HOW IT FEELS TO FLY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2896, 15 September 1909, Page 79

HOW IT FEELS TO FLY.

SENSATIONS ON AN AEROPLANE. In the light of M. BJeriot's wonderful achievement, many people {says the Daily Mail) ac© wondering what it feels like to fly. At present only a very few have had the opportunity of experiencing the sensation. Below a<re described the impressions of the passengers on one or other of the flying, machines that already exist: — One of the most vividi descriptions of the sensations of a passenger in a biplaoe lias been given by a writer who. signed himself "Parisian" in the Motor. "We wer,e off j/> . -. and with such % rush that we seemed to have been shot forth from the mowfcb of a carniea. - Pp&panfed as I was for a quick start, the terrific impetus, nevertheless, staggered me., "Had" it been .possible 'I should idoubtless have attoutsfi out," for surely there iras eomethinig ' wrcong with -Uihis high-sjpeed, switchback, winch 'did not even provide the momantaxy lull before the downward plunge. "But almost before my thoughts had time to definitely shape themselves it was over. . There was a thud in the rear — only the wooden bogey, which had dropped to the ground oa reaching the end *f ttoe starting -nil. "No need to worry about that, and we were '.being* gently swayed in a calm atmosphere. We were climbing upwards, moderately fast, to judge by w»e way in which the ground was slipping away underneath. - ~ ' , , " — Cradled in the Air.— - , "But a minute later even. . this had stopped', and we were 'slowly advancing wftn a gently undulating motion, which made one smile at the thought that this could end in disaster. . . . "Why, we were hardly moving ; and even if the engine should stop, or if the pilot should loee his head, we could never come to any harm at this speed. There was no vibration, no need to clutch the sides of the seat' as we had done a moment before. "If only this engine, roaring and spluttering an occasional spaxk <m -my right, would bshaver as a» self-respecting engine ought 'to behave, the sensation " would have been Jih.4 embodiment r of peace. Calmness without stagnation; a gentle cradling by invisible hands \ the motion of a boat without the lap of water or the splash of oars. "But how deceiving it was! The sensation suggests that you are being cradled in the air; you ore moving so gently that you could not come to any harm if you f dl ; there is not much wind, only a> gentle breeze — nothing whatever to disturb you. ' "And reason insisted: you ore travelling at 40 miles an hour; you have got nothing to support you ',' down there, 50ft away, under that purple heather, ie the •hard ground waiting to % wreck you and the maduxie; if the engine stops, the air which is now lulling you -will turn traitor and let you fall croelly; if the pilot forgets himself for an instant you may rush downward at the speed of an express train, or you may overturn altogether. "Sensation's reply was, 'Nonsense!' And Sensation won. .- . ." — A Strange and Exquisite Experience. — Another Frenchman, M. Frantz-Reichel, writing in the Figaro, recorded his impressions in the following manner : — "I have known to-day a magnificent in* toxication. I have learned how it feels to be a bird. I have flown. Yes, I have flown ! "I am still astonished at it; still deeply moved. For nearly an hour I have lived that daringdream vainly pursued through all the ages by audacious man. "When we started there was a sudden impression of a plunge into space which give me a coup a' restomae. Then «iddtenJy it was all very smooth, a cradling amid the thunder of the motor. I did my utmost to see weH, to feel everything, radiant, but not daring to move 3t even to stir. "We advanced towards the horizon, the dunes, the hills, the fii trees, in a giddy gliding. It was strange and exquisite. 'The air flowed upon me caressingly. I could keep my eyes wide open; the air bathed me but did not whip me. This was the first impression a mile from tbe s+arting pl.ice, above a magnificent carpet of heather. "I hung out my head and looked at thecrowcls below. They were waving handkerchiefs. Gently, with my elbow firmly fixed to my side, I moved my. arm in a mechanical manner, like a dummy. I let go of the iron bar by which I was supporting myself. It wai quite safe to move, and I risked more and more. "The «un is smiting; we ape flying in the twilight. From the ground appears and descends a elight mist, which covers tbe big glens with a white carpet. It is the doubtful and suspicious hour of the day. 'The night nas come. It is getting dark, and the moon is rising. ' Silence ineigiis over the woods and .fields. I cannot believer that it is I who am" flying in the night. The sensation is so magnificent that I long to pass several hours in such a manner. "Night is now complete. Cychete, peasants, and chauffeurs have lighted their lanterns or their torches. And this illumination pierces through the darkness. But we fly on, chasing our aliadew, which the moon throws befoTi& us. "If I had known I (should have brought a pencil and a writing block with roe, and have recorded my impressions. One is able to write much more comfortably i

Fin aa aeroplane than m» train or motor car." The Htm. C. S. Rolls, who made a flight in October last, thus described his sensations in" The Times : "Onoe clear of the ground the feeling of security wa» perfect, and I was able to watch with great interest the movements of the operating leyera. We tote along at a speed of 40 miles an hour. — Speed that Brought Tears. ,—, — "One has been accustomed to con»der the atmosphere as a mass of ait, deceasing in density with ite altitude, bat otherwise uniform. Experience on a powerdrrren flyer, however, show* that, far from, tins being Uk ease, the atmosprehe near' the earth's surface — even in. what we call calm weatfeer — is made up of spiral movements of varying diameter, sometimes vertical and sometimes horizontal, undulations of all sorts, little hills and valleys, and 'streams' of air^ in fact, one might call it a new 'world' conquered by man— a world with 'scenery' of great variation, which, though invisible to the eye, is none the lees felt by the operator, ol & flyipg' machine. is "Sometimes we Sew above the trees, 'Mqinetdmes wie flew , three feet off the ground, entirely at the will of tbe* operator, who thus showed the inpet perfect control "over bisf. ' machine " that ~coul<S imagine, i - ( - ''Our- speed, in tbe early morning caused teans to roll down -our cheeks, but with.' goggles on one would have no difficulty, in wading a map, mating notes, or taking photographs. "The sensation of flight was novel anddelightful, and tbe fact of accomplishing \ what several eimaent scientist*, have •proved' impossible gave ateo- am added satisfaction." Mr WSfrar Wright has himself described the sensation of "aviation as "sometiling dnfinitely snore exbHarating *^»*n motoring, earn «u$ smoother, with » movement of added dimension. ~~ "At a height "of" -one hundred feet you feel hardly any motion alb ill, 4 except for the wind which strikes your face. If yon did nofi take the" fprecavtioj? to fasten your hat before starting you have probably lost it by this time. . . . You make » very short turn, yet you do nob feel the sensation of being .thrown -from your seat, so often experienced in automobile and railway travel. *The operator stops the motor white still higii in the air. ... The motor close beside you kept up* an almost deafening roar during the "whole flight, yet in your -axoitement you dwi'not notice it" till it stopped.,"