Unless the airman has some means of determining his position,
such as landmarks, he fails to realise the fact that he is
drifting, or, even if he becomes aware of this fact, it is by no
means a simple straightforward matter for him to make adequate
allowance for the factor. Side-drift is the aviator's greatest
enemy. It cannot be determined with any degree of accuracy. If
the compass were an infallible guide the airman would be able to
complete a given journey in dense fog just as easily as in clear
weather. It is the action of the cross currents and the
unconscious drift which render movement in the air during fog as
impracticable with safety as manoeuvring through the water under
similar conditions. More than one bold and skilful aviator has
essayed the crossing of the English Channel and, being overtaken
by fog, has failed to make the opposite coast. His compass has
given him the proper direction, but the side-drift has proved his
undoing, with the result that he has missed his objective.
The fickle character of the winds over the water, especially over
such expanses as the North Sea, constitutes another and seriously
adverse factor.
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