The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-12

HE FLIES! HE FLIES!! HE FLIES Who flies?
 Why, MT. Charles K. Hamilton, and
 everybody felt like giving three big
 cheers-HOO-RAY! HOO-RAY!! HOO-
 RAY!!!--as he disappeared in the gray,
 misty clouds overhead yesterday morn ing.
 | It was just before the morning flight
 that l had chance to talk with MT.
 Hamilton out at the Fair grounds. | Standing underneath the shed which houses the graceful Curtiss biplane (the hangar, aviatingly speaking), was like | just before ones best friends horse starts out to win a race. The family--consisting of MT. Ham, ilton and his clever mechanic, MT. Wise stood around, MT. Wise batting the
 trim little machine like it was Q
 naughty child, while MT. Hamilton eX-
 pressed himself on the subject of ayia- tion In no uncertain terms. Attired in helmet and inpenetrable armor. the world famous Aviator was
 just ready for the ascent, when l swooped down upon him, and all but got perfectly good invitation to &C., company him on his aerial trip. It is all mistake to think that when you go interviewing an aviator that you first have to buy one of those modern aeronautical dictionaries and arm your self to the teeth with their new fangled air words, blaming terms and figure
 eight phrases
 At least, it's not the case with MT.
 Hamilton who is most affable and cor
 dial.
 All the time he's mot nauting," or
 "naut notting" he's standing about just as docile as lamb, letting people
 ask him questions and replying to them in plain-not "plane"-language and telling you that he Just "nauts" or "aviates' or whatever 1t is because he
 thinks it is good. sensible, delightful sport and not because it's fad or a
 short cut to notoriety. "There's a whoop- la thrill to it that
 makes everything else in life seem d hundred miles behind the clock and fiat, stale and unprohtable, said MT.
 Hamilton as he made ready for the flight.
 ~ "All of which is true" I said, "and it may be thrilling to fly and all that, but somehow I think Kipling knew what he was talking about when he spoke of the 1onelines of wings Don't you?" l suggested.
 There is in sense, a certain loneli- ness" said Mr. Hamilton, when you are thousands of feet above the earth, hut thara is sopeth hipo an iptarastip o-
 about 1t that one can't be lonely long.
 For instance, the other day I took q man up. in the machine with me--he,s s a sort of daffy about the ,air--and just as we got started a funny incident oc-
 cured that kept me laughing all dur ing the flight As we started and got up few hundred feet in the air, the
 man suddenly said: Stop! I've lost some thng!"
 What is it?'' I asked "My collar button. There 1t is,' said he, looking down. I see it glis- tening in the sunlight.
 "'You're crazy said I. looking insthe direction he indicated. That's not your
 collar button. That's Pratt City," T should think things of that sort
 would distract your attention and
 make you sort of dizzy-maybe fall
 out" ventured.
 "Oh, you get used to things" said
 MT. Hamilton laughingly.
 "A woman wouldn't" I suggested
 .>erhaps that's why they don't mak e
 as good aviators as men"
 "But they do.' MT. Hamilton prompt ly defended. "Personally. I don't think 1t is a profession for women. It isn't in their line-someho You mean they haven't the nerve" I quickly interrupted, that men have" Not at all,' said MT. Hamilton.
 'They have more, nerve than men. Nine women out of ten would make flights | if the crowds jeered them, where one tman would. They wouldn't realize the
 danger and besides they would want to make good"
 "Why is it that so many aviators are
 killed; is it carelessness, or what?" l asked.
 "Anybody who wants to can drive an
 aeroplane,' said MT. Hamilton. its like driving an automobile-only more
 so. There's a certain instinctive tal-
 ent for it. You've got to have knack
 at it, but really 1t. isn't half as hard as
 people think 1t is.'
 MT. Grahame- White is quoted as saying that it all depends upon the teacher" I suggested.
 More depends upon the temperament of the individual, said MT. Hamilton. "Of course, good teachers are neces- sary and the countries all over the
 world are realizing this-France, Ger
 many. Italy, Russia-all are establish ing schools of aviation, knowing it's value to the government and 1t is a sig nificant fact that when this sort of step Is taken a thing has come to stay. The aeroplane is a fixture" And that's why the automobiles all and $f.SoSulky and sullen as they stand cial bills sE~Fair grounds daily, watch ican dollars. sts?" I said as Mr. Ham. steady. Railroad ,a the machine. They