/uterview with A.C. Grahame-White.
Tmoy as well say at once," seid Mr. Grahame-White, "that it coste rather more money to fly than a great many 0 people apparently imagine. Apyway a namber of persons have come to m ander the become accom for twenty or thirty pounds.
8.0 matter of fact, many hundreds pounds to leora to fly, bat do not lot intending men be frightened at this statement They could leora the whole art of aviation say, roughly speaking, for about a hundred and fifty or two hundred pounds, and if a papil afer vis tuition became a nalified airman that is if bY obtained his pilot's certificate from the Acre Club in this country or France, as he ought to be able to do, be would Lo in the position to recover the cost of his iostenetion very quickly by giving exhibition fights However, that is a matter I shall deal with later.
"Tam often asked, by the way, how many lessons are necessary before a papi! can venture tu soar on his own account. No definite answer can be given to this question. I have heard jof men learning to fly in one lesson, UN and I know men who cannot fly after twenty; I taught a man some ago who wade so excellent circula mile after six lessons. A great deal Aepends on the disposition of the pupil. A nervous, timid sort of person will ostorally take longer to learn than ventazesome individasl. Per-anally I sever undertake to teach anyone how to fly ins given nombepof lessons, I simply say, 'IT you want to learn how to fly I shall teach you, bat whether it [will take a week or an month or ix months to do I cannot NBTHODS OF TEACHING, "Airmen have different methods of teaching. My first step in the education of an airman is to take him for a Gight on the back of the machine, I might do this three or four times with some pupils. Daring these initial fights I demonstrate how the seroplano worked and controlled, and the manner of using the various re, I never begin teaching with gliders, "Then I take him la front of the machine and let bim drive under my gaidence, aod then come lessons in starting and coming to the ground.
"The average pupil, so far as my experience goes, shows a great deal of reluctance about making the machine rise in the air when starting it; most of them keep it ranning along the ground {or too long a distance altogether, bad" pupil some time ago who would drive the aeroplane op and down the flying ground at Park Royal noder the impression apparently that it was a new sort of motor car. It was not that be was nervous, at all events be did not exhibit the least signs of timidity when I started the machine, bat be had an alaest uncongnerable dislike to starting it upward himeelf, However, L persuaded him to do so at last and after that I never bad the least difficulty with bim on this point, 'THE LeaRwen's ovrLay, "Now to refer for © moment again to the cost of learning how to fy. In addition to the taition fers which may 10, and thie would in-on monoplanes and biplanes, the papil may have to pay for dame go which be may canee to a ma. chine, The usual custom for the papil to deposit £50 for possible damages, if none are incurred through his fault the money is of course refunded when the lessons are fi: ished.
thiok he should reckon on pay say £20 for damages, "Then there is the cost of insurance against third perty risk. There is always the off cha ove that a partly qualify-d flier may damage some one on terra fi ma whea bringing the machine to the ground, and this is a risk which must be iasnred against," The insurance premium would amount to £24 per Then there are travelling and a few other incid-n'al expenses which would bring she learner's outlay certainly up much then for the erst of learaing how to fi. Now for the coat of ying, and I take it that " person who ginal
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.