TEN MILES UP

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 237, 27 May 1932, Page 8

TEN MILES UP

FUTURE CHALLENGED SPECIALLY DESIGNED PLANES TO EXCEED 408 MILES PER HOUR. UPPER AIR EXPLORATION. Never content with. the problems of the immediate present, the human mind challenges the far future. Experiments with specially-designed aeroplanes ara about to be made in flight to a height of ten miles, and speeds greatly exceeding the 408 miles per hour record are being discussed, writes Major C. G. Turner. It is not claimed that suceess in the high altitude attempts will lead to an immediate. change in the policy of the air lines; but someone must maloa a beginning and many are eager to pioneer the way. Exploration of the upper air whether by aeroplane or balloon, is costly; by aeroplane especially, beeause the machine must have a sealed cabin and its engine needs speeial supercharging equipment. Air travel at present is handieapped by the cost, whieh in many cases ,has to be partly met by subsidies from thi State. But aircraft designed to fly at a height of ten miles would be much more easily operated than the present day air liner. The Bottom Mile. The public are being slowly accustomed to the idea of air travel in the £k bottom mile of the atmosphere; they p are not likely yet to be attracted in F large numbers by travel at a height of ten miles in closed cabins in which life can be maintained only by artificial msans. Many will agree that speeds from 150 to 200, miles per hour, if the organisation provides for night as well as day flying, will for some time to come be good enough even for mails. To fly at a height of ten miles the engine must give sufficient power throughout a wide range of atmospheric pressures. A supercharger which enables aircraft to give good performances at 25,000ft, . or five miles, will not suflice, and it is probable that the engine will have to be equipped with two or even three superchargers. Otherwise, designed chiefly for very high altitude work, it would not be able to get off the ground. Even now many aeroplanes are designed to give far better performance at 10,000ft. than near the ground. It is reasonable to claim that at great heights, where the air offers little resistance, great speed will be attainable, and with the further great advantage that a machine with the very large wing surface in relation to load necessary for support in very thin air will, on descending to the dense air near the ground, obtain so much support that it will be able to land slowly. Hazardous Risks. Variable-pitch propellers and vari-able-area wings would help to secure reasonable efficiency throughout the great range of conditions from the ground to the ten-mile operational height. They would add to the complications, and still more to the cost. At the great heights in prospect life can. be maintained only by the artificial preservation of atmospheric pressure around the body, with the necessary supply of oxygen for breathing. The deathly cold must be fought by suitable warming apparatus. If anything went wrong with this equipment the result to the adventurers would be fatal. There are three machines nearly ready for flight to the upper air. One is by the famous Farman firm. It will be flown by the French airman, Coupet. The machine is a monoplane, with an enormous spread of wing. The cabin is fitted with air compressors, and is electrically heated. Flying will be almost entirely by instrument, and not by sight. The engine will be triple-supercharged. Another French "stratosphere" machine is one designed by M. Guerchais. The 'German firm of Junkers also has prepared a speeial machine for flights to the upper air, and trial flights to a height of 30,000ft are

about to be made. High-altitude balloon ascents will be made this year. They are intended for the purpose of atmospherie research, and it will be remembered that Professor Piccard clahns that as the result of his reeent ascent to nine and a half miles he obtained results very valuable to science. Balloon Ascents. M. Max Cosyns, a Belgian physicist, will carry out an experiment with Professor Piccard's new balloon, and hopes to reach the height of twelve miles. It is intended also to make an ascent in the Arctic to observe atmospherie and other conditions over the magnetic pole. Count Theodor Zichy, a Hungarian, and H'err Hans Braun are preparing a balloon for a high-altitude ascent, the ofiject being that of testing an instrument invented by Herr Braun for registering altitude by the force of gravity. Ilis experiment will aim at the determination of the loss of weight of specified objects with increasing distance from the earth. The balloon cabin will be fitted with a big parachute, and on descending to about 15,000ft the balloon itself will be detached and the aeronauts come down with their cabin by parachute. This method reduces the amount of ballast required to ease the speed of descent. Messrs. Short Bros., of Rochester, are making ready a balloon for a high-altitude ascent in England. Many of the secrets of the upper . air have been revealed by means of small unmanned balloons carrying self-registering instruments. It is known that what is called the stratosphere, or isothermal layer, which begins at a height of about seven miles, is characterised by a break in the steady decline of temperature with height. Samples of Air. It is known that in this region- also the wind's speed increase, common with increasing height up to five or six miles or so, declines and that there is comparative cairn. Physicists, however, desire to learn more of the chemical constitution of the air at great altitudes. Among other problems is that of the assured presence of hydrogen and other light gases in greater proportion at great heights than near the ground. Some surprise has been 'expressed at the absence of evidence of this in

samples of aii; talcen at a height of seven or eight miles. One would suggest, however, it is not likely to be found at much lower altitudes than thirty miles. Deseriptions of the view of earth and sky from the cabin windows of the high-altitude travelling aeroplanes and balloons will certainly be interesting. The sky will he deep-hued, and it is not impossible that at ten or twelve miles some of the stars will be visible by day. The globular shape of the earth will not be any more visible than it is to an airman at 25,000ft. As to him, the earth, much obscured by mist, will appear as a concavity, the horizon on a level with the eye,