ht.

It is quite possible that if some of our early aviators had carried such
a highly-efficient compass as this, their lives might have been
saved, for they would not have gone so far astray in their course. The
anti-drift compass has been adopted by various Governments, and it now
forms part of the equipment of the Austrian military aeroplane.

When undertaking cross-country flights over strange land an airman finds
his way by a specially-prepared map which is spread out before him in
an aluminium map case. From the illustration here given of an aviator's
map, you will see that it differs in many respects from the ordinary
map. Most British aviation maps are made and supplied by Mr Alexander
Gross, of the firm of "Geographia", London.

Many airmen seem to find their way instinctively, so to speak, and some
are much better in picking out landmarks, and recognizing the country
generally, than others. This is the case even with pedestrians, who
have the guidance of sign-posts, street names, and so on to assist them.
However accurately some people are directed, they appear to have the
greatest difficulty in finding their way, while others, more fortunate,
remember prominent features on the route, and pick out their course as
accurately as does a homing pigeon.

Large sheets of water form admirable "sign-posts" for an airman; thus
at Kempton Park, one of the turning-points in the course followed in the
"Aerial Derby", there are large reservoirs, which enable the airmen to
follow the course at this point with the greatest ease. Railway lines,
forests, rivers and canals, large towns, prominent structures, such as
gasholders, chimney-stalks, and so on, all assist an airman to find his
way.

CHAPTER XLIII. The First Airman to Fly Upside Down

Visitors to Brooklands aerodrome on 25th September, 1913, saw one of
the greatest sensations in this or any other century, for on that date a
daring French aviator, M. Pegoud, performed the hazardous feat of flying
upside down.

Before we describe the marvellous somersaults which Pegoud made, two or
three thousand feet above the earth, it would be well to see what was
the practical use of it all. If this amazing airman had been performing
some circus trick in the air simply for the sake of attracting large
crowds of people to witness it, and therefore being the means of
bringing great monetary gain both to him and his patrons, then this
chapter would never have been written. I