FLYING TOO COMPLICATED

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 154, 17 July 1937, Page 15

FLYING TOO COMPLICATED

JEIying an airplane as becoming a bit too complicated. . Tbat is tbe complaiut of • a number of aviators in Britain. In tbe days of box-kite . machines and 100-mile-an-bour speeds tbe aviator merely had to make use of a stikc, a rudder bar, and altiineter and some confidence. Nowaffays so many indicators and gadgets are crowded anto cockpits in firm determination to make flying easier that it is almost a whole-time job to see wbat the instruments are saying qnd cbeck up tbat tbey are not telling uiitrutbs. Wings are not just plain wings anv longer — tbey fold up and sborten and tHt. Landing wheels disappear at will. Instruments tell air-speed, wind-drag, oil-pressure, height, tilt, lift? temperature, tbe bour, and a bnndred-and-one tbings tbat are of interest to tbe pilot Tbere is a radio; on top of that there ts a direetion finding apparaus; tbere 's blind-flying Cquipment. Tbe pilot 's difficulties are bumorously explained in an aTticle in the Jouraal of tbe Boyal Air Eorce College. "Tbere abead of me," tbis pilot explains, "at last was my objective. With a sigh of relief, I svvitcbed oll tbe ituto autie maj-feed."

Adding tbat be tben switcbed off tbe automabie pilot, wouud in tbe direetion finder, and prepared to land^baving obtained permission over tHe radio, the writer goes on to say: ' ' I wouud in tbe aerial. "I wound out tbe telescope portion of tbe wing. "I protruded tbe retractable venturi. "I switched off tbe de-icer, "I switcbed off tbe cabiu-ligbt. "I unlocked my slots. "I lowered both legs of my retractable undercart (I hope). "I wouud down my retractable tail wbeel. "I altered the set of my Y. P. airscrew." Subsequent activities inclurled. swatching off tbe eabin beater and tbe airconditioner and wiuding in a few outstanding trifles. But it was tbe wrong airport, ""So," says the pilot-author, "opening tbe throttle^ I flew swiftly away again, winding eveiything in and out as I went. " You see, it is all very diffieult. Perbaps it is a good thing after all tbat the bicycle of tbe air is as yet not perfected. At least tbe poor aviator docsn "I need to pedal as well.