"Gone West"...

[River]

I was wondering how the phase of when an aviator passes away he's usually referred to as "Gone West".

 

In conduction some research into the origins of this phrase I came across this explanation, do you agree this may be close to the truth of this phase?

 

"I think we are all being blind-sided by our interest in WWI. But the use of the term “ go west” —meaning to die— is very much older than that period. Generally, it seems to be connected from the earliest parts of human history with the direction of the setting sun, symbolising the end of the day and so figuratively the end of one’s life. “Going west” has been used to refer to dying in English since at least the sixteenth century, though the idea is surely be very much older. The land of the setting sun was thought to be the abode of the dead for many cultures, for the sun was seen as "dying" each night, and being "reborn" each morning. It has been pointed out in some references that the idea goes back at least to Roman times where west and death were linked. In fact, the word "occident," meaning west, comes from the Latin *occidere* meaning to kill or to die. The Celts believed that the land of the dead was in the west. Avalon and other such abodes of the dead were called the Western Countries. To the Celts, nothing was out to the West but water and the end of the world, past that was found Paradise.

 

An interesting and almost WWI period reference to this question is found in the Masonic magazine, “The Builder”, (July 1918 Vol IV, #7). It is on the web at:

 

http://www.phoenixmasonry.org/the_builder_1918_july.htm

 

"GOING WEST"

 

It may surprise some of us to be told that "Going West" was a phrase well known to the old Egyptians, to the men of the Torres Straits, Fiji, Brazil and India. And they used the phrase with more definite conceptions than our soldiers do today.

 

The belief in an under-world, to which the souls of men journeyed, was common, of course, to the Hebrews, Greeks and Romana. Certain tribes as far apart as South Africa and Mexico had a similar belief. If such a place existed it was only natural that it should have an entrance. And speculation, of course, was rife as to where the entrance was. The Romans believed it to be in the Comitium. In Ireland there is an old legend, which tells how Sir Oswain and a monk, Gilbert, discovered the entrance in an island of Lough Derg, in Donegal.

 

These, however, were purely local, and there was the suggestion of an entrance obvious to all. The sun, it was thought, passed into the under-world at his setting and emerged from it at dawn. Obviously, then, the sunset was the real entrance to the spirit abodes.

 

A conception arose, therefore, in some races that it was essential to journey with the sun, and under his charge to pass the clashing gates that guarded the entrance to the land of spirits. Such was the "Going West" of primitive man in Australia, Polynesia, India and Brazil. Among the Aryan races such a picture did not, however, prevail--to the Romans, e. g., it was unknown.

 

Amid the more primitive peoples it did exist, and was by some extended to embrace the idea of two worlds. To the idea of the gloomy underworld was added that of islands of the blessed which lay in the sunset, and to which went only the virtuous and the brave. The underworld was for bad men only. The nether world thus assumed a gloomier aspect. But the islands of the blessed were happy and fruitful abodes of joy and peace.

 

Ah, the beauties of a bit of historical education!! Doc

 

__________________

 

 

[pmccarthy]

I have a wonderful book titled "new words self-defined" published during World War One. It gives each new word in a context, usually from a newspaper report, that makes the meaning clear. For example you can infer what "Archie" is but it doesn't explain how the word came to be used.

 

I am interested in how the pilot came to sit on the left. Originally pilots of single sweaters could look either way with equal ease, but the direction of rotation of early engines must have made a left turn after takeoff slightly easier, so that became an established pattern that was "locked in" once side by side seating was adopted. What do you reckon?

 

 

[dodo]

I am interested in how the pilot came to sit on the left. Originally pilots of single sweaters could look either way with equal ease, but the direction of rotation of early engines must have made a left turn after takeoff slightly easier, so that became an established pattern that was "locked in" once side by side seating was adopted. What do you reckon?

I suspect it was because the driver of a vehicle (horse or internal combustion) sat on the left in France. The two overwhelming influences on the development of conventions and rules in early aviation were France and yacht sailing.

