The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1917-09-26
LETTER FROM VERMONT BOY.
Tells of Learning to Fly-Everything
About the Camp Is Speedy.

4 recent letter of interest from Charles
S. Jones of Castleton, Vt, a graduate OF
the Rutland high school, also of Mid
dlebury College and since his graduation
a physical Instructor at Montclair Acad- |.
envy, Montclair, \. j., is published in the
Troy Times. Mr. Jones, after completing
the aviation course at Crbana, Ill, has
Just been sent to Dayton, Ohio, to try
flying Extracts from his letter follow
and give some first impressions Of flyer:
We'll, flying has no more preliminary |
thrills for me now, as | have made four |
fights and feel well broken in 1t is sure I
ily wonderful experience and il beats !
any sport | have ever tried | made my
first trip Thursday morning at l0:30. Six
of us were assigned to a standard plane
with 4 young scout named Hughes from
Alneola as instructor He il a peach
The first trip was merely ride, as lie
went up about 1000 feet. 1t was much as
j | expected. only less exciting. There was
not nearly as much wind as | expected
4 but OF course the noise is deatcning We
/ dash along the ground for hundred
Yards and suddenly 1t becomes smooth
and YOU are flying These standard planes
are very stable and only make about 50
miles an hour The air around gets
bu1npy and OCCASIONALLY your support
screws give way and your plane drops or
else mounts suddenly, giving much the
same feeling as an elevator. At 900 feet
people look like ants and autos along the
white ribbon road appear TO only crawl.
The best sensation rs when the motor Is
throtted and ron start to glide when
coming down in long swoops and straight
ening out and gliding along the ground
till you come TO a halt, Friday | made
two trips After about five minutes we
broke drift wirc | admit had funny
feeling when | looked up and saw wire
break, but it was not serious, az we
merely came dovn and put in a new one,
; On the second trip | allowed to take
fhold Of the controls lightly Just to see
how they felt. Yesterday we went up
about l500 feet, when | took control of
the machine II is really not very hard ex-
cept that Won have to watch for balance
and keep her level and there is tendency
to nose her up or down when one is first
learning When the instructor shakes the
wheel, we have to throw our heads up in
the air and let him have control This
, is in ease we do something wrong SO he
can correct it The danger is slight, as
We can get down even if the motor stops
: There have been a number of minor ac
! cidents Everything here is speed. Planes
!, travel from 40 to 30 miles an hour. ano
when anything happens the wreckne
] crew dash ont by auto about so miles al
hour and the anlbulances just as fast
} / Even the water sprinklers go over so mile.
:, an hour so vou see thi. is speedy place
:, We are to see some good flying this morn
J ing, as the aviation board from Washing
;, ton is here and they are to give some OK
= hibitions The food is excellent. the bar
racks comfortable and the fellows fine
: | don't envy the fellows sent to Franc,
;; one bit, as / think we will get our com
. missions before they fly, but we cant tel
= yet