The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1917-09-08
Nv HAYWOOD RRoUN
(Accredited to the Pershing Army IN
France for the New York Tribune and
The Wheeling Intelligencer.)

AMERICAN f PEDITIo \ J
ARMY, Sept. 3.-The boys who. VII
FIRE at the sights of their eyes" are
training in France. \ beginning, and
large beginning. has been made by the
American aerial forces which hope 10
! keep the Germans CROPPING on the
ground.
Our aviators are learning the tricks or
! tho trade at many schools. One or me
biggest French flying schools IS now uh-
! der American auspices ana WORK i'l'
! also been hcgun upon an American AVA
| tion field which will he the largest train
| ing camp for aviators In the worlu.
| Much time must clapse before II can
! reach it's maximum capacity, Dul pelore
| III. snow flies there will be accommoda ,
| tions for thousands Of American acrloI
students.
\ SPUR railroad has been laid out to
! the cann by American engineers anu
! some Of the barracks are already con-
Structed.
The day Of the young aviator at the
! French field where many Americans are
| ira aiming begins al u. III. He starts
| with little coffee as TN cye-opencr and
Is out at the lying field by .. II the
weather permits he flies Until ii ana
| then knocks off for n midday meal He
is permitted then TO sleep until I. when
he again EucS out TO the field and flies
until $40 In the evening. The rest OF
the day is all his own.
Almost all his time is concerned with
the track of landing. Flying is no great
trouble. AS the students say. 1T isn't
the falling that hurts: It's the stopping.
OF course. they do fall and an accident
to IN aeroplanc is usually a decisive af-
fair. \ her Is killed or he isn't hurt
much. However. the casualties at most
schools have been moderate so far. One
French school has Americans who have
been training for four months and NOT
has thprp bccD fatality
y student who falls Is not ccnSurcd.
but If hr can drag one leg after another
he is sent up again just ms soon AS the
next machine can he hauled out Of its
time to brood over his mlshap. tina I
complete confidence which is essential TO
an aviator will be lost.
From three To four months Is ncces-
sary to train mn aviator in one Of these
preliminary schools. His final exaininn-
ton is u triangular flight of about 30
n Hes with three landings. Before he Is
eligible for service on the firing line he
must go TO specialist school. where lie
will be instructed In ncrobatics or
unless he Is skilled in spiral. serpentIne
end hnirpin turns and he must also
learn the daring trick of the half loon,
which sends the earth lurching by his
eyes like Pianet on spree. He must
be able to lose altitude by allowing the
feet and then again regain control. SIM
gulnrly enough. the ,avia tors all say
that stunts nre easy. \ few weeks Suf-
nee for the tricks if the pupil has a
good ground work.
OF course there is much that cannot
be taught in the schools No fier is an
expert aerial fighter unless he has spent
some time observing scrimmagcs ut the
front The French say that eight
months is required TO train nrst-cass
lighting f1icr.
The school which is under American
auspices differs somewhat from the
French The pupil begins at once on the
machine which is ono Of the slower hi
planes. The American curriculum also
includes, great deal of theory to
which the French pay scant attention.
Half Of the Americans training for the
air are from the navy and the rest arc
army men. Practically all are collie &c
mon. One of the licutenants was the
captain Of recent Yale crew and is the
son Of former New York mavor, 4
famous Yale end is among the students
and two baseball stars from Harvard
In fact. II dying did not cut into their
time so much q crackcrjack nine. eight
or eleven could he formed
instructors Mt the school include
French and Americans. but all the
mocha nicians and hangar workers. arc
French. Annomitcs from French Indo-
China take care Of some OF tho SIMMER
repairs and tho stitching and nost winr
repairs arc done by women When the
huge American training field is finished
II is planned 10 have an entirely Ameri-
can stan; For that purpose American
as American fliers. Some Americans In
the schools arc members Of the French
army. but it Is believed all will be taken
over.