The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1918-03-21
UNUSUAL EXPERIENCE
HEAVY FOG MADE LANDING OF
AVIATOR DIFFICULT.

n iiout huith INV VI wv
most vivid descriptions of the expert
ences of aviators during their period
of training In the United States be-
fore going to the west front in
France is contained in a letter just
received from a South Dakota avia-
tor. Harry Wait, son OF Mr.. and Mrs.
Levi d. Wait, of Armour. The ia
Their of the young man formerly was
a newspaper man of South Dakota,
but now is engaged in another line
of business. The letter is in part:
Was at it again today. Hit old
Father Time for two and a half
hours which brings mt up to Is
hours solo flying. This sport costs
81 per minute at a private aviation
school-pretty expensive sport. Yes
terday / had quite an exciting and
most interesting experience. l went
up about z a. m. and it was clear as
could be. | rose aloft-a habitant
of the air-to a height of about s.
900 feet over a lake about five miles
west Of the flying field. To the east
l could see the city, with a brilliant
sunshine striking the spires and
domes, while almost below was the
city of soldier tents, and a taste OF
rarer atmosphere elevated my spirits
into ecstasy.
II was cutting figure Fights over
the water, when some white, fluffy
clouds began drifting under me
Pretty soon they were all ove and
| had to watch close to keep an oc,
, c~asional glimpse of the lake so as
not to get lost. Several other filters
) were around me and it was the most
: beautiful sight | have ever seen
Banks of clouds piled up like noun,
) tains, with valleys and plains and
ridges floating all around. How
magnificent the sight-how sublime
were my sensations. l was a spec
tator of ii all, yet aloft and alone in
t the abyss of heaven with my God.
About 8 O'Clock l started to de
scend, cutting my motor and c~irclins
/, in a spiral dive so as to go nearly
straight down and not hit some Of
the cadets. whom | knew to be neal
but could not see. | expected to ger
through in about 500 feet, but the
fog was thick around me after max
ing several turns. | Strengthened
l out, started the engine and then de
cided to go on egain. Did a Ions
spiral dive and located the lake
| which seemed about to hit me in thu
face. A nice oat field near and
1 decided to land, when / remembers,
that the road by the lake was TIL
1 county road and led straight to tn
aviation field. So l started for tn,
a flying field instead of landing, flying
S about 20 feet above the fence posts
e 1T was so black that I could no
go higher on account of losing m,
S way. There was a farmer OF tn
road about half way in with a tear
t of mules. They ran when l passe
q him and went into the ditch. 1t wa
the first span of southern mules
ever saw show any life. Well, l mad
e that five miles at about go miles pc
.r hour. wind behind me. and fle'
straight into the aviation field.
"All the ships were at the hangar
d and the wind had changed directions
e so l landed facing the opposite wa
e from which l had left an hour before
Received a good grade for not ge'
ting lost and landing properly. |
all 16 ships were lost and some
n them did not get in until Afternoon
e At 1890 we were called out agar
It the sky having cleared a bit. In tn
afternoon l broke 10 out of 20 ella
pigeons; in all a pretty good day.
The storm in which young Wa
D. and the other aviators were caugl
k was one of the sudden storms expe
1T fenced occasionally in the states BIO
te dering the Gulf of Mexico, and Wa
n one Of the most severe which ha
& swept over that region for SON
es time.