AN AIRMAN'S STORY

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1595, 12 November 1912, Page 6

AN AIRMAN'S STORY

■ SENSATIONS OF;FLYING. - ;: : \ - :1 AND FALLING. '• , -:' .< -THE AIR-POCKET' DANGER, V ■y, Erect, and steady!of step, no one. would suppose, that Captain Higginson, R.H.A., ' who r is now ■ in Wellington '.on'"his way round the world' on a ■■■health-recruiting' •tripi;"-Hail .efer,taken Jany ; the .dangerous gamp'of.'flying. '''Yet.'lesV.than 1 -a your ago ho was-picked up; broken "and bleeding after a,'fall ;'iroin his .plane.of: ' ■: 120' feet. ■ --Some ofhis sensations, :■, and fome other-,things' about flying;he .told to ji Dominion reporter .yesterday; ~,.,-■ ~- :"I'was:suiasned up from top-to'too bj iny last fall—very'few;breaks, mostly diss-'. .-'.- •"'. locations. ■! We! wore .'using one or the new.bi-plancs, and in these machines/two ...;iiien;V.tfio .mechanician: and > the pilot, sit; .. .teide'by side. ;.'■■''. ■<•':.-■ ! ';:■■■■■ ':-':'!..: ■'-.•■"'■:' > Foir Into/ Sand.;;;' v ''•;■ .''.' '..."' '"TJie other man was strapped in, and 1, Avas *riot,- ; and ■we got into an--air-pocket, and I ;was.thrown, out,.. liie'H about. 1-%, --' feet.; :; .I fell .into,: sand. -Both .my. - ankles • were .'- dislocated;' both. 'knees dislocated ;;ray shoulder was broken,' 'and> three' of •my • ribs.' V They gave -niu ■about two hours ,to live, but here .1 am. ; .Of course, I came down without the uia : The-'Mechanician picked, it up all ■'. i'ight, and-landed .safely. . How..it, hap..'Jiended? '■ No''one'can ; £ay how,anything; ■'■' Tika thathappens. ;- ; :We got. into -the-poo: ■■' let, soon' as s l.felt. niy- - : self-falling I.Tolled. myself up, as nearly ■'''■'.as Lcould, into,a ball, to make ■ the/iaii las-easy as possible, but I don't know how ■■'■I landed. I-had,two falls, one m NqVembe'r: and one in. January,'and prior .-io that I> had:not had.a fall for eighteen ' toonttis.','.. So .Ca'ptain. Higginson explain-. .'■'.--*d'to a Dominion reporter why he is now • .. iuaking.holiday; /.:,,-/.. .::-. ■■.;■■ ':.: ■-.'■. : Tsuppose you're :done.,with:nyingi'-. • ! "Oh, no. I'll'go back to'.it when Igo •Home. "The fall-shook, my nerve a bit, .", t>ut and-well'now." . ( ' -'-.' / v^'; : : jt Feels/Queer.-,:- / ~ '■[ ■'■■ "I&'a'iitfl^^ '•■ speaking of flying,; much as another might '.' ';speak.'of-croqriet.. "It - feels: queer to be -going np and up, to begin with, but hardiest of all isalighting-vol-planing down. [You half shut' off: your. engine.; and slide; '-':'■ Wwi' to within 200' or 300 feet from the ;gTound,-and then you open up yoiir engine :': !ogain and rise a little. Then you come : <lown a little nearer and rise again, and so Jon until you can safelyvtouch the ground: .-lit catches you in. the throat somehow— '; coming down. It seems as if your whole ■' inside toss up there, andit makes-you ; ieel gueer. That- wears ,o'ff. after' awhile. '•' !And you are more,or,less dazed;,wheh you -: : land;-you can't, hear, for .6ome "vhile aftenvards. ■'•••, '■•: ■ : ; _-^:"These are Air' Pockets." v- ■'■'- "But the worst troubles we hayeto meet 'with are these air pockets, and it seems to, "me they will always be'the chief troubles' : in flying. .You'"go along all right, Vand ':■';. suddenly, you'eometo a placo where thero '.