A GREAT BOOK BY AN AIRMAN.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1350, 30 January 1912, Page 10

A GREAT BOOK BY AN AIRMAN.

LIEUT. CONNEAU ON HIS TRIUMPHS,

Andro Beaumont, olherwiso Lieutenant Jean Conncau, of tho French Navy, has written a book. It is a record of miraculous achievement and cool-headed heroism. It relates his experiences in tho three great races in the nir in which lie wis victorious—Paris-Rome-, tho circuit of Europe, and tho circuit of Britain for tho "Daily Hail" second .£IO,OOO priw. Tho chroniclo starts with his first pupil flights at l'au, and includ.cs at the end tho writer's views upon tho prevention cf accidents, the ideal airman, and tho future of the industry. That theso views aro sound goes without saying. They aro tho-io of tho greatest airman of t.ho day, a man skilled in theory and p'raetieo alike, at the height of his pov.-prs, with mind and nerves of the best steel quality. As a naval ollirar ho Fees the inestimable value of sea-flying. His book (writes Mr. F. A. Briggs in tho "Daily Mail") is written (in French) in a brisk and vigorous stylo, is entitled "Jfes Trois Grandes Courses," and is published by llacbcttr in Paris. That a,ny normally constituted man can fly in still air over a"n aerodrome is an undoubted fact. It is equally certain that those who can fly in almost any weather, over any country, can almost bo counted upon the fingers. My own flying (adds Mr. Briggs) is limited to a dead calm and as a passenger. Even then tliio least stirring of tho air grips the machine and rolls it pantly from side to side, while the stopping of the motor gives an acuto if momentary pang of despair. It is to be expected," then, that in covering 1000 miles in 23 hours an airman must expect some shocks' to' liis nervous system. Fighting with the Unknown. And truly these adventures of tho air in long flights across country rank with tho Argonauts of old. The man in. a battle has the blood-lust and the presence of 1 comrades to support him. The explorer in tho junglo has more ct leas calculated his dangers. Only the airman fights alone with the nnknown. Lieutenant Connean i even Is—with perfect modesty— some of the perils of the combat. He has been caught in fog, and has not dared to descend, but has been compelled to rush onward through the obscure, not knowing his height from the ground or what lies straight in front of him; ho has flown in high winds above the clouds, trusting to his skill in navigation to find .plan-land arid not sea, mountains, - or- beneath him. when lie descends and pierces the \ieil; he has rushed through rain'and tempest, tossed about like a cork in nji angry sea; he has found himself above a rocky gorge with a failing motor, and has •yet come through unscathed. When tho second stago of tho .£IO.OOO raco startfd at dawn from Hendon, and one machino after another rose, towered, and fled away into the dull grey sky, one wondered what tho competitors were facing. Lieutenant Connean gives accounts of several experiences. The following is his worst adventure:—

"When I approach Langdalc Fell I make my dispositions for attacking the terrible defile. Before everything I must have height. I try to riso. Alas, I not get above 2100 feet. Suddenly tno motor stops during six or ten seconds and I fall. Beneath me is nothing but crevasses and pointed summits. Tho loss of my machine is evident; I must tiy to put off being crashed upon the ground as long as possible. So I seek to diroct my volplane in the direction of the deepest places of tho gorge, to prolong my descent still more. At this moment an eddy flings mo 'downward. It seems to mc- lam done for. But evidently" death does-no want me, since, by aji,almost incredible chance, the motor begins to turn again slowly. I am saved. Brother airmen, lot us never despair!" Such incidents are constantly occurring in the record of all Lieutenant Conneau's flights. Their relation is intermingled with accounts of interviews with kings, of enthusiastic receptions, of cheers and (lowers and triumphs, of quaint and humorous happenings to the man from tho clouds in foreign countries. Ho pays generous tribute to the "Daily Mail" as the "Maecenas of aviation."

This Iwld, witty, and resourceful Frenchman, with his keen eye, ccol head, and strong hand, is a character of intense fascination. But the morals ho draws from his experiences are of supreme interest. What aro the best m.v chines, who makes tho best aiymnn, howfar and how soon are our conditions to bo changed by the advent of flight?

Patience, patience, and again patience, is, he. says, the vital characteristic of the successful' airman. Technical knowledge and endurance and muscular stron'gth aro indispensable. "Flying resolves itself into a series of unforeseen incidents. It is then that we must command our nerves to avoid un drame. The nian..without nervous reactions would be the perfect airman." "The" psychology of airmanship must be taught. Flying, schools in future must develop methodically the innate qualities of their pupils and must combat their faults. For machines,. Lieutenant Connean favours the single-seated monoplane above all others. The great races of 1911 have shown the urgent need_ of proper flj-ing maps and of signals visible from above. The compass is essential, but its absolute accuracy does not matter because tlio aeroplane makes enough leeway to render only opproximafce calculations possible. The Future of Flying. Of tho possibility of accidcnts, he eays; "We airmen know nothing of how many hours we have to live." Tlio margin of safety must be increased. This could be done in part by minute examination ol every accident and by making every machine undergo rigid inspection before hiing; delivered to the purchaser. Until some life-preserving inventions appear "wo have only one serious guarantee against repeated accidents, and that is the severe selection of pilots and machines. At present a strong cool man is the best stabilisator, and the wings of his aeroplane are the best of parachutes." Among tho urgent needs of the airman are a device for starting the motor from tho airman's seat; a clutch for starting the propeller; a method of fastening the inachino to the ground and releasing if suddenly; and wings with variable serfaces. "'There is much to do. It is true that little has been done since 1910." No great change will be made until a more lighter, more certain, and more powerful than tho Gnome has been invented. Theoretical as well as practical work is necessary. "For some time, I think, military work will represent the unique domain of flying." Yot before many years have passed Lieutenant believes that every country will be dotted with aeroplane stations, that the barriers between the nations will be broken down, and that the conditions of modem life will be greatly modified. It is . a profoundly stirring book. Its lesson foT us is that the invention that is to change all our conditions needs far more than the mere efforts of jirivato pioneers. It calls for' great resources of money, men, and education. The prize is beyond words worth striving for. But we sit and watch our rivals' progress and do comparatively nothing. That was not our method with tlie steam-engine, the ironclad, the loom, or the submarine. That is not the method which has given us our high place in tho world.