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Aviation History
1917
1917 - 0591.PDF
JUNE I4I 1917. altitude; one kept Well warmed and comfortable, the other half dead with the cold, and it would be easy to surmise •which would be most likely to do the best work. I really believe it is more by accident than design that the pilot or passenger have benefited at all in the past from the heat of the engine, with the exception perhaps of the late S. F. Cody's machine. He purposely placed the radiator of his pusher in front of the pilot to keep him warm. I know from my experience when flying in France in the cold Weather that the discomfort owing to the extreme cold became intense when flying only at 6,000 ft. on a two or three hours' recon- naissance flight. This is a point to which designers should give attention, especially as machines are now easily capable of reaching great heights. During summer weather con- ditions would probably be tolerably comfortable, but in winter it would be well-nigh«mpossible unless better arrange- ments are generally made. Cold also affects the motor pretty seriously. This is more noticeable with the water-cooled type. Unless some pro- vision is made for blanketing the radiator surface at heights, it becames far too cold for efficient running. Cases are known of the freezing of the Water system on a descent from a great height, with pretty serious results to the motor, as well as the difficulty of getting the engine to run again effi- ciently through being too cold to effect a landing. In the future war machine the pilot must have a very Wide range of control over the Water-cooling system. High Flying. I have found the effect of high, i.e. rarified, air to be felt slightly at about 10,000 ft., increasing with the altitude. Breathing becomes affected, respiration shorter and quicker, there is a curious oppressive sensation and a bulging feeling in the head until the height of about 20,000 ft. is reached. I am told by a medical friend who has made rather a study of the subject that there is always a risk of a sudden collapse, and oxygen should be used whether the aviator feels fit or not. Of course, the effect felt varies considerably with individuals, and with the state of one's health. About eighteen months ago I suffered slightly with my heart, and found I could not get very high without feeling giddy, and after returning from a flight of 12,000 ft. I had palpi- tation, which lasted until the following day. In consequence I had to abandon high flying until treatment got me fit again. This year I have made a number of high flights, and have felt no ill-effects whatsoever; in fact, I find the more one gets accustomed to going up high the less the effects are felt. I am told that this also is the case in mountaineering. I can remember the unpleasantness of my first flight to 15,000 ft. It was very marked, especially the pain experienced in the drum of the ears on descend- ing. The fact that a flight now to 21,000 or 22,000 ft. does not have so much effect I put down entirely to acclimatisation. I use oxygen as a precaution when ascending beyond 20,000 ft. for the previously mentioned reason. A small bottle is carried, fitted with a special reducing valve, which is fixed in the fuselage within easy reach of the hand. No special regulation is required, as it is set to pass only the necessary amount of gas into the face mask which acts as a mixing chamber, with its inlet and outlet air valve. The apparatus Weighs 16 lbs., and contains sufficient oxygen for one hour'sfcontinuous use. After reaching 20,000 ft. I find it is only necessary to use the oxygen inter- mittently, and accordingly I simply hold the mask after turning on the gas over the mouth and nose and take a few breaths of it, perhaps every half a minute. The effect to me is remarkable ; most of the oppressive feeling vanishes, and. R.N.A.S. and R.F.C. to Share Gambia's Gift. THE Secretary for the Colonies announces that the /io.ooo contributed by the Government of the Gambia for the purchase of fighter aeroplanes is to be divided equally between the R.F.C. and the Royal Naval Air Service. The Thames Estuary Raid. Two Germans, an officer pilot who died from gunshot wounds and a mechanic who was drowned when the machine fell in the raid on the Thames Estuary on June 5 th, were buried with naval honours on June 9th. American Aviators for France. FROM Washington it was officially announced on June 8th that 100 United States naval aviators, who are to aid in detecting submarine operations and render other, services, have arrived safely in France. A Fight to a Finish. Mr. W. Beach Thomas, in the Daily Mail, gives the following story of the recent fighting :— " One story of a date just before the battle I must tell. excepting for the unpleasant bulging feeling of the head, which you experience with a bad cold, the sensation is one