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Aviation History
1935
1935 -2- 0467.PDF
OCTOBER 24, 1935. FLIGHT. 425 The Outlook A Running Commentary on Air Topics Flying Fitness r~)Y virtue of a little effective prompting a great many |j pilots and others were prevailed upon to air their views after Major Brackley's lecture, a resume of which is given jon pages 432-434, and a number of interest- ing criticisms and suggestions were made. Not the least important point raised concerned the standard of physical fitness necessary for transport pilots, and the general consensus of opinion appeared to suggest that sheer fitness ought to take second place in the case of a pilot with a vast flying experience. We have always felt that good men may often be turned down by a medical board for some quite trivial defects while still in full posses- sion of all the faculties necessary for safe commercial flying. The real difficulty, of course, concerns the international agreements, by which a certain fixed standard of physical perfection must be maintained by all commercial pilots flying on international routes. Meanwhile, it is encourag- ing to learn that, once past a danger peripd, a pilot is likely to remain as fit as the medical boards expect until quite an impressive age ; so we should be able to retain the services of our Master Pilots for many years to come. Flying is no longer considered to be only a young man's business. The Automatic Pilot 5OME very mixed views were expressed about the valueor otherwise of the automatic pilot, and the sug-gestion was made that it might economically be fitted to very large machines. This appears to be rather begging the question. Surely in the case of very large machines, in which a captain, a first officer, a radio operator and, perhaps, a navigator are carried, the need for an automatic pilot is extremely small. Provided that its weight can be kept down, its real value would be that of relieving the pilot in the case of smaller machines on which the crew is restricted to two or even to one person. A six/seven-seater with a built-in automatic pilot could be comfortably handled by a single pilot, who would be able with its help to give all his attention to his radio and to navigation, and the operating costs would accord- ingly be reduced. The objections raised to its use mainly concerned an alleged jerkiness in action. Surely this is a matter of design and application and does not in any way affect the value of the automatic pilot in principle. The best- known examples, incidentally, are adjustable for " fierce- "ess " in all axes, and it must not be forgotten that theyarf ' in regular use on a great number of air lines. Instrumen t - flying Trainingr HE question of instrument-flying training is an im- portant one, complicated at present by the fact that different instruments are in use. Whereas training 15-carried out with a plain turn and bank indicator, the majority of transport machines are fitted with artificial hoi' " - - •nzons and directional gyros. Admittedly, the major part of the training in blind flying concerns the establishment, in a pilot's mind, of a fixed and unalterable belief in instruments as such, and in cases of real emergency a pilot might still find it necessary to fall back on his turn indicator, which registers in all possible attitudes. Nevertheless, instrument flying in big machines while in actual service might be considered in the future as an essential part of a Second Pilot's training. The passengers need not be told that the machine is being flown by a Second Pilot who is surrounded by curtains! Straivsr HAT the era of the large flying boat is dawning has already become quite clear. A number of aircraft of this class are being built by Short Brothers for Im- perial Airways. In America the Sikorsky and Martin boat* are undergoing thorough operational tests, and a British firm has secured the British building rights for the Sikorsky. Pan American Airways have put up to the New Zealand Government a proposal for a weekly flying boat service between California and Auckland, New Zealand, and it has been reported, although not confirmed, that Mr. Plesman, of the K.L.M., who is at present in the United States, has discussed plans for a liuking-up of his company's route when the trans-Pacific route of Pan American Airways is in operation. Sir Kingsford Smith's pnwence at flying tests of the Sikorsky recently has been connected up with the possibility ol Sikorsky boats being used on an Aus- tralia-New Zealand service. Political considerations seem likely to delav matters somewhat, the British Government very rightly holding that British mails should travel in British aircraft, but doubtless some quid pro quo will be discovered which will enable any difficulties of this nature, to be smoothed out. In the meantime, it is highly satisfactory to know that technical progress has been such that services of such an ambitious nature can be contemplated. ' /:\.:" A Ticklish Question :"r HE " N.R." licence granted by the American Depart- ment of Commerce may be regarded as a carte blanche for the designers of highly loaded record- breakers and tricky racers. It will not be denied, how- ever, that it has done a great deal to stimulate individual thought and effort in the production of such machine*. Reports from America speaking of Wiley Post's and Will Roger's ill-starred hybrid Lockheed say that the in- stallation of the geared Wasp instead of the direct-drive model usual in AJtairs and Orions had shifted the C. of G. so far forward that the machine had to be landed with power. Post, in fact, is believed to have tok1 another pilot that should the engine ever fail he would crash, and experts maintain that when the machine was fully loaded barely any factor of safety remained. The constructors of the engine and aircraft need shoulde* no blame for the accident. It seems that the question which arises is this: In view of the stimulus which doubtless can be conferred by the " N.R." licence, will a radical tightening up of licensing regulations kill an unwarrantable amount of that enter- prise with which American aviation has become identified?
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