The Lakeland evening telegram., 1917-01-25
War Aviation
An Exciting
Experience
(By Associated Prsas. }

but generally speaking it's rather
less sport than a motor cycle" says
wing" subaltern of the British
flying corps. He chatted while tink-
ering with his machine-one of the
latest types in a war that is chang
ing and developing the aeroplane al
most from hour TO hour. There were
marvels of the air two years ago
that have no more relation to the
machine of today than the clumsy
attempts of a barnyard fowl to the
flight of a swallow. An aerial scout
that cannot register in the neigh
borhood of 40 miles an hour cam
not be classed as truly modern. This
speed is called for in level air" not
in running down hill" or in diving
cut Of a coop. You may attain $50
miles an hour doing that.
"Oh, yes, the fghting's fun" re-
sumed the subaltern, but you can't
always induce the Germans to come
UP and have a go. They prefer most
Of the time to stop on the ground
and set arches on you with their
noisy shrapnel shells. It's when you
GO padding through the air on pa
troll duty for four or five hours and
nothing happens that flying becomes
monotonous. In spite of the almost
unbelievable speed at which you 30
you have no sense of speed whatever
nothing like the thrill of forty or
fifty miles an hour in a motor with
the trees whizzing by and a bumpy
road beneath you.
Sometimes the air is bumpy, too,
and that's good sport. To collide
with an air bump is almost like hit
ting a big rock in the road They
generally lurk near cloud bank
and give you an awful jolt when
you least expect it. On dull days
when the air is smooth you can get
little practice and excitement by
throwing her about a bit, for wher
you get to close quarters in figh
you need all the stunts she'll do
In the air one doesn't even get th'
sensation of the wind that you ge
on the ground. When you are run
ming ninety or a hundred miles al
hour little wind more or less make
no impression upon you.''
Which latter fact may account 70
the absolute contempt in which tn
modern army fliers look upon tn
mightiest blasts old Borcas can blow
1t was not so long ago that tel
mile breeze would upset all fyini
plans for day; now nothing shor
of a hurricane can deter the intrepi
aviators of the allies. They laugl
at gale and can almost take a ma
while comfortably riding a thirty
mile wind. The real enemy element
are low clouds and ground mists
They have little relation to persona
safety but they interfere very seri
ously with a wide range of usefu
work.
After a few more earnest remark
ON the monotony of patrol work Il
smooth air-which he likened {
driving a motor truck along ce
ment road in desert-the subalterl
climbed into the "cabin" of his ma
chine. 1t was a wasp-like creature
with the imprisoned power Of hun
dred horses throbbing in it's wonder
ful engine.
It's guns were attached unobtrus
lively to the frame work. and syn
chronized where necessary to shoe
through the blades of the fast whir
ring propeller in front.
The "cabin" Of a modern aero
plane suggests the pilot house of
palatial yacht in miniature. Every
thing is finished in hardwood an
there are polished nickel instrr
ments to indicate speed, height, al
gle and everything an airman ougf
to know. There are ingenious sigh
for the gums and range finders II
bomb dropping, and little device {
tell that the bombs have been pro-
erly released in turn and are hu
Ting on their way to the objecti,
selected for attack.
When he is tucked away only I,
pilots head is visible above the fre
board. Directly in front of him
tiny little half-moon of a win
shield.
"You can lower that in SUNNI