| Show MECHANICAL MIKE ASSISTS AIR PILO PILOT PILOT Gyroscopes Are Used to Control Airplane New Kew Y York Scientific York Scientific Interest In Wiley ney Posts Post's solo dash around the world by plane In which he lie set a aDew anew anew new Dew record centers on ou his Ills constant companion and helper Mechanical the the automatic pilot Trans Transoceanic oceanic and other long distance long flights in the last year have ha demon demon- demonstrated demonstrated the value of gyroscopic in- in instruments In Instruments for accurate flying Hying when good visibility cannot be guaran guaran- guaranteed guaranteed teed In these Instruments one gy- gy gyroscope gyroscope gy gyroscope gives the pilot a horIzontal line of reference the other a ver- ver UntIl recently the pilot however had to keep an eye on the two Instruments constantly and move mo to keep kep the plane on the iven i course and at nt the altitude For such blind lying flying It was only logical to ask Why should the human pilot function merely asa as asa a machine Why not develop some mechanical device to translate the gyro gro Instrument Indications Into corresponding movements of the rudder elevator and ailerons of or the aIrplane The answer to those questions Is till the automatic pilot For Post in the Winnie Mae the automatic pilot provided needed relaxation re- re relaxation re relaxation from the constant task ot of flying the ship when a safe altitude otI I and sand course had been fixed Posts Post's pilot differs from pre pre- previous previous previous ones In that the electrical device that pIcks oLIn the relative motions of the plane with respect to the used tired axes of the g gyroscopes has bas been replaced by air all jet pick pick I offs ITs First It should be explained that the tho motions vertical horizontal and rotary must be known to keep an airplane In level light flight on a given given en n course The three controls on onan onan an airplane for doing this are the rudder the elevator elevator in the tall tail and the ailerons at the back edges of the wings In ordinary light flight the pilot from the position of the horizon and the appearance and feel of or the ship has the reference lines at athIs athis athis hIs command In blind lying flying how how- however however ever the horizon Is obscured Some artificIal horizon and directional point must be pr provided Small spinning g gyroscopes mount mount- mounted mounted ed on the Instrument board have bave been Leen found to give ghe this Information In the automatic pilot one gyro spins with Its axis vertical As long longas longas longas as It revolves no motion of the all air airship airship ship changes the direction of Its s axis An Any relative motion of the ship from the direction of tills this vertical axis Is converted Into movements of t the elevators pt of r the blip that correct the climb or dive The same gyro likewise controls the ailerons on the wings to correct co rotary movements The other gyro spinning horizon horizon- horizontally horizontally horizontally tally hi In the same fashion corrects correct motions of the plane when It strays stra's oft off the Ule desired course course by moving the rudder i With a plane speeding along at miles an hour It cannot be ex ex- ex expected ex expected that a small lII gyro will supply forc force enough to move the rudder and elevator le against the wind pres pres- pressure pres- pres pressure pressure sure The secret of of the automatic pilot Is the Ule device device that picks of the unwanted wandering motions of the ship and translates them Into movements or of powerful hydraulic pistons ns directly connected to the rudder rudd r ailerons and elevator elevator These pick oils consist of hemi hemi l discs that rem ln fixed b by bythe bythe the gyro The edges of the discs Intercept two air all streams blowing from small Jets For the gyro which controls the rudder the air jets move with the he plane above a ver- ver vertical vertical ver vertical axis while the disc remains stationary Their turning allows more air all to out of one jet than the other The The difference In air Jo low low acts first on an air all valve and through It on ona ona a a hydraulic valve controlling the pistons that actually turn the rud rud- rudder rud- rud rudder rudder der For Lor straight light the two all air jets have bave equal amounts of air all now flow Ing out of them as the disc covers both jets to the same extent The two gyro units are mounted behind the Instrument panel of the plane and the relative motions can be observed ed there visually |
