Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-06-10
BEARS CHARMED LIFE.

Why yes of course. pilot never leaves
his machine. YOU know Naval etiquette J.
BEARS CHARMED LIFE.
The flight lieutenant really bears a
charmed life. The night following the mar,
rative, ! saw two Zeppelins flying toward
the coast i'm the clear moonlight, ana tne
| squadron of British seaplanes, ike i,ttIe
| gray seagulls flew straight TO head them
| off. In vain the big airships bombed the
little ones. The seaplanes held their own,
and, diving, circing and fluttering, spat
little balls Of fire at the big machines The
anti-aircraft guns on land, too, doomed
increasingly, and finally the Zeppellns
turned and fed
ut was only a little 'strafe,'" said the
flight lieutenant cheerily, after the minia-
ture battle in the sky was over, II honest
" love being summoned in the night like
that, even when I've been drifting all the
previous night on the waves. It's great
to feel that cold air whizzing past at the
rate of 100 miles an hour. IT'S great to
dodge the shells. It's great to feel you're
doing your bit in guarding all the women
and Riddles that are-or ought to be
peacefully asleep"
There's only one thing that I hate, and
thats called slipping" he continued. You
never know when il may happen. Perhaps
the machinery gets a little out of gear, or
something's wrong with the controls. or
S''i iNb ilsS III u CTuCldl luII OF
you get hit-and you suddenly drop 'whiz'
through thousands of feet of atmosphere
before you can say Jack Robinson You
only realize you're falling through one fact
the air hits you such blow on the side of
the head that you're almost stunned
About week ago slipped 5000 feet be-
fore / got her righted. Twas an awful
feeling I was stone deaf for three solid
days afterward and couldn't hear n sound.
Too rapid change in the air pressure they
tell me. When you've been flying very high
and come down you must always hold your
nose tightly and blow very hard so that the
ear drums will be blown out. It's danger
Gus not to do this from the hearing point
of view. You're liable to be deaf for ages If
you don't But when you slip, you've no
time for these little precautionary stunts"
DIRECTED U-BoAT's CAPTURE
The flight lieutenant has recently been
"honorably mentioned" at the Admiralty
for causing the capture of German sub
marine. He saw the little craft Immediately
below him while he was soaring sky-high in
his gray seaplane. With lightning rapidity
he dashed down. The submarine dived be-
meath the sea. The flight lieutenant dropped
a couple of bombs, and the sudden explosion
was so great that II almost jerked him from
his machine, But he pulled himself to-
gether sufficiently to send repeated wireless
with full directions as to the loca-
ton of the submarine. 1t was soon cap
tured.
OF all wartime professions, flying Is the
nne that surely demands the greatest skill
and endurance. The constant thunder of
he machinery is nerve-racking. So are
The breathless duels In the clouds, the sud-
len slips, the constant Watching.
But" says the cheerful flight lieutenant,
please remember that no other branch of
he service Is quite so exhilarating-and
We who fly are always sorry when our
luty's over and, literally and metaphor
cally, we have to come to earth again"