THE ETHICS OF GOOD AIRMANSHIP.
Page 8
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First Book on the Actual Service Course of Flying.
AFEW -weeks ago a writer in a. London newspaper pointed out that there were no textbooks of the air. "Precedents are made to order,
traditions are according to taste. The ethics of good airmanship are .not to be. found in•.any text-book,' he wrote. He was right—then. To-day there is published a manual of incalculable value in the training of pilots ; a text-book which does embody the " ethics of good airmanship," which lays down, so far as is
humanly possible, the cartralaueror'a aontrol rod dinal factors in the making of a skilled pilot.. Instructor; seat This work is a new Temple Press manual — " Practical St-etl tube, comer.ctin9
Flying: Complete Course of control rod. to Flying Instruction." It has that [nstrwtoff: been produced with the knowledge of, and some assistance from, the Air Ministry, and there is an introduction by Major-General W. S. Brancker, R.A.F., who, dealing with the need of such a work as this in times like the present, terms it a "valuable addition to existing official publications." It. is the first manual' to deal with the Service course of tuition for pilots qualifying for the Royal Air Force, It has. been produced to speed up the training of pilots and to set. out for the guidance of prospective flying men the fundamental principles of flying with present-clak machines, so that the beginner may avoid many of the mistakes comnionly made while • under instruction.
The book is written by Flight-Commander W. G. McMinnies, himself an instructor of very considerable experience, and is illustrated by Flight-Lieut. (now Captain) E. L. Ford. The illustrations are one of the most interesting features of the book and are very numerous, including many drawings of mechanical features d the aeroplane and instruments, and diagrams which demonstrate the important points in the art of flying. It teaches the art of flying, but it is also informative to all who take an interest in the many aspects of aviation. Few of us do. not.
The first consideration is the 'men who make good 3330
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—Cabkj +0ailerory The duplicated control machine, such as is no beginner to fly. Illust "Practical pilots. Curiously enough, the auth-or, who although himself a motorist of some repute, the winner of the first and possibly the last cyclecar Grand Prix, does not think that motoring or motorcycling forms a good apprenticeship to flying, "beyond the fact that those pastimes provide the learner with useful mechanical knowledge," he writes. ." They will not be found to be of particular value to the aviator. It is the man
who has been accustomed to
riding and outdoor games who proves quickest in picking up the feel of an aeroplane, and whose eye more rapidly adapts itself to the speeds and angles encountered when flying." The next consideration is preparatory ground training, and l:iere the manual indicates the directions in which the pupil mutat focus his attention. The book then deals with the principles of flight and an explanatory description of the controls of an aeroplane, the types of powerunits and aeroplane construction. Then follows the first lesson in the air; the first solo flight and aerodrome practice, instructions on the use and working of the instruments, a. very, important chapter on map reading, the preparations for a crosscountry flight, cross-country flying, more advanced flying, which includes a description of the methods of effecting various aerial "stunts," and night flying, concluding with a chapter on the medical aspects of aviation, with some notes on suitable clothing, by Dr. Graem Anderson. Very useful features are the condensed flying course, and a glossary of terms commonly used in aviation. The book is excellently produced, and includes a pull-out map illustrating a cross-country flight. It can be obtained from our offices, price as. 9d. net (post free 4s.).
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