The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1917-01-24

1t was not so long ago that ten
mile breeze would upset all flying
plans for day; now nothing short of
hurricane can deter the intrepid
aviators of the Allies. They laugh
at gale and can almost take a nap
while comfortably riding a thirty
mile wind. Then real enemy elements
are low clouds and ground mists.
They have little relation to personal
safety, but they interfere very seri-
ously with wide range of useful
work.
After a few more earnest remarks
on the monotony of patrol work in
smooth air-which he likened to
driving a truck along cement road
in a desert-the subaltern climbed
into the "cabin" of his machine. 1t
was a wasp-like creature, with the
imprisoned power of hundred
horses throbbing in its wonderful
engine.
It's guns were attached unobtrus-
lively to the frame work, and synch-
ronized where necessary to shoot
through the blades of the fast whirl-
ing propeller in front.
The "cabin" of modern ailplane
suggests the pilot house of palatial
yacht in miniature. Everything is
finished in hardwood and there are
polished nickel instruments to indi-
cate speed, height, angle and every
thing an airman ought to know.
! There are ingenious sights for the
! guns and range finders for bomb
dropping, and a little device to tell
that the bombs have been properly
released in turn and are hurting on
their way to the objective selected
for attack.
When he is tucked away only the
! pilots head is visible above the free
board. Directly in front of him is
tiny little half moon of windshield.
''You can lower that in summer
time and get more air." grinned the
subaltern.
Warm In Winter.
"Oh,T he replied, chat all de-
ponds upon the machine. This little
scout, for instance, with the engine
in front of you is as warm as toast
even when you are fifteen thousand
feet up and the mercury has long
dropped below zero. You get al the
warmth Of the exhaust and can stay
up indefinitely. The plane with the
propelled and engine in front is a
tractor. The 'pusher' has engine and
propeller in the rear. In one of those
you get the full effect of the cold and
you just naturally freeze, that's ALL"
A Joystick, That's All.
The control of the fighting airplane
, has been reduced to the simplicity of
; a single lever, known in the profess
; sion as the "joystick." By moving
this stick few inches one way or
another and with occasional foot
presume on the rudders one can
climb, dive, loop, side-slip, fall a
couple of thousand feet and fatten
! out "as right as rain" You always
have one hand free for the machine
, gun and if necessary you can let the
II ioystick look out for itself for min
! utes at a time and use both hands
! for fighting. Or if the trip is q long
one you can let her float while you
, eat luncheon. An air menu general
/ " consists of an apple or banana
milk chocolate and biscuits, with hot
: tea or coffee from a vacuum bottle.
E Appropriate Insignia.
!. Airmen have queer sense of tho
d Inappropriate in insignia. For instance
/ the squadron to which this waspike
4 plant as its distinguishing mark
and each plane has an elephant
painted on either side of the 'pilo'
T house"-as if anything could be less
e suggestive of flying than a pachy
e derm. Another squadron has adopted
!. the hippopotamus.