Airships past and present, together with chapters on the use of balloons in connection with meteorology, photography and the carrier pigeon . of the wind are very frequent. In the northernhemisphere, the wind usually veers in the direction of the handsof a clock; in the southern hemisphere, the reverse is thecase. Generally speaking, the length of a journey is a matter ofaccident; without the necessary wind, it is impossible for thegreatest dexterity to be of any use. Skill can be shown, ifseveral balloons ascend at the same moment and it is a questionas to who can remain in the air for the lo
Airships past and present, together with chapters on the use of balloons in connection with meteorology, photography and the carrier pigeon . of the wind are very frequent. In the northernhemisphere, the wind usually veers in the direction of the handsof a clock; in the southern hemisphere, the reverse is thecase. Generally speaking, the length of a journey is a matter ofaccident; without the necessary wind, it is impossible for thegreatest dexterity to be of any use. Skill can be shown, ifseveral balloons ascend at the same moment and it is a questionas to who can remain in the air for the longest time, in whichcase it is necessary to be as sparing with the use of ballast aspossible. Handicaps can be arranged by adjusting the amount BALLOONING AS A SPOKT. 201 of ballast to the size of the balloon, and allowances can also bemade for the kind of gas with which the several balloons arefilled, though generally the gas would be the same in all have been drawn up by the Federation AeronautiqueInternationale, governing the conditions of competitions, andthese have received the approval of all the clubs represented at. Fig. 125.—A bank of clouds. the conference. The first race for the Gordon-Bennet prize tookplace on September 30th, 1906, and was won by LieutenantLahm, an American competitor. A second competition was heldat Berlin on October 14th, and was won by Dr. Brockelmann. Theoretically we know that a large balloon loses more gasthan a small one ; all balloons do not, therefore, require thesame amount of ballast, which must be distributed somewhat inproportion to their sizes. A big balloon is not so easily managedas a smaller one; as it descends it gets up a greater speed, and 202 AIESHIPS PAST AND PRESENT. therefore more ballast must be thrown out to neutralise is often said that the main thing which requires skill is tofind a level at which there is a stiff breeze. But this a counselof perfection. If the driver sees from the flight of the clou
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