal,' sight instantly returning. “Blacking out” is due to withdrawal of blood from an artery behind the eye when l the body is on its side travelling afl great speed, and forced towards the outside of the turn, thus bringing into play tremendous centrifugdl force. Yet you were all the time conscious. It has been supposed that the movement drew the blood from the whole ■ brain, and that you would become uu- ! conscious first, temporary loss of sight' 1 following. The high-speed flight pilots,; ' however, know from their numerous exI penences that they can stay “blacked : out ” for relatively a long time, and can always come back by straightening tho machine. / I saw _ Boothman come in after his grand flight, and was struck by his freshness. Quito definitely ho had enjoyed the flying part of the contest. Tho seaplane is allowed to come off I the water by its own speed. The pilot: j* does nothing to force it off. He holds I .the joystick hack .steadily and normally, i the machine leaves the water after a' run of from 30sec to 40sec. It leaves the water at a slight i angle, and when the pilot is sure it is well clear and has flying speed he very slightly pushes tho joystick forward and flattens out, instantly giving attention to course,throttle, and temperature, while the machine speeds on at six miles ai minute.

Not always is the take-off so simple.If the machine hits even a riight Swell it begins to porpoise, and the pilot has a most uncomfortable time, pitching to and fro violently, floats banging on the sea.

Landing is a ticklish business. Thera must be at least three miles of clear water ahead. The seaplane, engine throttled down, is brought in with due regard for the direction of the wind.It loses height and approaches the water in a Jong flat glide. The way to alight is to let the machine approach gradually, losing speed and height, and not allowed to flatten out until close to the water. But if the pilot does not “hold off” quite long enough no great harm is done; the heels of the floats touch and the machine leaves water again, probably not retouching for alleast a quarter of a mile.