Around the World Trip

Not only must a man know how his plane is made, what it will do, how it must be cared for; but also – to mention only a few of the rules that govern him – what the ceiling of his plane is, whether it will go high enough to clear any elevation on the route; what the gas capacity is, how far it will carry him; what points he can reach for refueling; how to navigate through a signless sky; where he will land for the night; where he can get emergency repairs; what weather conditions he may meet on his way; what equipment he should carry in case of a forced landing.  All of this he must know before he can win that freedom of a bird, before he can follow that straight line he has drawn on the map.