582 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



the war had made possible the development and perfection of the plane 

 on which you were riding, and the aviator who was driving the plane had 

 been educated in the school of war. But the war was over. The plane 

 was soaring and surging along. The engine was hitting along on all 

 eight cylinders. There was not a jar nor a jolt. You felt as solid and 

 secure in your seat as you would in the rocking chair at home — and why 

 not go higher? And so you motioned to the pilot; he pulled back on 

 the "stick" and the nose of the plane lifted and you were off to higher 

 altitudes. 



But suddenly there was a decided bump, and you realized that one 

 side of the ship had run into one of those peculiar atmospheric currents 

 where the air was ascending on one side and descending on the other. 

 It was a surprise and fair warning, but you were soon out of it and sail- 

 ing along as usual, because the engine was pulling steady and regular. 



What next? It came quickly. The engine began to spit and miss, 

 and there was a sickening feeling that you were losing speed. The pilot 

 sensed what the trouble was and he headed her, nose down, toward the 

 ground. You seemed about to hit the earth head-on when by a sudden 

 shift of the "stick" the plane righted up, leveled off, and then settled 

 down and began bumping along solid ground. 



The mechanicians came running out to the ship. What was wrong? 

 Why did the engine miss? And then the investigation began. The carbu- 

 retor was examined and it was discovered that some water had collected 

 there. The gasoline did not seem to be feeding from the tank. Inves- 

 tigation disclosed the fact that the feed pipe was clogged up with 

 grease, as if some lubricating oil had gotten into the gasoline tank, and, 

 being heavier than gasoline, it had sunk to the bottom of the tank, and 

 while the engine was running it began to work up thru toward the 

 carburetor, resulting in clogging up the feed line. The gasoline tank was 

 examined and traces of not only lubricating oil, but also particles of dust 

 and dirt, were found in the tank. 



When the engine would not run the plane had come down. 



How soon were you going up again? Just as soon as the engine 

 could be cleaned and put into working order and a new supply of gaso- 

 line run into the tank, and when you start up again the engine is going 

 to occasionally spit and sputter and miss. And before you leave the 

 ground and commence to climb you will have to gain considerable mo- 

 mentum, and your going up will be much more gradual than your com- 

 ing down. 



The aviators tell us that the currents of the air not only travel in 

 horizontal stratas, but also in vertical sections; that in crossing over 

 water the air current is upward; in passing over black loam soil, plowed 

 ground, the air current is downward, and in sailing over roads or timber 

 the air current is upward. 



The Flight of Prices. 



Economically speaking, we were sailing around in the clouds last 

 year. The price plane was surging along mounting higher, and we felt 

 as comfortable and secure in high prices as if we were sitting on the 

 Rock of Gibraltar, but we were a long ways above a normal line. Sud- 



