Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1918-08-15
GOOD LETTER
Aviator Donald Smith Writes of His
FLYING Experiences.

very interesting letter from Donald
Smith, son of Mr.. and Mrs. f. l..
Smith of this city. who is now in
training at Scott Field, Illinois. The
letter tells considerable about the ex-
periences in flying and will prove of
interest to Record readers.
August 6, 1918.
Ny Dear Mr.. Brown;
am keeping my promise now that
made when | was home after finish
ing Ground School. think by the
time the war is ended we will have
our Libraries will be fillel with rows
of volumes Of Letters of the World
War" by So and So. In every news
paper | pick up find a letter or two
to the folks back home" telling of
the various experiences Of soldier life
from peeling potatoes in a Texas
camp to eating bone soup in a Ger
man prison. Perhaps the daily hap
penings at a Flying Field are a bit
less written of than other camps so
! hope that | may write some things
new enough to be interesting.
There are always number of
questions asked about the flying game
and the most usual one is, How does
it feel to be really up in the air ?"
1t is the hardest of all to answer and
one must experience the feeling to
understand it. There is no top-step-
of-the- ladder feeling You sit on a
comfortable leather cushion with the
sides Of the fusilage high about you
on each side and the wide safety belt
fastened around your waist, so there
is no feeling Of unstableness.
The training planes that we have
here rise from the ground in less
than a hundred yards and before you
realize il the wheels are off the
ground and you are flying Then
comes the most enjoyable part Of the
flight, to sit and watch the earth &c
farther and farther away. As the
plane clims higher and higher the
meadows and fields grow smaller and
smaller until they are just a patch
work Of green and yellow squares
a river silver line, lake a mirror
Only when near the ground is your
speed noticed. We travel here from
20 to so miles an hour, yet at 5000
feet the speed is hardly apparent be-
cause Of lack of objects for com
parision. Really TO a pilot there are
very few sensations in flying yet the
passenger even tho he be accustomed
to flying will gasp in steep dive
or hold his breath in loop. ! mag
inc that it is the same with an ele-
vator boy as with the pilot of plane
never ride down in an elevator with
out that peculiar sensation yet with
out doubt the elevator boy receives
no such feeling will never forget
the terrifying thrill that came over
me as hung looking down at the
ground at the top of my first loop
yet when | do them myself that feel
ing is lacking
There are a few little odd things
about the Flying Field which would
perhaps be interesting. Flyers get
to be about the most superstitious
people in the world If fellow has
a "hunch" around here no one
bothers him and he does not need t.
fly until he gets over it and feels safe
again. | do not think that / am
superstitious yet it is strange how
some little thing will affect me wher
| know that there is nothing between
my plane and the ground but air
An aviation field is the last place t.
hear anything about the flying game
being any more dangerous that hoe
ing beets, in fact the ambulance
which is always on the Field is
known as the cold meat wagon"
| have been writing on a Sorons
tonight. It's the nearest thing to {
typewriter that we have around here
so much different at least that my
fingers get badly tangled up as yol
notice. We are kept pretty busy
now but I'll write again soon and tel
you how | dove down low and made
two farmers jump off the top of {
wheat stack they were building. anC
On another day broke up a ball gam,
in little town near here. | would b,
very glad to hear from you any time
Yours very truly.
Cadet d. b. Smith.