of suddenly being again at ground level. The only after-effects upon landing from these high altitudes are that you seem to acquire a pretty good thirst, due, I suppose, to the use of oxygen. If the speed of climb continues to improve at the rate it has for the past three years, it looks as though aviators Will become subject to what is known as " Cassoon Disease," due, I am told, to the sudden reduction in atmospheric pressure, such as divers are subjected to when they come to the surface from a great depth, owing to the nitrogen which has been absorbed by the system, in proportion to the atmo- spheric density, forcing itself too rapidly at any lower pressure from the system. LIEUTENANT-GENERAL SIR DAVID HENDERSON, D.S.O., K.C.B., Who took the chair.in moving a vote of thanks to Capt. Hucks, said he had touched on many subjects and had given enlightenment on a great number of them. Every nation that had had to try to keep up to aeronautic supply had found that the design advanced so quickly that before manu- facturers could get into full play the design Was obsolete. There was always the choice between having a few of the very best machines and a large number of the next best. It was a difficulty to Which there Was no solution, and they had not been able to get over it. As to accidents, as far as the records showed, they resulted from a combination of engine failure and faulty piloting—though he by no means intended to blame the pilot, Who was taken unprepared by engine trouble and did the wrong thing. Accidents due to faulty aeroplanes were very rare. Still there Was no machine, except that used in training, that the pilot could not break, and he did not require to be a Hercules. The danger to fast machines When they travelled nose down had been a subject of in- vestigation, and it was found that they reached a terminal velocity When the air resistance equalled the force of gravity, with the addition of the force of the engine. The breaking occurred only when the pilot tried to pull up the machine, and this Was an operation requiring very delicate handling. It ought not to break if there Were no faults of material or construction. In regard to the question of medical tests, the French had gone for nervousness, and he thought they Were on the Wrong tack. It was found that physical disabilities were of more effect than nerves. If they Wanted men who could resist sudden shocks they might get one constituted like an ox, but this was the very last type that would produce a good pilot. He believed that We had fewer failures among pilots than the French. A large number of youths had been found unfit for flying at the front, and some people had said that they had " cold feet " but in reality they had recognisable physical diabilities, and after a fortnight in hospital had been turned out fit, and several were flying now. The primary failure had resulted from flying at high altitudes When they had something the matter With them. In nine cases out of ten it had nothing to do with nerves. He Was Well satisfied with the class of pilots who had been chosen under their system. The question had been raised Whether a good horse- man or a good motorist made the best pilot, and he preferred the horseman, for the horse Was a conveyance that had an intelligence of its oWn and needed much closer Watching than an engine. Also he had noticed that good horsemen often made good motorists, but good motorists did not generally make good horsemen. It had been observed that some airmen used horsey terms in speaking of their machines, and one had said, " She is all right if you treat her Well, but if you don't she turns round and savages you." A young airman, while duelling, received a bullet in his machinery and knew that he could fly for only a short while longer at reduced speed. His old opponent had vanished, but a new one appeared above him and behind him. " They were flying just in front of the Ypres salient, and he could make sure of sliding down to our lines, but he knew that if he adopted these tactics the German would pump lead into him all down the slope. The thought was intolerable, so he turned the machine round, and with his last petrol and the last kick of his engine drove straight at the enemy head on. Both fired. The German's nerve appeared to give,first and he dipped underneath ; then the Englishman turned and dived homewards. He still expected pursuit, but heard nothing and did not look round till he was near the ground, when, to his amazement, he saw the enemy's plane in flames behind him. The two landed in our lines, not half a mile apart, and our young airman jumped from his machine and ran to see the wreck of his enemy's. He found the body of the German pierced by five bullets. He must have been already dead when his plane dipped underneath and avoided collision.
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