19 AERIAL NAVIGATION 1w -- -^./rnnvyn Outline. 1. Introduction. 2. Conquest of the air brought ., humanity 3. Its achievements. 4. Conclusion.

' ">'j Aerial navigation is a feature of the last decade. The desire to fly like birds has been in man ever since the beginning. If he had no wings he flew on the wings of imagination and soared high beyond this visible heavens. Hope of immortality lent him wings. Its counter-parts were to be met within stories and epics. In the legends of Remayana we read that after the conquest of Lanka, Rama and his entire party flew to Ayudhia in a Piishpak Vunan. We have read also about.the flying horse of Troy that worked round a pivot sort of mechanism. Where there is a will there is a way. Man persevered and the first precursor of an aeroplane was the balloon. The honours of the discovery are shared by Langley and Lilienthal and the Wrightbrothers who lost their lives in their hazardous flights. During the last war aerial navigation came to be a settled fact and by now stands on a firm footing. The modern world cannot do without aerial navigation. 69 The conquest of the air has brought humanity very close. It has destroyed distance and transcended geographical barriers. We can now travel at an average speed of 175 miles per hour across the atmosphere obviating practically all risks of collision or a trumbledown. Posts and parcels are conveyed all over the world. Help can speedily and effectively be sent to stranded areas. Aeroplanes have dropped food on the sailing raft of a wrecked ship; they have removed a party of explorers from disintegrating glaciers on the Poles; they have followed the Himalayan Expedition and supplied them oxgyen gas and other heavy supplies and they have rushed doctors and medicines to ditant forlorn patients. The list of their peace time achievements is a long one. But it is in the time of war that aeroplanes do wonders. Bombers of the latest type can penetrate into the heart of the enemy's territory, take photographs of the various works of defence and places of strategic importance, bomb military objectives and drop propaganda leaflets. On the sea, they form parts of the convoy and help in spotting out submarines and floating mines and rescuing wrecked sailors. Roaming above a height of 25,000 ft. They swoop down on the raider and in a few minutes throw tons of bombs on him and again disappear. The duty of reconnaisance is entirely shouldered by the air forces. As a means of attack they are very useful in the hilly tracts where heavy artillery cannot go. Fighting in the air is as horrible as on land or on sea. very close.

Aeroplanes can'bc used and misused like every other form of power. That depends on us and not on the planes. They can be used in various other types of fights. In malarial districts where extensive areas have to be disinfected aeroplanes can be usefully employed in spreading disinfectant fluids and powders. The East Pakistan Government has tried it successfully. The department of agriculture can combat ihe menace of croppests by scattering pest-killing powders over thousands of acres in a short period of time. Jungle fires have been controlled and extinguished by attacking them from the air. It was surmised that in future aeroplanes may be used for sowing. Aeroplanes have done a good deal of service in making meteorological observations. The available data has considerably '"creased. In the light of them the weaiher forecasts are becoming more accurate and reliable. These observations are very essential for70 aerial navigation itself if it is to avoid hazards. At present there is a net-work of such observatories all over land and sea and the flying pilot receives his bearings by radio messages. In return he sends back what information he has gathered from his personal observation is quite safe now and nothing short of strong headwinds or machine trouble can force the plane to come down. The growing popularity of aerial navigation has given a fillip to the aeroplane-industry which in turn has opened new avenues for capital and workers. The landing of planes has necessitated the development of ground engineering and the invention of the Radio Beacon. It is amazing that an aeroplane can swoop down into the hangar with the surcness of bird dropping into its nest. Travelling by air is not only quick and safe but it is also convenient. Modern transatlantic luxury planes leave nothing to be desired in the way of comfort and luxury. There are sleeping berths, silting and smoking saloons, swimming pools, baths and promenades. You have the telephone, the radio and the 'plane's news-paper at your service. Tea, coffee, breakfast, lunch and dinner are all served properly and ceremoniously as in a Riverian Hotel or a luxury ocean finer. Everday new experiments are made and in the light of them improvements are affected in the plane which make flying smoother. Aerial navigation has a glorious future. Efforts are being maae to build special type of planes which can soar into the upper regions of the atmosphere and fly at a speed of 1600 miles per hour and more. It is not beyond practicality. When technical details have been perfected darying pilots will be coming forth to establish new recorJs. Round the world flights have already established records of speed which are difficult to beat. Man is aiming, perhaps uselessly, to achieve the speed of comets, light and sound so that he may be one with them. The adventure may be hazardous but the spirit behind it is laudable. We ha"e practically conquered this earth and like Alexander we now want a lothcr. Mars is our objective and our planets may perhaps take IK there. Even if aerial navigation does not lead us to new planets our work-a-day world will have a net-work of landing stations. On long distance flights, refuelling 'a, done in air and on the sea we have floating stations. We look ahead to the time when the air-taxi shall

71 unite the world into one. Tennyson's prophecy made in 1850 may perhaps be true. "(I) saw the heavens fill with commerce, argosies of magic sails". Pilots of the purple twilight, dropping down with costly bales".