 

..and why do the French drive on the right (therefore driver on the left)? One theory is that it was a Revolutionary practice, introduced so a horseman had to pull aside for a pedestrian (holding the reins in the right hand made it natural to pull over to the right to give way), instead of the pedestrian having to dodge the arrogant horseman of the ancien regime!

 

dodo

 

 

[Guernsey]

It seems as though we are 'left right ' back where we started. .

 

Alan.

 

 

[River]

Ohhhhh How I hate software that overrides one's written text with what "it" thinks is what you meant to mean and you don't know it has occurred until after you have sent the item...

 

 

[DWF]

Here are my completely un-researched, off the top of the head, theories:

 

As most of the early aviators were military men from the cavalry they were used to mounting from the near side or left side of the animal or wagon and so "mounted" and flew their aircraft from the left hand side.

 

Also, the Americans, who made many of the early aircraft had 'left hand drive'.

 

(The Brits tried for a while to keep their Captains in the centre - eg DH84.)

 

As dodo said, the French also used 'left hand drive' (although I am not sure the reason he stated is correct).

 

That should muddy the historical waters a bit.....

 

DWF

 

 

[facthunter]

What has left hand drive got to do with gone west? The term predates all of that, but was probably resurrected in the war(s) where people wounded or killed were shipped back behind the lines which was generally west . Not so for the Russians of course.. Most manouvering of aircraft is better done from the left hand side , Circuit direction (preferred LH) passing and head on ( by turning right your ability to see is preserved). Nev

 

 

[pmccarthy]

Aeroplanes with clockwise propellors turn left naturally. The basic evasion manoeuvre in a Spitfire is stick to front left and rudder hard left, because that's where the plane wanted to go all along. So maybe the left hand circuit is a natural. Or not, but I'd like to know.

 

 

[dodo]

The Gnome and Le Rhone rotaries spun counter clockwise, I believe (from looking at stationary props in pictures). I don't know about the Anzani or other early engines.

 

dodo

 

 

[facthunter]

The Rotaries exhibit large amounts of gyroscopic precession force due to the large rotating mass of engine and propeller. That, rather than prop slipstream or torque cause the most control difficulties with things like a Sopwith Camel which caused low hours students a problem. Once they were used to them they could be used to advantage for evasive manoeuvering. Nev

 

 

[dodo]

The Rotaries exhibit large amounts of gyroscopic precession force due to the large rotating mass of engine and propeller. That, rather than prop slipstream or torque cause the most control difficulties with things like a Sopwith Camel which caused low hours students a problem. Once they were used to them they could be used to advantage for evasive manoeuvering. Nev

So with anti-clockwise rotation, you got a very quick and dangerous right hand turn (with a nose drop), and a very slow left hand turn. However, I suspect air rules were made during the period 1909-1915, well before the Camel of 1917.

Why 1909-15? Little flying actually occurred, especially multiple aircraft in a circuit or equivalent until about 1909. Before that it was pretty much test hops and demonstrations. Only the Wrights had demonstrated sustained flying about 1905, and publicly rather later (1908 in France). I think the first licences/certificates were issued about 1910. By 1913, things were fairly organised, but the war would have required standardisation of procedures, especially as the Allies had to work together, so couldn't effectively have greatly different rules. And armed forces require standardisation of approach and process, so the expansion of flying training would have required rules by about 1915, if not earlier.

 

And left hand? Either following sailing rules, or possibly French road rules. Given two seat aircraft were inevitably later than single seat, and tandem seating was favoured as son as aircraft started to reach speeds where drag became a serious issue, the left or right question probably became relevant quite late...I think it might be time to look through the early issues of "Flight" magazine to see what I can find!

 

dodo

 

 

[facthunter]

I think air and sailing rules would have been similar. No reason not to.. They did training in Bristol Boxkites whenever that was. nev