Pilot's Hands Above Head While Flying—What Made It Possible

[00:00:00]12,000 revolutions per min. That's how fast [music] the gyroscopes were spinning when a pilot took his hands off the controls [music] at 400 ft. At the Concorde de la Sécurité on airplane on [music] the Seine, Mr. Sperry, John, son of the gyroscopes [music] inventor, lifted a Curtiss flying boat to about 400 ft, then raised [music] both hands above his head.

[00:00:26]The machine kept flying.

[00:00:29]Not because of luck, a quadruple [music] gyroscope driven at 12,000 rpm was working the ailerons and elevator automatically.

[00:00:38]A wind vane on the engine struts held the speed and attitude steady. [music] Then the mechanic stood up and walked out along the lower plane. Hands-free pilot, >> [music] >> mechanic strolling the wing, 400 ft of air below them.

[00:00:54]>> [music] >> It happened again and again.

[00:00:57]A competition judge, Commandant [music] Torres, climbed aboard to confirm the pilot never once touched the controls.

[00:01:05]12,000 revolutions [music] every min, and for the first time a machine was flying itself.