LEARNING TO FLY.

Taranaki Daily News, 5 January 1916, Page 6

LEARNING TO FLY.

NEW ZEALAND MAN'S EXPERIENCES. AIR POCKETS AND "CRASHES." Like .most beginners, the amateur airman is generally reticient as to his early experiences, as being a new art, there is so mucli groundwork to learn that cannot bo acquired by book-learning or study. A man may learn to drive a motor-car by taking the wheel with an expert sitting beside him, and may learn to drive a motor-cycle with somebody running beside him to teach him the value of the levers, but when a man wishes to fly he takes on a much greater responsibility, even if he lias a skilled Man alongside him. It is in the flapper stage where many mistakes of hand and head are made, all of which make for proficiency later on. One of the most interesting letters dealing with the stage noted, says the Star, comes from Mr. Eric Calder, of Auckland, who left New Zealand some six months ago to take up the science of flying. He writes from the Royal Naval Air Station, Kent, as follows:

FLAPPING HIS WINGS. "Well, as I told you at the end of my last letter, I have flapped my wings at last! The sensation is like—nothing else in the world. I can't find a simile that adequately describes my feelings oil my first joy ride. I went up in a Caudron biplane with one of three instructors, and circled round the aerodrome for about five minutes. We were buzzing along the ground, as I thought, at about forty to forty-five miles an hour, and I began to wonder when he would rise, when I looked over the side, and was somewhat surprised to see that we were about 100 ft up, off the aerodrome. This shows what an easy, graceful movement the old ' 'buses,' as we call them, have in a calm air. Interrupted six times."

"Sunday, October 23 —Just at this point on Thursday night I received word through by telephone that a 'Hicboo' (Zeppelin) was seen passing over about twenty minutes before, so I had to chase round for various officers and then take my stand by the 'phone, and take all messages. We sent out a couple of machines in the direction of a town a few miles away, and could hear the anti-aireraft guns popping away. X don't think any damage was done by the vistor. . . We are called at about 4.45 a.m. by the night duty officer if it is not too windy or misty, and after a cup of tea and biscuits start flying at 6.15 a.m. The hour of rising will get later as the winter comes on. Plying continues until about 8 a.m., when we adjourn for breakfast. At 9.15 there is usually Morse practice till 10.15, followed by a lecture on meteorology, engines or aero-dynamics from 10.45 till noon. Lunch is at 12.30, after which we are supposed to rest or sleep till three, when there is more flying if the weather is good. If it is raining or blowing we usually have to take some aero engine to pieces and assemble it again. The flying goes on till it is dark. Dinner is at 7.30 p.m., and is quite a lengthy performance.

JUDGMENT IN LANDING. "After ray joy ride in the morning I did not go up again on Monday, but went three times on Tuesday for 27, 10, and 19 minutes respectively, when my instruction began (I nearly said destruction). The next day I went up again several times, and practised landing, still, of course, in the dual-control machine, -the instructor looking after the engine and doing most, of the flying. Landing properly is not very difficult, but requires a lot of judgment. If you don't flatten out soon enough and come down too steeply, you may carry away the landing chassis, and if you flatten out too soon without enough speed the machine will "stall," and slide back ignominioously on its tail. In neither case is the pilot likely to break his neck, but the machine generally objects to the bump, and retires to the hospital for a day or so. "WHAT HO, SHE BUMPS!" "I next did a couple of flights in the back seat with the instructor in front, correcting my mistakes. I don't think he went to sleep. My instructor then persuaded me to try my wings by myself. It must have looked funny to the onlookers, all right. After slithering about the ground in no particular direction at all I suddenly rose into the air before I had attained sufficient speed, but evidently righted myself before reaching the stalling points, as nothing tragic happened. Evidently I was warping too much or giving the old 'bug too much rudder, as next thing I wis zooning round over the aerodrome shedb",- which is quite contrary to the flying school rules. After making a circuit of aerodrome I came down, but as the was somewhat bumpy I switched on ai?d went round again, misjudged the landftg place, and so went round once more. The total time in the air was fourteen nTlJiutes. Of course, I expected to be 'strafed' by the commander, but he made no cutting remarks so I breathed once more. . On the 23rd I tried my hand at a second solo flight, and this' time climbed to 3000 ft, and stayed up for thirty-five minutes. My control was somewhat better, although the landing was rather bumpy. The next day I did not get up at all, but later I managed to create a little diversion, my escapade was tame compared with a coupJe of others doing. I climbed up to 5000 ft, and then decided to come down part of the way with the engine off. I did so, and when I got down to about 1500 or 2000 ft, suddenly got into some horrible air-pockets, | which bumped me about some, so that I | did a few spirals, and then lost the aerodrome.

TWO IN A DITCH. "Consequently I had to pick out the most likely-looking field, for when I tried to get my engine going again the jolly propeller had stopped altogether. I managed to dodge' some sheep, a fence, and a ditch, landed all right, and pulled up with my chassis and propeller submerged in the bottom of a ditch, and the tail pointing skyward. It was certainly most ludicrous, and although the air bumps were most disconcerting I rathet enjoyed the landing. I lay down in the sun to rest after my labors, and in about five minutes observed another flier walking towards me, and, glancing behind him, saw his machine quietly resting at the end of my,field three or fou/ hundred yards away in another ditch . After we had mutually consoled each other, another machine came overhead, saw our plight, and flew back to bring over a gang of rescuing mechanics. When they arrived, we heard that another machine had come down, bursting its propeller and both wings, the pilot, as usual, being quite unhurt. , I am sure there is a special guardian angel looking after airmen, as although machines crash sometimes, it is really wonderful how seldom the pilots are imjured. 'Crash' is the term ijtljd wktggvec | tugii&t ia it aU <Ua»