THE GOOD AIR PILOT.

Taihape Daily Times, 1 April 1919, Page 3

THE GOOD AIR PILOT.

The essential mental and physical qualities of the good air pilot were described in a. lecture delivered by Dr. L. E. Stamm, of the Royal Air Force, in Loudon recently. Dr. Stamm said /conditions in the air required not only sound heart and lungs with ample .reserve force ’but a good controlling and adjusting nerve mechanism. It was obvious that an individual who was subject to serious emotional disturbances was constitutionally unfittco for work in the air. Such a man might prove himself an excellent infantry officer, but he was out ,of place in the Air Service. The two chief mental qualities essential for aviation wore quick and accurate judgment and emotional stability or confidence. The chief causes of crashes were “wind up,f’ or “losing one's head,” due to loss of control, or over-confidence an intelligence or judgment which iv;i« ■below the average. The one condition was quite as responsible for disasters

as the other. It had been suggested that the best type of fighting scout must possess the fighting spirit, and be capable of developing the emotions of anger against his foe, or, in other words, must he able “to see red.” .With this Dr. Stamm disagreed. A pilot, in his opinion, required to be as free as possible from any emotional disturbance, whether of fear or anger. T 1 ’ r fighting scout required the hunting Instinct, with all the judgment, cunning, and zest to bring down his prey rather than the fighting spirit of “seeing red ” It was the man who

went forth in this spirit, aggressive and cool, ■who was. most likely to carry through, those nice turns and twists in the right direction and at the right moment, that sealed the fate of his adversary.