8l The Outline of Science 



rise without a very long run, and in several cases the aerodromes 

 had to be extended before the aeroplanes could be got off. Of 

 the four machines trying to make this flight, three crashed at 

 various stages. Van Ryneveld and Brand succeeded, however, 

 in getting through, though they reached Capetown in a different 

 machine to that in which the flight was commenced. 



Weather on the Airways 



Apart from these great flights modern aircraft are capable 

 of astounding performances. They can carry loads of upwards 

 of 24 tons, fly at 200 miles an hour, cover distances of over 1,000 

 miles without stopping, rise to heights as great as Mount Everest. 

 Daily they fly from end to end of Europe and from the Atlantic 

 to the Pacific across the U.S.A. 



The state of the weather is a certain handicap to airmen, but 

 immense strides are being made both in the organisation of local 

 reports and also in overcoming difficulties. The only real weather 

 danger when flying is fog. On several occasions when the wind 

 has been so rough that the cross-Channel steamers have been 

 storm-bound in harbour, aircraft have safely made the journey 

 between London and Paris. When the country is fog-bound 

 flying becomes a different matter. It is not the actual flying 

 which is interfered with, for pilots can control machines per- 

 fectly well whilst in the air, even in foggy weather, but it is the 

 danger of not being able to see the ground beneath, and there- 

 fore not being able to choose a safe spot in the event of a forced 

 landing, that makes flying in fog dangerous. Even when the 

 journey is accomplished, as is normally the case, without a forced 

 landing, the pilot finds it impossible to pick out the aerodrome 

 and may quite well hit a building or a hedge or over-shoot the 

 mark when endeavouring to land. 



The system of weather reporting employed on the airways 

 between London and Paris is simple in the extreme. Reports 

 are sent in from the intermediate stations by wireless at frequent 



