SAFETY IN FLYING.

Shannon News, 9 April 1925, Page 1

SAFETY IN FLYING.

"NO DANGER IN THE AIR." MASTERS OF THE ELEMENTS. In this article (reprinted from the Sydney 'Sun') Ala's Cobham, the famous airman, who piloted Sir Wil« liana Brancker, the Director of Civil Aviation, on his recent flight from England to Calcutta, afterwards flev? round the summit of Mount Everest, and is now .piloting Sir William back to England, contends that the idea that modern flying is dangerous is. a cherished delusion.

Captain Cobham hopes, immediately after his return, to undertake an aerial survey of the heart of Africa.

The great mass of the public apparently believe that flying is dangerous. They have been led to believe so because every little aecident that ever occurs, whether in the R.A.F., (which has nothing to do with civil flying) or in China or America, has had headlines and every possible publicity in the newspapers. Let it be remembered that if every motor car and motor cycle accident and every shipwreck that ever occurred were published in the same manner that the few flying accidents are they would fill the daily newspapers.

The Press have nothing against flying, far from it, but the public still look upon aviation as a stunt, and consequently a flying mishap is still an interesting news item. This is the reason wh> some folk do not enjoy their first flight. It will be seen from the foregoing that some of these people go into the air prepared to be nervous, and consequently are nervous. If you ask them why they could give no reason for it. The only answer is that it has been bred into them to be nervous at the thought of aeroplanes. My advice to people who have had unpleasant sensations on their first flight is "Keep on flying," and one day while you are in the air your fears will suddenly disappear. Higid Inspection of Machines. Then, again,. there are the folk who were unfortunate enough to go up for their first flight on a gusty day, which caused uneven flying. But there is no danger in the air. for although an aeroplane could bo blown over while resting on the ground, once a properly-designed machine is in the air it is master of the olementa . : And so I say to those people whose first flight was a little bumpy: "Ply again, but on a calmer day." Because a person is inclined to be seasick it does not mean that he will be inclined to be airsick. Personally I am not a good sailor, but in all my experience I have never had a suggestion of air sickness. And those who are good sailors are sure to be good avaitors.

There are many reasons why British flying to-day is a truly safe means of transport. In no industry is there a more rigid inspection of the apparatus manufactured and used than in the aircraft industry. Every separate .bolt, "nut, screw, wire, piece of timber, and metal is inspected and tested and passed by a Government inspector.

Tests for Pilots. The pilot has to pass one of the stiffest medical examinations possible every six months, and is turned down at the slightest suggestion of unfitness until such time as he is again up to top pitch. Compare this with motoring. Any half-wit, providing he has enough intelligence to go to the local authorities, sign his name on a piece of paper, and pay 5/-, is at liberty to take a car full of people and charge about the highway. He may have "no experience whatever in the handling of his machine, and know nothing of the rules of the road. He may be nearly blind, a bunch of nerves, and quite deaf, but he is at liberty to drive about the highway and endanger the lives of his passengers and all he may meet.

Yet the public, despite the hundreds of accidents per day, consider motoring safe compared with flying. There are thousands to-day who believe that if an aeroplane engine stops in the air the aeroplane drops to the ground like a stone. They do not underload that the engine is only needed *o climb with and to fly level, ana that if an aeroplane could get high enough it could glide all the way from London to Paris. It is impossible to get down without shutting the engine off. We have got to get down to the fact that flying has come to stay.

Other Europea"n countries are fully aware of the coming importance of civil 'aviation. On my recent flying tours round Europe I have seen next year's flying routes asd schemes of the various foreign aviatio'a companies. The map of Europe is black with lines indicating the air routes that will be started shortly. So if we are to become supreme in the air >as we have been on the sea we must get a move on. The first step | is far the public to believe in avia-j tion, and they ca"anot do that until they have tried it. UISBORNB COMPETITIONS. The most successful pianist at the Gisborne Contest supports Mr Harold Whittle in his praise of Q-tol. He practised eight hours dally for some weeks, but ke.pt his hands in perfect order with Q-tol.