WONDERS OF AVIATION.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XL, Issue 1895, 26 October 1918, Page 1

WONDERS OF AVIATION.

STABILITY OF BRITISH MACHINES. Many people still think of; (ho aeroplane as being' a highly dangerous contrivance. Many otherwise ordinarily well-informed people still think that it' its engine stops, or any other mishap occurs, an aeroplane must drop like a stone to the earth and smash itself: and its pilot into atoms. Both impressions are cjnitc erroneous, says an official statement. Even before (he war (he British Government was building aeroplanes which were “stable,” as it is called. They could not fall through the air. The machine was so balanced and (he wings were so arranged that if (he engine stopped when high in the air, the machine naturally assumed a gliding position, and gradually and easily glided to earth. The following lest, which has actually been carried out, shows how stable (hose aeroplanes were. A pilot once climbed to a sufficient height, and then slopped his engine, and took hands oft: (he controls, merely keeping his feel on the rudder bar. He steered for an aerodrome twenty miles away, and, except for keeping it straight, ho let (he aeroplane do what it liked. Jj, travelled the whole twenty miles as steadily as a bicycle coasting down a long, straighfand gentle hill. Of course, the pilot had to take hold of the control stick (o land the machine in the aerodrome, but, except for (hat and the steering (ho aeroplane made the whole journey by itself. Moreover, if a pilot gets into difficulties when “stunting’’ a stable aeroplane, all he has,to do is to stop the engine and leave the machine to itself. Whatever its position may he at the time, it will rpdckly right itself and begin to glide. A very stable machine is not ouick at manoeuvring, nor is it very speedy; and so for lighting purposes we must build other types. One cannot play polo on a carthorse, and likewise one cannot turn and twist a very stable machine as one needs to do in a light. But all modern aeroplanes have more or less of a tendency to right themselves, and a well-trained pilot seldom finds any difficulty in making his machine obey his wish. The Royal Air Force training stations see to it that no pilot gets his “wings” until he has shown himself complete master of his machine. Eliminate the hazards of war —present in all parts of the battle zone—and (ho risks a man runs in joining the Royal Air Force as a pilot are small indeed, and no more than fairly comparable with those of the man who follows the sea, mining, the railways, or any other callings.