The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1918-09-14

unless they have to. There Is seldom
n time that machines go out over the
lines on this work in the daytime that
they are not attacked at some time or
other. and so the scouts usually have
plenty of work to do. In addition 10
these attacks, however, the squadron
is invariably under constant lombard
ment from the ground, but that doesn
worry us very much. as we know pref
ty we'll how to avoid being hit from
that quarter.
ON my first flight, after joining the
squadron, / was taken out over the
lines to get look at things, map out
my location in case l was ever lost'
locate the forests, lakes and other
landmarks and get the general lay OF
the land.
One thing that was impressed upon
me very emphatically was the location
! of the hospitals, 50 that in case l was
| ever wounded and had the strength to
pick my landing l could land as near
! as possible to a hospital. All these
| things il new pilot goes through dur
ing the first two or three days after
joining squadron.
Our regular routine was two flights
Il day. each of two hours duration.
After doing our regular patrol, 1t was
! our privilege to go off on our own nook
If we wished, before going back to
the squadron.
| soon found out that my squadron
was some hot squadron, our flyers be-
ing almost always assigned to special
duty work, such as shooting up
trenches at a height of fifty feet from
the ground.
| received my baptism into this kind
of work the third time l went out over
the lines, and l would recommend 1t
TO anyone who is laundering for excite
ment. You are not only apt to be at
tackled by hostile aircraft from above,
but you are swept by machine-gun hre
from below. have seen some OF our
machines come back from this work
sometimes so riddled with bullets tina,
wondered how they ever held TO-
gether. Before we started out on one
of these jobs, we were mighty careful
to see that our motors were III pertec'
condition, because they told us the
"war bread was bad in Germany"
One morning, shortly after l joined
the squadron, three Of us started ovei
the line of our own accord. We sOoI
observed four enemy machines, two
. seaters, coming toward us. This typ'
: of machine is used by the Huns TO
! artillery work and bomb dropping, ant
:, we knew they were on mischief Den'
Each machine had a machine gun II
front, worked by the pilot, and the Oh
server also had gun with which h
= could spray all around.
- When we first noticed the Huns, on
machines were about six miles bac
!, of the German lines and we were lyin
= high up in the sky, keeping the su
behind us, so that the enemy could nc
6, see US.
" We picked out three of the machine
' and dove down on them. l went rigf
by the man | picked for myself an
= his observer in the rear seat keI
pumpinc at me to beat the band. NJ
one of my shots took effect as wei
le right down under him, but l turnc
and gave him another burst of bullet
- and down he went in spinning nos
' dive, one OF his wings going one wa
u and one another. AS L saw him cras
ie TO the ground knew that l had got IL
ie first hostile aircraft. One OF my cor
III rades was equally successful, but II
other two German machines got ava
L We chased them back until things g.
It too hot for us by reason of the appea
IS. ance of other German machines, al
ct then we called it Il day.
~ This experience whetted my appeti
ne for more of the same kind, and l. d
* not have long to wait.
e' 1t may be we'll to explain here ju
nc what a spinning nose bend is. fe
III years ago the spinning nose dive W
considered one of the most dangero
ne things a pilot could attempt, al
Ell many men were killed getting into II
n spin and not knowing how to col
ne out of it. In fact, lots of pile
m thought that when once you got In
spinning nose dive there was
rd way Of coming out of it. 1t Is M
'p- used, however, in actual flying.
iiu The machines that are used
ay' France are controlled in two wa
both by hands and feet, the Il
as working the yoke or rudder
me which controls the rudder; that ste'
Try the machine. The lateral cOntr
fore and aft, which cause the n
ia chine to rise or lower, are CONTROL
ZEN by a contriyance called ''joy site
ere If, when flying in the air, a pi
ich should release his hold on this sti
1es it will gradually come toward
pilot.
ing In that position the machine '
on begin to climb. So IL pilot is s.
TO and loses control of this "joy site
me, his machine begins to ascend. {
and climbs until the angle formed
comes too great for it to continue
yer the motor to pull the plane; fol
adj fraction of second it stops, and
NIB motor then being the heaviest,
and causes the nose of the machine to
- forward. pitching down at a teri
rate of speed and spinning at
at same time If the motor is still I
to ming, it naturally increases the sp
the much more than 1t would IL the
TO tor were shut off, and there is gl