SUCKED INTO THE AIR

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23529, 18 June 1938, Page 16

SUCKED INTO THE AIR

A GLIDER’S EXPERIENCE ICE FORMS ON PLANE LONDON, June 8. Wliat It feels like to be sucked into the air by storm clouds m a glider is described by Philip Wills in an article in Die Times. He established a new British height record by rising to 11,000 feet. Mr Wills states that he took off from Dunstable Downs at 3 p.m.. with no intention of trying fpr a record, but at 4.30 he struck a strong upper current. Accompanied by a friend in another machine, he circled up rapidly to 4500 feet, where he saw a large storm cloud eight miles to the west. He flew to it and spiralled up rapidly, the rate of climb increasing from 10 to 15 feet per second. He had, he said, a feeling of being silently absorbed by a large and immensely powerful octopus. The hue of the surrounding vapour was also like that of an octoptis. The only sound was the comforting buzz of the little motor of the turnaridisuddenly struck a rough: area, and the machine lurched, causing dizziness and a swimming head. Accordingly, he straightened the plane and came out into dazzling sunlight at a height of 7500 feet He flew around, losing height, and the dizziness disappeared. ' Wills then went back into the storm cloud and climbed fast. Ice formed on the cockpit cover and the wings. With relief, he saw thb altimeter needle top 10,000 feet, which he had determined to reach. When he emerged from the cloud after 35 minutes he saw it towering another 1500 feet. “ It was a sight to dazzle the gods, he writes. “ but to me it was a pain in the neck.-I wanted tea, not ambrosia.” , He glided down and was repeatedly startled by ice breaking off the glider with pistol-like cracks.