Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-11-07

Sleu up III the Trials.
get in the coop before this war is
over for not showing proper respect
to officers it will be strange indeed
l guess, though. they make allowance
for we aviators. as we are all con-
sidered crazy, anyhow. Another thing
it's queer. fact that the biggest
freaks make the best aviators.
nave seen it happen time and time
again. That being the case, looks
as II my chances are pretty fair, for
you know some people think me
funny looking
We made the mans life miserable
IN charge of that place by our in
slstence that the weather was all
f-Sht for flying, which probably con-
hfmed their impression that we were
crazy, because 1t sure was blowing q
gale. We were kept there for three
days when they put us awing again
1t was one OF those. raw chilly morn
ings that one gets up at home to
go for chestnuts when YOU hate to
leave the fire. Donald knows the
I.
no fire; our only way of warming up
was to walk to the field, four miles
away. One would not imagine III,
town so far away from the field from
an alrplane, but when you walk it
you know how fast an airplane goes.
1t sure was cold and flying ulo0w a.
LOCO meters did not help matters
much in the way of warmth About
SEQ meters below me fioated little
white heecy clouds. which reminded
me of chiffon. so light, transparcu.
end fleecy were they. And there |
was. floating aloft like a king-and
feeling actually like a frozen bum.
My feet were nearly numb. my hands
were cold and ] didn't know whether
l had nose or not. Worse luck,
was then only half way home. There
was nothing to il but stick it out. So
] tried driving with my left hand
and sitting on the other. which was
not a very big success. My left hand
has been a good Bible student and
has never known what my right
hand hath done. as it has always
managed the engine. The engine was
set, though, md going along smoothly
albeit noisily. And so We went for
another hour. I arrived at camp
"a mighty cold little boy. But when
l got down near the ground the
weather was so rough l had my
hands tun E.epirg level with1ut
worrying how cold l was. Imagine
then as | came down to land seeing
a machine turned upside down in the
middle OF the field. Didn't seem like
a good omen, did it? l landed all
right, though, and / saw no reason
for duplicating the feat. It's costly,
you know, and shakes one up quite
a lot Several men had just come
down from their altitude tests as I
came in and they sure must have
had some time. One fellow said he
flew through five snowstorms and
swore the flakes were as big as his
head. He sure did make the camp
laugh with his droll account. Two
other fellows went up with him, but
the cold was too intense and they
came down without finishing the tosu.
so will have to do il over again. The
reason flying is so cold in these ma
chimes is because they are so open
and the pilot has no protection from
the clements. With any other plane
it's different, so 1 am looking for
ward to getting one of those enclosed
types this winter, when the wealth
won't have any of me to hit but my
helmet. I'VE have instructions al
ways to fly around a field before
landing. especially when coming
down from high attitudes, as it helps
ones eyes to become accustomed to
the ground. l have always obeyeu
this rule until the other day, when
| was anxious to save time and came
down from 1000 meters and landed.
| nearly spilled the beans" too, be-
cause l did not know where the
ground was. and as a result | ma,
an awful landing, bouncing several
l.,
needed to teach me the Importance
of such a rule, and I won't omit that
little tour de piste" again. no mat
ter how tired or hurried l am. IT
was for this very reason that a man
smashed up here the other day. He
was coming down from his altitude
test and omitted this necessary lit
tie tour" with the above result. He
admitted himself he did not know
where the ground was.
| would not send you a picture of
myself in feathers, because it would
make a horrible picture. They are
considerably more useful than beau
tifying. However, when I started on
my "brevet" work a waterproof fur
lined overall suit was given me.
may send you a picture of that If
the sun ever comes out again. 1t
sure is a warm suit, and that is the
reason / wore my uniform on all my
trips. 1t was quite simple to slip
this warm suit over everything
Nothing like being prepared for an
engine breakdown. and l flew hign
enough to glide to any chateauX 1
happened to notice. The trouble is
they are generally situated in a big
forest and one cannot very we'll Ianu
nearby. One fellow tried it and
smashed to smithereens-no, didn't
hurt himself-but lots of others do
get away with it. However, I don't
work my engine to death, which is
well. Considering that l knew notn-
ing about motors when 1 began,
am picking up fast and learning lots
of little kinks useful in my flying.
BY this time l am quite used TO
keeping a line on three or four dials
and a map and compass at the same
time. The map reading is most in
tcresting, and its accuracy surprised
me quite little. It's lots of fun to
pick out little town far. far below
you, then trace all the little roads
leading out of it and see every one
pictured on the map, even to the
merest crook. The compass is pretty
near a closed book to me- though,
and l used 1t very little. BY checking
up with the map 1 have learned a
little of it, but it's coming very
slowly. AS for flying the machine
itself, that is all done instinctively
now-by feeling. you might say, as
l meet a puff of air like / would a
wave with a canoe. These two modes
of pleasure and travel always have
seemed nearly on a par to me. both