The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-08-08
Observation Aviators Must Have
Keen Eye for Detail.
of Machine Guns, Te-
legraphy, Camera, Requisites.
U. S. FOR men and MACHINES
Greatest Reservoir in World,
Says Aero Director.
Allies Sacrificed Best Airman
Material in Trenches.
BY w. S. FORREST.

Paris. Aug. AS.-sWork to be done DIV
American aviators which may mean
success or failure of artillery ana IN
fantry was described by Lieut.. Raoaa
Lufberry. premier fighter OF the La
fay tie escadrille, today, as he out
lined to the United Press further quail
ifications the cream of American
youth" must have to carry the United
States to success in the air.
Men working in machines carrying
many of the qualities of the chasers
described in a previous interview,
said Lufberry. "They can weigh 200
pounds, but success depends less on
perfect physique for this type of air
man, than on perfect nerves.
- Tho constantly under fire the air
man must develop a painstaking eye
for detail He must have persistence
and an enormous sense of self-disci-
pline.
Observations Must Be Accurate.
Observations made from his ma
chine may mean success or failure in
his artillery or infantry.
His nerves must hold him steadily
to his task regardless of the guns that
will be trying to bring him down.
1.-THE observers carried in such ma
chimes are generally young artillery
officers who have mastered the han
ding of machine guns, -ireless tele-
RrapnY, ana even puOlOSIdphy
1.-The pilots of these slower, heavier
machines can be men lacking in the
qualities of eye and temperament nee
essary to the faster game.
1.-THE third general type of aviator
j the bombardier. He must be ca
machine guns and small cannon. and
be proficient in the extremely compli-
Gated art of aerial warfare.
On Battle Plane.
ssIn this there are three principal
factors. He must be able to gauge his
own and his enemy's speed, and the
velocity of the wind.
ut is frequently necessary to aim
100 feet IN front of an enemy machine
to make a hit.
"AlI on board a battle plane de-
ponds upon the bombardier's eye, his
GOODNESS and his ability to shoot. If
he becomes ratified all is lost. For ex-
ample a German gunner recently lost
his nerve and hid in the body of the
machine. The pilot became ratified,
gave up and landed inside the French
lines
U. S. Can Meet Demands.
Washington. Aug. S.-America is
ready to meet the precise aviation de-
mands outlined in statements by
Lieut.. Raoul Lufberry to the United
Press in France. Howard Coffin,
chairman of the government aircraft
production board, today, after reading
Lufberry's comment, declared this
country will furnish both the men and
machines desired.
zone great point of advantage
which must be borne in mind is that
America is an almost inexhaustible
reservoir for this particular type of
men needed in the air service" COT
lin said today. During the first year
and half of the war all allied coun-
tries and to a great extent even enemy
countries were stripped of this type
of men because of losses sustained in
land fighting. These were men who
were first to enlist at the outbreak of
the war. The value of the air service
had not then been demonstrated or
appreciated and a vast quantity of hu-
man material which should have been
reserved for air service, was sacrificed
in trenches So, we must remember,
in considering the strategic advantage
of the United States that this country
Is today the greatest reservoir of the
world, not only for the material from
which to manufacture aeroplanes but
of the men of the particular quality
to man them "