the ship is slowly hauled down. When near the ground the
handling party seize the guys which are attached to the ship at
suitable points, other detachments also support the car or cars,
as the case may be, and the ship can then be taken into the shed.

In the case of large airships the size of the handling party has
to be increased and mechanical traction is also at times
employed.

As long as the airship is kept head to wind, handling on the
ground presents little difficulty; on many occasions, however,
unless the shed is revolving, as is the case on certain stations
in Germany, the wind will be found to be blowing across the
entrance to the shed. The ship will then have to be turned, and
during this operation, unless great discretion is used, serious
trouble may be experienced.

Many experiments have been and are still being conducted to
determine the best method of mooring airships in the open. These
will be described and discussed at some length in the chapter
devoted to the airship of the future.

During flight certain details require attention, and carelessness
on the pilot's part, even on the calmest of days, may lead to
disaster. The valves and especially the gas valves should be
continually tested, as on occasions they have been known to jam,
and the loss of gas has not been discovered until the ship had
become unduly heavy.

Pressure should be kept as constant as possible. Most airships