Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1918-03-12
ACCIDENTS IN THE AIR.
Necessary Haste Is The Cause OF
MANY OF Them.

Necessary Haste Is The Cause OF
Many Of Them.
Haste to train American aviators for
service on the western front during
the coming summer and the conse-
quent over-crowding Of American
aviation fields is the real cause Of the
steadily mounting list Of casualties and
deaths among student aviators. ac-
cording to officials Of the signal corps.
Perhaps the worst instance Of this
overcrowding has occurred at Park
Field. the signal corps aviation fly
ing school just outside Memphis, Tenn,
where six men have been killed within
the last two weeks. Park Field Is
not large as aviation fields go. yet it
Is not uncommon to have from IS to
80 ships up at one time. many OF
them being operated by unskilled
students. Officials are taking steps to
remedy conditions there.
One Of them has just pointed out
some of the reasons why fatal
tiles are bound TO occur during the
training period. To train aviators
properly. cadet must, sooner or
later, be turned loose" with a plane
on his own account, and II he gets
up and gets down without an accident
the first time he's we'll on the way to
earn his wings" the emblem Of a
finished flyer.
"Shps" and Birds"
Incidentally. in the signal corps
slang. an aeroplane is always ship.
and the aviator Is always bird. The
cadets who are to become flyers get
their first little taste of real war when
they march across the flying field and
see the little Red Cross ambulance
iivver that always stands BY during
flights. There is a sinister suggestion
in the fact that the engine OF this
ambulance is usually left running.
1t always gives the cadets a funny
little feeling down in their throat, but
the men who are to become the back
hone Of ftho-Amsr!ocsa0is-s -so6fa
get the fatalistic idea that the ambu-
lance is for the other fellow. When
one OF these unfortunate crashes
comes In midair. usually every one
sees it. The bystanders on the ground
see the bump. the tumble to earth
and the flying wood and wires. but
that's about all. 1t is customary at
such time for those present to look
the other way and whistle. 1t won't
do the fellows who have come down
out of control bit Of good to do
otherwise, and 1t helps the ones who
are safe to get their minds OF the in
cident. War, after all, Is no pink tea.
The proper officers and the wreck
ing crew hurry to the scene of the
accident. The rest just go on with
their work. They're not allowed to
rush to the scene because IL they saw
one wreck 1t wouldn't help their
training to any extent. Maybe later
on that evening when the cadets
get back to barracks, they find the ef-
fects of the man who got his all
quietly removed. and that night the
barracks are sad, but 1t doesn't last
There's too much work to do.
Period Of PridsfuI Excitement.
The training period Is not depress-
ing. 1t Is a period Of prideful ex-
element. of tingling nerves and
sinking feelings around the heart.
The latter comes on the day when
the instructor. after having had n
cadet up several times, turns around
and says with a grin: Can you take
her up?"
The cadet swears by all that's holy
that he can, but the feeling in his
heart resembles a thermometer on a
very frosty morning. The instructor
climbs out, ties his handkerchief to
the tail OF the plane to indicate to
every one else to give this ship wide
berth, then yells goodby and starts to
pray for the cadet going up.
The cadet goes up with a swoop OF
air in his face, and by the time he
reaches the 500-foot level he's Won
dering how he's going to get down.
He knows all the controls and he
knows his engine and he's supposed
to know everything else that he needs
to know, but that doubt comes to
every one Of them. How are they
going to get down? They get down.
though most OF them in good style.
Awaiting has developed sense OF
aviation humor, and one Of the fun
niest things from the standpoint OF a
cadet. Is to watch his mates trying for
a landing Landing with a sweep that
carries one at fifty or sixty miles an
hour over the ground takes a mighty
skillful touch and a mighty good eye.
II the ship hits trifie too hard, it's
goodby to the undercarriage and a
black mark on the cadets flying
record.
He gets about fifteen hours OF that
at the rate of an hour day. and then
he gets five hours more Of trick
stuff" such as head spins. tail spins.
loops and twists. and then he does
five hours Of cross country work. and
IL he makes good on that he's a regu-
lar lieutenant, a reserve military
aviator. and ready for duty.
The second Tuesday In April will be
a notable day In the history Of Red
manship in this and adjoining states.