[is no wind at 'all; '•' Your, engine reverses, arid you drop until you get' into air again, land-then you get your machine - under, con- .-■ .-'-trpl. Driless the-m.achine.'capsizes it-is "''■■'{usually possible 'tbCrecdver; without acci- . ' 'dent, and the' higher .you- are;the' better '.the chances of .'recovery.; It is. safer, to. |fiy. high;.most of the accidents happen, on [comparatively low flights. . There are more ,:eir. pockets low down'than high up. ~ , ; ; ; ' The.'Aeroplane and War. : ■;' "There' is.-'iib- dbiibt.Tthat the aeroplane • lis destined ; :to in,wars of ithe future," he said in answer to another ... 'query. "They.are'so valuable .for.scout...Jiiig'purposes, and they, can't :trairi giins. v on them yet.r ■ The height of the machine's ..; %so greats and .the. speeds high. Some : "of.them,will; go as.much as.7s..miles an.. ;. ibour,.and.about'6o miles! an;hour is the. \ ■ gonernl speed:";'.-..-,;'/ . ,;■../ .. .", ;; He".was.!mpst optimistic'as! to.the pros-' ' pects' of 'the.EnglisTi-'imy. flyingveorps, •Three hundred men were being trained by, . competent. instructors' for service, in the ■..•■.corpsi,ho said, and..just before he left ■ the Home- Government' had 'ordered a ■'Ihundred new .biplanes... .It -would not. be ' .;Ion", he; thought,.before England;would : lead.in'the! art', of .flying." In Australia,: .. too,;.some jjrpgress w.as.beingjniade. Four '■'officers, were coming- out 'ifr'om Home, •■/■■ bringing with'.them;.,biplaries and..nydrflr ■ .--.aeroplanes,: and sbirio nionpplaries also, .to iristruct'.ari : Australian corps."".' ■"•'.; The biplane, he said, was the favourite ." Vniachine, the reasons "being that with it greater heigihts!; arid .greater speeds could.be attained/.: Most -of .them' were .being built in England now, arid: they ; .were' as strong, and. as' satisfactory as' ~ Jiould. be desired. ;.,:■.,'.,,/. .'"'.. ;• . ' : '"'"' V;THeV;.Best : '7\jr "Men,;■'_';.■ .-."The best'airmen-we "have" in England : Tiow," he .said, "are,',in;.>my' opinion, arid\Gustay Hamel,- who is an.EnglishihanV and•• ; 'th'e'!:best';.:m'en .on the Continent are Beaumont,-whose real name [is;Jules' Connot; -and Vedrines; But the , , [inost' daring-man we have ever had in. [England, was Hubert Latham, Who was. '-.'■' killed-tne"othersdayi -Iwent.to college . ;with. Connot in 'Paris, and.-I- acted oas Snferpreter for. 'him . when- he .won ,the ■/Daily Mail' prize."-i'.'••,'■::'. :• ;-.,.■ '.- '; 'The modern airman's iclothing,: as Captain Higginson explained, is in the nature ; jof a pneumatic envelorie-rwith;';a,;strong •..'■;. lskull-cap -for the, head—all . designed to :; break the fall if-it;should not happen .--. to be a very severe'"one. When he!fell himself he' was wearin? merely iheordin- '; ary thick iwoollen clothes; aviators'wear, cap.:;:,... :.::.-,.- ...:....-;:.-.. :: ,-. ■";;•'.- Captain Higginson is not singular in ..',-• lis' own family in talring delight in risks, juid speed. His brother has racing motorV cars, and'he holds the record for the .."standing mile" in _a motor-car, 63 3-ssec. Ho has also won several.other! nrizes. At; the end of this, week Captain.Higgirisbri,' -. .'vho has ;been sight-seeing in' Newi'Zea-.; land for some six weeks, leaves for-Honie! . ,Via'.America.. ,'.;S;!''!;/-;!!i!'; '■■ ,' st'.;/'!.--^-;JV,vy'/v-'.;