FLYING A MONOPLANE.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 220, 1 August 1917, Page 2

FLYING A MONOPLANE.

AUCLANDER’S EXPERIENCE.

“LIKE A BIRD IN THE AIR.”

Flight-Lieutenant Garland, a pupil of the Auckland Flying School, now in the R.F.C., thus writes of the. monoplane:— “I have been transferred to one of the finest aerodromes in England, and the unique feature of the squadron is that it is the only one which flies monoplanes among the whole of the allied fliers. The machine used goes through the air at well over 100 miles an hour, and is supposed to'be the most difficult machine to fly and land there is. It looks ,just like a bird in the air, and is very similar to the Fokker. It is armed with two mach-ine-guns, one firing through the propeller and the other can fire in every direction except downwards. We have to fly with the left handj and send wireless and take photos with the other. There is no tail plane on this machine, so it is impossible to fly with hands off the controls. A method of fighting at the front is to ‘sit upon the aeroplane’s tail, ’ that is, to keep flying behind an aeroplane till you get as close as Isft, and then open fire. No matter where the front machine goes you can follow him, so you can see the advantage of having a gun that will fire at the front as well as the back. Very few German machines attempt to get near a ’plane unless compelled to do so in self-defence. One of the most confusing things is to get in a heavy cloud. You think you are climbing when you are .going down at a terrific pace, and then you get a gale on the side of your face, and realise you are side-slipping. I came out of a cloud at an appaling speed the other day right- over the aerodrome. General Richardson said to me that the only romance left in the war was to be an airman. Any amount of pilots or would-be pilots have had the distinction of crashing about £IO,OOO worth of Government property to pieces, so the upkeep of the E.F.G. is enormous. If only the air was as clear as in New Zealand flying would be all right, but here you can rarely see the horizon. When you land in an aerodrome in a monoplane everyone stares, as there are only six machines in England, and consequently they are not often seen; Sideways on these ’planes look like a bullet.

“There is no doubt they take some beating. You have to concentrate all your skill on making a landing, as on these ’planes you cannot land them carelessly like an ordinary machine. If you do not get the tail and wheels in line it not only a matter of luck if she does not turn over. A glide or volplane on one of these ’planes is like an nose-drive or stall in an Auro. You can bring them down at 90 miles an hour and flatten out about two feet off the ground. I did not get any dual control before going up myself. I had to take her up alone, and everything seemed very queer, at first. One wing is weighted to counteract the tongue of the propeller; so if you glide much below 70 the right wing goes down. The first time out I made perfect landings, and my instructor was very pleased, as he was not too good at it himself. The next day I was not so lucky, as I had my first ‘crash,’ but, as you never hurt yourself in the , owing to the steel framework, it was a mere trifle. I was landing, and the ground was not level, and, of course, the wheels toched first, and over she went and stood on her nose. My head went right through the ’plane When I got free I surveyed the damage. The propeller was broken, and the engine pushed in a bit, but that was all. My instructor was leaving the aerodrome in a similar ’plane at the same time, and came ot grief just alongside me. Since this squadron has boon formed only four men have made theirc first flight without mishap. ’ ’