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used mixing valves instead of carburators with battery and spark coil for ignition. These motors all worked smoothly and delivered the power anticipated during the ship tests and we believed we would be able to make better speed and fly in heavier winds than with the former ships.
[[underscore]] DIFFICULTIES OF TRAINING Airship [[strikethrough]] BALLOON [[/strikethrough]] PILOTS [[/underscore]]
The training of new pilots was a nightmare. As the ships were all designed to carry but one person it was impossible to take a student with me and teach him while in the air. I gave them all careful instruction for several months. I told them what to do and what not to do and repeated time after time the same instructions until I became convinced these boys would not make mistakes.
Then we set up an outfit and proceeded to try it out. I flew the machine myself with the boys observing and pointed out the things to avoid. They said that they understood everything perfectly but the first man steered straight into a tree, ripped the balloon open and landed himself in the hospital for a stay of three weeks. We had a second balloon ready the next day and the second man either could not or would not steer for he landed several miles away. The third man encountered motor trouble and we lost the third filling of gas. My troubles had just started but I believed we were getting along well as the fourth and fifth men made good. After several weeks of intensive training I felt that we were ready for the road.
One of the important points I repeated to these boys was to keep the ship within five hundred feet of the ground as the balloon was filled completely before starting a flight and at greater altitudes the gas would expand. At above five hundred feet the balloon was sure to rip open unless the pilot could release pressure.