ART OF CRASHING.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 8 December 1924, Page 10

ART OF CRASHING.

WHEN AN AEROPLANE FALLS

HOW THE AIRMAN- MAY SAVE HIS LIFE. There is a great art in crashing your aeroplane skilfully _ and artistic any, m such a way that the pilot remains unhurt and the machine takes tne chiea shock of the impact. To crash scientifically when occasion demands is an acjomplisnment of every! experienced pilot, declares Harold Balfour in the Daily Mail. Except in cases where a mishap, or pilot's error, has put the machine out. of control at such a height that a terrible accident is bound to occur, an airman has time for the realisation that he is bound to crash with in the space of the next second or so. The actions of that second may decide whether the crew are to be unharmed or hurt, perhaps seriously. An engine failure at a ic,\v height over a wood means a certain crash, but if the pilot does the right thing there is no reason for serious harm. An Air Force pilot whom I knew was once flying over the New Forest when ins engine stopped. Choosing the densest part of the forest that he couid see, he glided down and “stalled” his machine about four feet above the topmost branches. When a ; machine stalls it will “pancake,” which means that it drops downwards on an even keel. In this case so gently and skillfully did the pilot arrange his crash that- the branches of the trees formed a cushion fo,r his landing and a bed for the machine. The stranded pilot dared not move from his seat in case of dislodging the aeroplane from its strange perch. After ho liad been missing for some hours an aerial search party set o.ut to find him. They soon Heated him and saw his predicament, but it was not untiL nightfall that they managed to get the ladders necessary to reach him and effect a rescue. The machine had to be left where it was—an excellent example to the pupils of the station of how to crash, in a forest. In every case where a machine is about to crash, both pilot and passenger should put un one arm to shield their laces against being thrown forward . against the edge of the cockpit and from broken glass from the windscreens or instruments.

Haring the.war, at a, training station in Norfolk, I was gliding down in an Avro preparatory to landing in front of, and parellel with, my machine’s shed. When at a height at about 30ft u>me mechanics wheeled out an aeroplane from the shed door below and in front of me. I saw that a. crash was inevitable, as I had no. time to start the engine again and flv away. It seemed to happen all quite slowly. I had time to shout to- my passenger in front, ‘‘Look out. We are going to. hit,” to turn off the' engine switch, and check that the petrol was off also, before nr> undercarriage hit- the top plane of the machine below. I can remember, as we collided, bellowing to the mechanics of the machine beneath to clear out. When we hit I had niv a.rm in front of rav face and mv body braced back in the seat. We looped on _to the ground, and hung, both unhurt, head downwards by our safety belts. The aero, plane was a ‘‘write off,” but we were none the worse—not even scratched. Many a pupil has misjudged his landing and made it too near a house or wall. The aeroplane may he careering along the around at about forty miles an hour. Kick the rudder hard over one way and the machine will, slew round, wining off the undercarriage. It will probably tin up, break a wing and do; other damage, but a collision which might be serious will have been avoided. If ,a pupil accidentally stalls at a height of about 30ft —not enough for a bad accident but sufficient to cause minor iniuries—he should remember to push the control stick hard over.one wav. This tilts the machine enough to allow one wing to take the first ground impact and telescope, thus absorbing the main shock. The golden rule a 1 wavs to be remembered is “Never mind about the machine and do- not try to save it from damage. Crash it- completely in the way you like if it is going to help you or your passenger tc- step out unhurt.”