Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-02-11
TRIALS OF AIRMEN
IN MESOP0TAM|A
British Aviators Say 1t Is Inpos-
sible to Get High Enough
to Cool OFF.
MIRAGEs CAUSE TROUBLE
At Certain Seasons of Year All
Material in the Machines
Suffers Badly.

LONDON. February 1o-C. G. Grey,
editor OF British aviation magazine.
tells the following story Of the trials
OF tho military aviator. in Mesopo-
,amia:
People pertaining to the nyinE scr
back from the wiids OF Mesopotania.
some OF them because they have been
promoted but mos. OF them because
they have been so thoroughly cooked
,hat II is time they were taken off
the grill and put somewhere else TO
cool
The returned wanderers bring quite
curious stories OF the difference be-
,w"cn flying where the Garden OF Eden
used TO be and flying under war con
, ditions elsewhere, which. while suE-
sest;ve OF anything but the Garden Of
Eden. arc distinctly more comforting
70 tho average European. excep, while
actually under hostil" fire.
some Of my friends from Meso-
ro;amia tell m" that SO great is the
neat on tn" ground that i, is inpos-
sib!e TO &c; high enough 10 set cool.
owing to the hot air rising 70 such
srea, heights. Even in tho hottcs,
q
al anything over 10000 feet. bu. ap-
pnrcntly IN Mesopo,a,nia ono can Hy
in shir, and short pants al any height
that an aeroplanc can reach.
DIFFICULT To REACH
ANY CONSIDERABLE HEIGHT
"Incidcntaliy, the same all-pervading
heat makes IL exceedingly difficult TO
get to any considerable lght, because
acroplane engines suffer as much as
their pilots. Scientists explain how and
"hy water hollis at high attitudes a.
much lover temperatures than X dpcs
ON tho ground but in Europe il is cold
enough when high up 10 keep the water
III In. aeropanc engines below the re
duCed boiling point. In Nesorota mia.
however. tho water is pcTlously near
boiling point before - ever leaves the
ground. ana never has chance Of get
ting very ,nUch cooler az IL gets aloft.
Consequently ore OF the troubles o:
a.!ators 80 that region is the battling
away ri the water in their radiators
! Tho air-cooled engines arc no better
of. because tho oil suffers in much the
sauio Ma.
~; certain seasons in The yea-
whom alternate hcai and cold III The
day and nich; are complicated h, heavy
rains. ali Inc material in ~. zero
planes themselves suffers badly The
r'"odwori assumes various strange
shapes, 50 tha, The unfortunate rto-
chanirs arc k"p; e,crraily a: vo-l,
iruing up machines which refuse TO !ift
"heu I'll. woodwork warps and ;Gr.
fabrjc distorts. Consequently. :he air
mechanics. working in a er.Turkish
bath temperature, have TO do ever 50
much more work ,han they would have
:" 10 ~ NOR" reasonable climates.
MiR.GES INCREASE
TROt BIi:S or ANIAToRs
The troubles OF aviators arc still
more complicated by the everlasting
mirages. not because the aviators see
the mirage, but because they do not
The reason for this is that the air
scouts. looking vertically down on 10
the ground. can see exactly what in
happening. whereas the troops on the
ground are confused b. the mirage
and see things which are no, there
Consequently, when aeroplane
brings information that the country
is absolutely clear of the enemy along
certain road the people on the
ground are rather apt to mistrust his
observations. because they see aE they
approach that particular line OF coun-
try things which only exist as an OPP
teal iliustion.
1T IS worthy OF note that the Royal
Naval Air Service has done very val
liable work In Mcsopotamia with sea
planes operating from the Tigris. while
the Royal Flying Corps has been ope-
rating from aerodrosnes made OF sand.
"a
rally far from heating for the en-
rines. and one OF the chief troubles in
the life of the unfortunate air me-
chanic Is to keep tho engines from
getting choked up with grit, which is
sucked in with the air into the car
burstor.
''Mcsopotamia flying is apparently
not altogether without its humors. as
witness a story Of an adventure which
occurred Il good many months ago.
"A certain senior officer OF the army
had been out as passenger in a sea
plane to see for himself the position
Of the enemy. The engine OF the sac
plane went wrong. and the ma chine
came down OF portion OF the river
actually behind the Turkish lines.
though. fortunately. just where there
did not happen to he any Turkish SOL
diers.
Another aviator, on q landroinS
machine. learning that the scaplane
had come down. few over with II NE.
chanic as passenger and landed not
far from the river bank on a gravcIlv
island. There he disemba rked the me-
chanic. who set To work 10 put the
engine Of the Seaplane right. and took
up the senior officer as passenger on
his own machine. AS they sped across
the gravel. sundry hostile arabs, who
had apparently come from the other
side OF the island on seeing the ma
chine descend. opened fire on them
with such firearms as they possessed.
Apparently. they did the machine no
Dana ge. for II few back safely.
LOWER PLANE FOUND
RlDDLis:I WITH HOLES
ON its arrival various people rushed
out TO congratulate the passenger on
his safe return, and some OF them ex-
aiming the machine pointed out what
Continued on Eighth Page)