524 



Popular Scieiice Hloiitlily 



In the surplus-powered aeroplane, 



"steeriiitj down to keep up" is not a 

 praiseworlliy inaiieu\'er. A i)ilol cannot 

 possibly know how far the "hole" or 

 local descending current extends and 

 whether he will not plunge into the 

 ground before he gets out of it. But 

 with the reserve-powered machine, it is 

 othersvise. When it steers up, it goes 

 up — always; and what is still more 

 im[)ortant, it goes up instantly. The 

 words "goes up" do not apply literally. 

 They should read, "keeps up." A 

 heavy machine cannot go up instantly 

 on account of its inertia, but it can as 

 instantly increase its lift as it can turn 

 on full power and put its surfaces at a 

 ■steeper angle. To steer down in order 

 to keep up was relatively a slow proceed- 

 ing, because even with the aid of gravity 

 inertia cannot instantly be overcome. 

 But with reserve power there is no need 

 to overcome inertia, and the remedy 

 can be applied at once. 



With these explanations in mind, we 

 understand why Europeans speak as 

 they do of some dead (jfticer who "lost 

 his life because he attempted to imitate 

 champions on high-powered machines 

 with a weak machine." 



The Germans had drawn somewhat 

 too hasty conclusions as to the best type 

 of a military aerojjlane and had standard- 

 ized it. The French sinijily enlisted all 

 their current sporting types for army 

 use, types which were inferior in long- 

 range scouting, demanding, as it does, 

 only reliability and sturdiness in normal 

 flight, for which the Germans had 

 provided at the war's beginning. But 

 the French machines were better for 

 aerial fighting, which has about as much 

 to do with steady, normal flying as a 

 free-for-all fight with walking in a 

 procession. The new art of flying had 

 to be learned in aerial duels, just as a 

 boy is taught to swim by the simple 

 process of throwing him overboard. 



Maximum strength, minimum wtiglit and least luad resist, huh au lust attained by the 

 aeroplane that has its propeller in front of a boat-body. But the propeller in front impedes 

 observation. It also interferes with the operation of a machine pun. Biplanes, such as 

 this one, have been deiiigned with the object of overcoming these military objections 



