New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-05-29
Erstwhile Business Men
Work Hard at Guards
Hampstead Camp.
ONLY TWO MACHINES
IN WORKING ORDER
In Case of War Squad Will Form
Nucleus of Trained Volun-
teer Aviators.

For the first time In the history Of
the aviation signal corps of the Ma
tional Guard Of New York. the corps
is IN camp and is getting daily lessons
in flying at the Hampstead aviation
field.
Thirty-fve men-stock brokers, bank
ers and other business men-have since
Friday been sleeping under canvas and
arising TO the bugler's alarm at 4:3O
each morning. Captain Reynold C.
Boiling is In command.
The guardsmen begin their day with
pre-breakfast flights. Weather per-
hitting, they go up, one by one. with
an instructor, and learn to control the
great warbirds. There are a number
of men in the corps almost ready for
their pilots license. And in case OF
war there will be a nucleus at least
Of skilled volunteer aviators.
Drills Break Days Flights.
Flight throughout the day is broken
with drills and lectures, and the day
does not end until the bugle sounds
taps at o'clock. Upon its musical
heels tumble the welcome notes Of that
grand military eating song:
"soup-s soup-ec. soup-esn without q single bean
Pork pork &C. pork -. with not trlce o. lean
Cswfee oswfee-e cswfee-ee the meanest ever seen"
It is doubted if any body Of hiers,
erstwhile bankers, ever enjoyed meals
more.
Yesterday was the militiamen's most
active day. Thirty-two fights Of a
few minutes each were made in
the afternoon. Tex Millman and Over
ton Bowndes, professional instructors.
as well as Blaire Thsw (brother Of
Lie.fenant William Thaw, who was
slightly wounded Wednesday when he
brought down q German Fokker behind
the French battle lines), were kept
busy. Thaw. a private in the aviation
corps. is not yet twenty-one, but is an
experienced pilot and has received his
preliminary license papers. He will
is OF age
Only two machines of the guard
we're in working order yesterday. And
they. strangely enough, were in almost
ludicrous contrast. One was 2 swallow
like Curtis bipane, model R-2, beau
tiful craft The other was an anti
ouated Wright "pusher," resembling
nothing more so much as large straw
berry crate. on which squat two faith
full. chugging engines driving their
metal propellers at q mere 400 revo,
luNons per minute. It's greatest speed
is fifteen miles an hour.
Yet-an interesting sidelight on the
rapiditv with which the science OF avl-
alton has developed it was in Septem-
Der. 1909, that Wilbur Wright in
similar machine, startled the world by
circling the Statue Of Liberty On
account of its slowness and its open
construction the old "pusher" is re-
oarded as the best sort Of school
Skimming above the ancient Wright,
tho Cur+iss looked like q disdalnful
aerial greyhound. And the plodding
older craft seemed sort Of superan-
nuated air-setter'
GOTpS mas IOuI iohNSs
The aviation corps now has four
planes. and expects a new one this
week. This last was made by the
the Shinnecock Company, and strongly
resembles the Bleriot monoplanes.
Captain Boiling said the corps would
buv il if its tests were satisfactory
In addition 10 the old Wright, the
CORPS has a Thomas biplane equipped
with 90 h. D. Curtiss engine NOW IN the
throes of engine trouble); Curtiss
R-2. with a similar o H-2 Curuss en-
zine: the Sloane biplane in which De
Iloyd Thompson and Harold Blakeley
fell some three weeks ago; and Mill
man has his own Schmidt monoque,
and Bownds his Sloane trick looper
The crowd Of motorists who paused
Yesterday TO watch the swooplng war
birds. was thrilled when Bownds took
his Sloane up ZOO feet, pointed her nose
10 the ground, spiralled down Ike
lightning. then volplaned Just over the
heads Of the spectators for landing.
Tev Nillman skinned upward few
minutes later in his speedy slngie
pIane scout, but snapped a gas line
and had 10 make hasty LANDING ne
few this machine. incidentally, from
Sbeepshead Bay Speedway, where ne
had been taking part in the military
tournament, 20 Hampstead IN the
morning.
The guardsmen break camp Wednes-
dav, On August they once more
20 10 Hampstead for three weeks.
---