AERIAL PROGRESS

Franklin Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 119, 12 October 1936, Page 7

AERIAL PROGRESS

WHEN AIRMEN SEEK RECORDS.

PREPARATIONS AND PRECAUTIONS WHICH MEAN SO MUCH.

(By Rossi, Famous Fi’ench Airman.)

Record-breaking, whether for distance, speed, or duration, has developed into a serious business these days. It is not merely a question of taking up a machine with a large fuel load and staying up for hours in the face of wind and weather.

It is the preparation and study, the minute attention to the smallest detail and forethought of unexpected difficulties, that count more than the actual flight itself. Before choosing a machine the flight must be considered carefully in the light of the actual record to be attempted. Then a firm must be found who is willing to carry out the preliminary experiments. A civilian pilot must find financial backing, as manufacturers are often chary of committing themselves to heavy expenditure.

COSTLY BUSINESS. An aerial record attempt is a costly matter, involving up to a million francs. The Bleriot factory spent about £IO,OOO for the preparations for the closed circuit record of Bossoutrot and Rossi at Oran. So it is obvious that there is much spade work to be done before getting down to the practical side. The pilot first of all gets in touch with 'the constructor and goes through the engineers’ calculations. Once built, the machine is tried out by the firm’s testers under the supervision of the pilot until he is satisfied that everything is as it should be. The machine is carefully weighted, empty and with varying loads, to 1 determine the centre of gi’avity, the controls carefully set, and the retractable under-cai’riage tested and the preparation for the flight commences.

PUT THROUGH PACES. /

! The machine is carefully put I through its paces in the. air, for stability, manoeuvring, taking off, and landing; speed tests are carried out, instruments carefully set and checked in I’eadiness for the attempt. All this preparation Is carried out in close collaboration with the designers and mechanics who will be responsible for maintenance. If all has gone well, at least two months will have passed since the machine left the shops. Often, however, constructional modifications are required, which may delay the work for two or three months more.

In addition to all this careful preparation the scientific side must be Studied, the route, wireless stations, the climatic conditions, and the formation of the countries to be ti’aversed.

WEATHER IMPORTANT. Meteorology plays a most important pai't in any attempt. The meteorological forecasts are of the greatest value to the. pilot, as during the flight he can call up radio stations and ships and compare the prevailing atmosphere pressures in each locality with his isobar chart and act aecoi’dingly. * It is curious to note that if flying on a meridian and the two hemispheres one meets weather conditions of (Re four seasons spring, summer, autumn, and winter. If flying ait 200 m.p.h. on a parallel westward, the are 22 hours and the night 10 hours; if in the reverse direction, 11 horn’s and 3 hours.

THE “COMPLEAT” AIRMAN. Rossi never carries a wireless operator, and combines the duties of pilot, navigator, and operator at the same time, and as he is not so familiar with wireless as with the other two duties, ho keeps in constant touch either with Villacoublay or his own private station. An excellent way to perfect oneself in morse is to have gramophone records which can be speeded up or slowed down as required.

As to navigation, there are two methods with which pilots must be familiar. The fii’st is to navigate by compass, allowing for side winds, which can be astonishingly accurate given good meteorological reports. The second is by astronomy, which is brought into use when flying over desert and sea where there are no landmarks to check one’s course.

It is also necessary to allow for any detours entailed by losing the way or flying out of bad weather. The pilot must go into sti’ict training, no smoking, coffee, alcohol, or drugs. In flight the crew eat very lightly, a little chicken, bananas, and water to drink.

FOOD STORE. If the flight entails crossing the water it is wise to take tinned food so that in the event of coming down in the sea the crew will not starve to death. A good first aid kit is essential, and an alembic for distilling water is also useful. Rossi often provides himself with a kite, so that in case of forced land-

ing he can indicate his position to seai’ch palsies, and in his future attempts he will take a telescopic mast to enable him to transmit wireless messages. A hunting rifle, fishing tackle, and rubber boots are also useful in case of a forced landing in deserted country, and Rossi always duplicates his sextants and chronomelters in case of accidental breakage.

NEXT LONG FLIGHT. Rossi is now preparing a long flight on a twin-engined Typhoon, fitted with an automatic pilot. The machine is also fitted with long and short-wave wireless apparatus for reception and transmission. All possible precautions are being taken. The parachute will be fitted wjith a water bottle, food and sugar, and the pilot will carry a. knife and a revolver.

EVERY PRECAUTION. Once the machine is ready it only remains to start. It may be thought that the pilot is nervous and unstrung, but such is not the case. Everything has been thought out, precautions taken against possible eventuality. He knows what to do if the machine refuses to take off or if the engines fail. Nothing is left to chance.

Those who criticise these attempts forget th© spirit of those who wont for the advancement of aviation, and if accidents happen, let us find the reasons and learn from experience so that futui’e 'attempts may succeed.