The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-07-08
F[|ER OBJECTS
 ID USING A BOAT Rather Fly Across English Channel Than to Go by
 Steamer

London, June 10.-(Special Correspond ence.) .)--When a flier gets used to it he would rather travel by aeroplane than by other more prosaic means. When an ordi- nary person, unused to flying, sees ma chine some thousands of feet in the air, sailing serenely along, he usually thinks that that's very nice for those who have to do it, but he would rather not be away up there himself But the fiers are not that way. They like it up in the heavens.
 The other day young flying lieutenant, with his little cooked hat the side of his head and his white wings on the breast of his tunic, walked into one of London's hotels and joined another flying officer. He was in very bad humor and he began to air his grievances. His ac- cent at once betrayed him as an Ameri- can, even if he does huIc the King s commission in the Royal Flying corps. To him his grievance was a just one.
 I've just come over from France" he said. And I came over by boat"
 This last with tense feeling, which showed how angry he was about it.
 -Four times in the last week have they sent me to France, each time flying over with a new machine. But they won't give you a machine to fly back in and you have to come back on the boat"
 Most people would believe that coming back by the old-fashioned boat would be safer than returning across the chan nel by air. This seemed particularly true when it developed that this fiier really mourned the abandonment by the Royal Flying corps of the custom of letting f1iers return to England in machines that were still able to fly but which were being sent back to England because no longer strong enough or good enough for use at the front. These are called "dud" machines.
 Although flying over the channel pre- sents more or less precarous prospects to the outsider, there really are certain advantages, as this aviator explained In the first place. crossing by military boat takes time. There is considerable wait ing to do at the French port from which the boat sails while the passport people investigate passengers. Then the cross- ing takes several hours. depending on the route followed, with more passport business on the English side. And, once back in England, there is a railway jour ney to follow. In the meantime, there is the danger of getting seasick and of getting sunk by a mine or submarine The air route is eminently superior There is no seasickness and the whole trip takes couple of hours. with the machine land ing at it's proper destination at the end.
 A curious story of the air comes from France. One day last week an aeroplane gided down to a British aerodrome. Those on watch saw it coming and were not sure of it's nationality. They watched it closely but it exhibited no other intent than to land safely. It was soon seen that it was a German Fokker. As soon as she came to earth British soldiers rushed to her and captured the pilot. He was an amazed German aviator. He had landed in what he thought was a German aero drome and expressed great surprise that it was British. He had evidently lost his way and picked the wrong landing place.