Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-06-29
AMERICANS WELL
TREATED IN WAR
AviatOrs From United States With
French Army Shown Most
Courteous Hospitality.
HAVE SAME FIGHT FOR HONORS
Yankee Flyers However Are Not Ia
vored by Officers and Must Work
for Recognition.


Correspondence of the Associated
Press American aviators in the ser
vice of France, now stationed here,
are subject to the same discipline as
the French soldier and the same pro-
motions and recompenses are open to
them, while their duties are in every
way as onerous and hazardous. The
only difference in their treatment is
an obvious Difference that originates IN
French corteous hospitality. They are
at home everywhere.
When they are in Paris they have
comfortable accommodations at 10
Avenue des Champs Elysees, the head
quarters of the Franco-American fly
ing fiotilla, and are entertained by
friends as much as they can stand.
When they were training at Pau they
, were housed like good paying tourists
and Toasted as much as was good for
them. In their new training camp at
Avord, near Bourges, there is more
business than Teasing, but they are
quite content with the bungalow lie
such as appeals to adventurous spirits.
| Here in the field, at point that must
remain anonymous, they have post OF
| honor: that is to say, post where
dangers are thick-but where, between
/ flights, they enjoy the comforts Of
| home with the luxury of hot spring
| baths to which the cohorts of Caesar
gave the first publicity.
| Little advantages of this sort that
the Americans enjoy are typical of the
present feeling of cordially toward the
| United States in France. Their admls-
| sion to the flying corps was itself an
exception. France has no need of for
| eign aviators and the first offers from
! abroad were refused. Americans are
accepted, therefore, purely as a cour-
teOus exception to the rule, taking the
places of just so many disappointed
French applicants.
| Another important discrimination in
| favor of the American volunteer is
that, if he is found inapt for service
| in the flying corps, his enlistment is
cancelled.
The waiting period for the American
volunteer is not long, for he is an apt
pupil and gets through the eight diff
| ferent classes of instruction in a
months time
He begins training on a 25 horse
power machine with shortened wings
and which cannot rise from the
| ground; he learns the use of the motor.
control of the levers, etc, as one learns
to drive motor car. Then he passes
to 80 horsepower machine before try
ing a straightaway flight in a machine
that is just able to lift itself from the
earth. Next the pupil begins more Sc
rious work with straight flights in a
! high-power siX-cylinder machine thai
can rise a hundred feet. Then come
circular fights around the aerodrOme
! itself.
The pupils begins to take greater
heights and enlarges his circuits on a
so horsepower machine, in the sixth
! class, and in the seventh he takes
cross-country flights with an so horse
power motor and at a height of 800
yards.
The eighth class is really what may
be called the pupils graduating exam
/ nation. An hours flight at 1000 yards,
a cross-country triangular fight with
two landings at different points, re-
turning to the aerodrome within AS
hours; then three direct flights to diff
ferent points and return.
1t is only at the front. in actual war
fare, however, that the airman can give
the finishing touches to his prepara-
ton and show whether he is equal to
the supreme test. Here the flights may
be pre-arranged but cannot always be
carried out according to schedule. The
pilot must be ready to meet the uneX-
pected and accomplish tasks with
known and unknown dangers always
awaiting him, and here is where the
American ready initiative and cool
headedneSS come out strong.
None of the Americans has account
ed for as many adverSaries as CarrOs
Gilbert, Pegoud, Guynemer or Navarro
but their services are none the less
appreciable. Their recompenses and
citations in the orders of the day are
not for spectacular performances but
for courage" Goodness" "audacity, -
presence Of mind" and generally "ex-
cellent qualities as pilots" and efficient
regular work in bombarding expedi-
tons.
Lieutenant William Thaw of Pitts
burgh earned his stripes by particular
ly good observation work, while the
efficiency of Elliott Cowdin of New
York has been shown in bpmbarding
expeditions in the course of which he
has accounted for two German ma
chimes, earning two citations in the
orders Of the army and two palms on
the ribbon of his war cross.
Sergeant Norman Prince, OF Prides
Crossing, Mass, also earned a citation
for carrying out bOmbarding missions
with stubborn disregard for German
shrapnel. Corporal Victor Chapman
Of New York, Corporal ]. NJ. McCon-
nell of Carthage, n. c., and Sergeant
Hall of Galveston, Texas, have seen
less service and had less action, but
have shown their skill as pilots.
Corporal Kitten Rockwell of Atlanta,
Ca, was up in the hurricane that car
ried away 20 French captive balloons,
and with machine that is cranky
enough in quiet weather. One gust
turned him completely around.
Mcconnell and Chapman came very
ceverly out of heavy fire by German
anti-aircraft guns. Shells burst all
around Mcconnell at a high altitude;
and Chapman, separated from the rest
OF the fiotilla, with his gasoline al
most exhausted managed to get back
to camp with a machine on which it is
dangerous to lose speed-and conse-
quently serious to get out of fuel
"One of the best proofs of the Amer
leans good flying" said Captain H