The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1917-12-25

the motor Although every air squad
ron has its meezanicians who ordinarily
keep the machines in condition, 1t is
quite necessary that the flyer under
stand them also. in case of emergency.
| The cadets, therefore, spend days tax
| ing motors apart and putting them to-
gether Five types of motors were pc
| ing studied-two French rotary engines,
Clerget and Monosoupe; two English,
the r. A. F., made by the Royal Air
craft factory, and the B. II. p, and the
American engine, the Curtiss. In the
room of aerial gunnery the men were
similarly undergoing a complete educa-
ton in the machine gun, working with
the Lewis gun and the English, the
Vickers.
In another room different types of
bombs were on display for inspection
and study; a seven-pound petrol bomb,
an incendiary bomb weighing 10 pounds,
with a tail fuse; a Cooper bomb OF ~
pounds, and cast steel bomb weighing
liz pounds. bomb sight was there aiso'
through which, on the side of his ma
chine the flyer can sight the bomb be-
fore releasing it from the rack in which
1t is carried. Here the men get prac-
tice in bomb dropping. In the center of
the room is Curtiss machine, fitted
with miniature bomb sight and bomb no
longer than a finger with point like
d
square of canvas painted to represent
the landscape of a certain section OF
country as it looks from the height OF
several thousand feet. This canvas is
mounted on rollers so it can be quickly
and easily moved. The cadet climbs
into the machine, picks target point
on the map, 20. k" they call it, and
while the landscape is being moved rap
idly back and forth to give the same
effect as if he were flying, sights the
bomb and drops it. In this way he gets
practice in accuracy of sighting and
dropping bombs
In the rigging flight lecture was
being given on the construction of the
airplane. A complete skeleton of its
wooden parts was in the center of the
room The instructor officer named and
described each part in DETAIL, while the
students seated around in a circle were
busily jotting down all this information
in their note books. Several other strip
ped machines were around, which, I was
told had been wrecked in flight and
brought here for practice repair work.
Some men were working on the wooden
frame, some on the cable rigging, and
others repairing the plane covering,
which is made of heavy Belfast linen.
WORK ON MINIATURE RANGE
Perhaps the most interesting work
of all was being done at the miniature
range in the class Of artillery observa-
ton. Here the cadet is given prelim-
mary instruction in artillery "spotting,"
which is one of the most useful services
rendered by the airplane. On huge
table Is an immense picture map of
section of Belgium. 1t shows the town
of Dickebusch and all the surrounding
country, including every farmhouse,
barn, country road, open field, river and
pond. In a gallery about 10 feet above
this map the future aviators are seated.
They are supposed to be in airplanes
5000 feet in the air. The scale of the
map is so graduated that, as they look
down upon it, the terrain appears ex-
actly as it would look were these men
actually flying in the air at that height
Their business is to locate exploding
shells and wireless back to their own
batteries the accuracies or inaccuracies
of the aim. And shells are actually ex-
ploding all the time on the miniature
sketch of Belgian territory below them
no real Shells perhaps but representa-
lions that convey a complete Illusion.
Under the map, which is of paper and
therefore, transparent to light, are To-
Gated hundreds of little electric light
bulbs. The instructor by turning the
approprite button can light his select
ed bulb, the little flash appearing on
the map giving a complete representa-
ton of an exploding shell. The cadet
in the gallery selects the German bat
terry which his own men are attempting
to destroy. The instrucing officer
touches off his imitation shells in close
proximity to this battery-these are
supposed to represent their attempt
to reach the mark. AS soon as the shell
explodes, a tapping is heard up in
the gallery; the student is wirelessing
to his battery. telling them how far
they have come from hitting their OBJ
ject
The wireless message may take the
cryptic form of 80 o'clock and 200
yards" This may puzzle most people,
but it is the o'clock code" used to To-
cate precisely the spot where the shell