The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1918-11-02

dent what flyer can do. He enters
q very fast machine at No. S, with IS
meter wings capable Of making 100
miles all hour. Some Of the men drop
out of the training at this point, as it
has become evident that they lack the
deftness Or get faint at the height or
the heat OF the motor. The rest 20
on to field No. 6, where they begin
pursuit work and some Of the early
stages of acrobatic nose dives and
slips.
"There is nothing freakish about
these acrobatlcs," said the officer, ''for
they are one of the most essential
parts of combat aviation. To be q
chase and pursuit pilot one must be
able to out-maneuver the enemy avia.
tor; to make quick turns under fire
and get above your adversary or on
his tail. One OF the other will be out
Unanswered, and the enemy Is very
skillful ut acrobatics, and he must be
beaten at his own game"
Lieut.. Quentin Roosevelt was in
command of field No. while he was
here, and his machine stood in the
hangar with a group of flicrs about it.
paying tribute to the splendid quail
ties and daring Of their late leader.
This Is the field on which formation
flying is begun, in squadrons up to 10
machines, but usually with five. The
squadron flies in V-shape, with the
commander at the apex Of the v, car
rytng a streamer which signals the
commands. A fleet of IS machines
was started as we passed, and an
other had just come in after two hours
in the air. ending with figure eight, q
difficult evolution executed by "cross-
Ing the controls" SO that the rudder
serves as elevator and the elevator
serves MS rud0er.
Camera Like Gun.
On the combat and acrObatic fields.
Nos. s and o, scores OF machines were
In the air going through their fighting
evolutions or dipping and looping. The
combat airpluncs carried camera guns,
0 novel device combining dummy ma
chine gun and Photographic camera.
1t looks like q gun. but as the trigger
is pulled the camera takes picture
of the target, showing just what would
have been hit II shot instead of
lens had blazed ahead.
1t was over the acrobatic field that
HE real wonders were going on, in
he vertical virnSe spiralS and wing
slips. Spectacular rs these seemed
to be. each had its use in the fighting
game. The "vrille" is that dizzy head
first tumble. and the chief thing is
not TO do it but to undo it and come
out of It, 1t has it's uses, too, in de-
ceiving the enemy into the belief that
the aviator has been hit and is tum-
attacking him suddenly as the aviator
comes ont Of his hcadlong dive. One
Of the flyers made four vrilles as we
watched.
1T Is dangerous only when near the
ground" said the escort. "High in
the air there is comparatively no
danger. for there is plenty of time to
set your levers so that you're sure to
come out Of the vrillc."
Others were doing the spiral, an
other form of head-frst dive, except
that the car is always under control,
whereas In the vrille the control is
lost until the aviator succeeds in
emerging from his fall. Often the
machine seemed to stop suddenly, turn
over, and then glide away in the oppo-
site direction right side up.
One of the best maneuvers for es-
cape from dangerous fight is the
vertical wing-slip, as it is the fastest
means of losing altitude and getting
below an unequal combat. When an
acrobatic maneuver misses or Is badly
done it Is pancake" or ''barrel."
There is as much lingo to the aviation
field as there is to the baseball dia-
mond.
Leaving the field we passed q Grip
pied aviator limping on crutches.
HE has had q crashes" said the
officer, (which is about the record.
But he goes back every time and he's
eager now to get in his machine again.
And that is the spirit Of every man
here, to be ready for combat and to
beat the Boche."