s press up against the air until the pressure equals the
centrifugal force of the Momentum, and the Aeroplane spirals steadily
downwards.

Down, down, down, and the air grows denser, and the Pilot gulps largely,
filling his lungs with the heavier air to counteract the increasing
pressure from without. Down through a gap in the clouds, and the
Aerodrome springs into view, appearing no larger than a saucer, and the
Pilot, having by now got the "feel" of the Controls, proceeds to put
the Aeroplane through its paces. First at its Maximum Angle, staggering
along tail-down and just maintaining horizontal flight; then a dive at
far over flying speed, finishing with a perfect loop; then sharp turns
with attendant vertical "banks" and then a wonderful switchback
flight, speeding down at a hundred and fifty miles an hour with short,
exhilarating ascents at the rate of two thousand feet a minute!

All the parts are now working well together. Such wires as were before
in undue tension have secured relief by slightly elongating their loops,
and each one is now doing its bit, and all are sharing the burden of
work together.

The Struts and the Spars, which felt so awkward at first, have bedded
themselves in their sockets, and are taking the compression stresses
uncomplainingly.

The Control Cables of twisted wire, a bit tight before, have slightly
lengthened by perhaps the eighth of an inch, and, the Controls instantly
responding to the delicate touch of the Pilot, the Aeroplane, at the
will of its Master, darts this way and that way, dives, loops, spirals,
and at last, in one long, magnificent glide, lands gently in front of
its shed.

"Well, what result?" calls the Flight-Commander to the Pilot.

"A hundred miles an hour and a thousand feet a minute," he briefly
replies.

"And a very good result too," says the Aeroplane, complacently, as he is
carefully wheeled into his shed.

That is the way Aeroplanes speak to those who love them and understand
them. Lots of Pilots know all about it, and can spin you wonderful
yarns, much better than this one, if you catch them in a confidential
mood--on leave, for instance, and after a good dinner.

PART IV. 'CROSS COUNTRY

The Aeroplane had been designed and built, and tested in the air, and
now stood on the Aerodrome ready for its first 'cross-country flight.

It had run the gauntlet of pseudo-designers, crank inventors, press
"experts," and politicians; of manufacturers