AVIATOR'S EXPERIMENTS.

Wairarapa Age, 15 October 1920, Page 3

AVIATOR'S EXPERIMENTS.

The question of what height it is possible to fly and still remain physically capable of maintaining consciousness lias been tested by Lieut. Casale, tlio famous French airman, anxious lo beat liis own record of nearly six miles. Hucontly lie wont through an ordeal in order to ascertain alie feasibility of -piloting las own flying machine to a height of seven and a half miles. Shut into a pneumatic cell at tlio Aerial Institute at St. Cyr, with two cylinders of compressed oxygen within reach, a. glass was placed so that those watching liiua outside could bring tlio experiment to an end if it was evident that to proceed would be dangerous. The atmosphere within the cv.ni was then reduced until, after 47min. 30sec. it was exactly that which exists seven and a half miles above the earth's surface; another twenty minutes brought Hie atmosphere back to that of the level ground. Lieutenant Casale used compressed oxygen, administered by means of a mask, when the atmosphere became that of two and three-quarter miles up; at three and a quarter miles he fell; very cold, and increased the supply of oxygen. At four and a half miles he asked that the speed with which the atmosphere was being thinned should bo reduced. It was noticed that he began to move with great difficulty, but ho was nevertheless able to stand the strain until an atmosphere equivalent to seven and a half miles was reached.