FIGHT HILES UP.

Gisborne Times, Volume LVI, Issue 6322, 27 February 1922, Page 2

FIGHT HILES UP.

A YIATOR’S THRTLLIXC EXPERIENCE.

The New York correspondent of the Daily Telegraph forwards an interview with Lieutenant John A. Macready, U.S.A.. who established a new world's altitude record recently. He climbed IS,BOO foot (nearly eight miles) with a Leprere biplane. Describing his experience and sensations. Lieutenant Macron dv expresses the opinion that it will be impossible for a man to fly much higher than the IS.OOO feyt no attained, because the rarefied Atmosphere at such an altitude preludes proper control, while the intense cold and lack of oxygen prevent a human being retaining his full faculties and tend to render him unconscious. Lieutenant Macready had no intention of breaking the altitude record when lie started from Dayton Field. Ohio. He says Jie went up to. test a new propeller designed to yip thin air, and a supercharger which fed the rarefied air into the carburetter at a sea-level density.

"I did not feel any ill effects until T was well above 30,000 feet,” said lieutenant Macready, .‘‘because I was well protected against the cold by an electrically heated suit, and had a good supply of oxygen. After that, however, there was a slight slowingup of one’s senses and faculties, which increased slowly as the plane climbed, file slightest movement of the body required extra oxygen. At 39.000 feet ice from my breath must have formed m the tube from the supply flask, and 1 began to feel very bad until l was' aide to secure a fresh supply of oxygen from the emergency flask.”

The lieutenant describes how at 40,800 feet his supercharger refused to function properly, and as soon as sealevei conditions were not maintained the engines lost power, so that, by the utmost effort, lie was unable to push the plane above 41,200 feet indicated altitude, which was calibrated later lo 40,800 feet.

“At this 1 height,” says Lieutenant Macready, “The plane swung and rolled and the controls were almost useless, as there was not enough standing surface to move the plane in the direction 1. desired to go. I held the )uane there for live minutes before I was convinced that 1 could go no further. 1 was feeling weak and groggy, my mind was not active, and 1 could not think fast or correctly. The intense cold formed ice on the inside of niy goggles, almost blinding me, and I was afraid of losing consciousness altogether. I knew that by reducing my altitude I would return to normal however, and although j. could not handle the piano correctly, I knew enough to pull hack, the throttle slightly and shoot quickly earthward. While at the supreme altitude I looked above, but could not see any stars, out I noted that the atmosphere was extremely bright and light. The sky, instead of being dark blue, was very light in colour—only a slight blue tinge. There was far more sunlight and greater brilliancy than there was closer to the ground. Altitude records, in my opinion, will he gauged in the future by the physical limitation of the pilots. To get much higher with present methods will be impossible, because of the inability of the pilot to sustain extreme hardship.”