BIRDMEN

Hokitika Guardian, 23 February 1929, Page 6

BIRDMEN

(By CAPTAIN H. J. COLLINS, R.A.F.) I have often been asked, “ How long does it take to learn to fly ’’ The average youth is fit to go off on his first solo flight after six or seven hours in the air, though L have had men up who seem to take so naturally to it that 1 have sent them off alone after a couple of hours’ tuition with dual control. Dual control is the mechanical connecting up of the pilot’s controls with the passenger’s so that the movements of both are interlocked and simultaneous. The beginner’s chief difficulty is not learning to fly—straightout flying in the air is very simple—but in learning to “ bit t*ie earth ” gently enough when he lands. One cuts off the engine throttle at, say, 1500 feet over the aerodrome, and by various spirals, S-turns, etc., glides down towards the landing spot. Now, naturally as the aeroplane hasn’t got the engine’s motive power, to keep her moving forward through the air, yoi» have to push her nose down and glide downwards by the force of gravity. As you begin to get near the ground you gradually pull the joystick back, thus bringing the machine from the former downward gliding angle to a parallel position with the ground. . If this manoeuvre has been correctly judged the machine is now gliding on a level keel, say, about three feet from the ground. As she. moves forward she rapidly loses flying speed and the tail begins to drop. A perfect- slow landing is made by allowing the wheels to hit the ground just a fraction of a second before the tail skid does. This movement of slowing the machine’s speed iust before one lands is co ’led “flattening out." AVliat many beginners find difficult is the correct moment to commence flattening out. '.if it is begun too soon (when you arc too high off the ground), one loses flying speed and sort of flops to the ground, with the probable result of forcing the undercarriage up into the machire. This is usually called a "pancake” landing, and as a. rule the ! damage is not very serious. Some unskilful pilots land with a series of hops and humps. 1 heard an old lady in tlm crowd once saying: “Look at that aeroplane—it’s coming down much prettier than the other. It’s hopping like a bird! ”

On the other hand, if the flattening out is left, until too late, it is obviously a. very bad fault and has most unpleasant consequences,, as the machine hits the ground at her full gliding speed and is likely to turn a somersault,_ resulting' in a more or less compieucrash of the machine, though the aviators aren’t often, hurt, In Hying it is the ■“ whole hog.” One is either killed outright, or not hurt at all. which, ru my opinion, is certainly to the gooc . Apart from, the landing business, ordinary flying is far easier to get hold of than driving a car—no gears, no clutch, no aerial traffic inspectors, up to the present —you iust go up with youi would-be birdman and at four or five thousand feet ask him if he feels happy. He’ll say lie does, even if he is wobblt with funk. Tell him to take complete control —lie will soon get confidence, and it doesn’t really matter if lie turns the machine upside down. He has gm to go through it sooner or later, am. he lias got to learn the use of the controls himself—it’s no good the instructor controlling all the time. The only controls are the joystick and the rudder bar for the feet. Th joystick controls the elevator, which i« a 'sort of hinged flap on the tail plane and raises or lowers the nose of th machine. The joystick in ala torn movement also controls the aillerons, which cause .the machine to hank on turns to prevent her slipping outwards 'Control of the engine is by prd iiary throttle. When, you are gliding down give her just enough gas to tick over. If by any chance youi- engine temporarily stops, the way to get it going again is to drive vertically (of course, 1 mean besides the self-starter) and the air resistance will start your propellor whirling again. It always seem to me that flying to simple a. matter of common sense—tlui* is how I learned to fly, there being n > one to teach me. Watch the seagulls, and you will see how they perform exactly the same movements as you do in a ’plane, banking on turns, diving, rolling, etc. 'The larger the wing surface of a machine compared to the weight carried (engine, passengers, eto.) the” Hatter glide a machine has—that is to say, when a machine lias plenty of wing surface, if the engine is cut off at 10.000 ft., she will glide probably s . n . to,, miles, whereas the glide or a monster-engined, tiny wing-surfaced racing machine will only be a third or a quarter of the distance. Of course i follows that the little machine is gliding at an enormously increased speed to the larger-surfaced one and is conscv quently much faster and more tricky to land. Large ratio of wing s.urfaco, with resultant flat gliding capabilities, spells safety every time in flying.