The Ordway new era., 1918-07-26
Student Aviator's Life

Charles Cheese, a cousin OF Mrs.
]. H. Peck, and who enlisted from
Ell Paso county. is having the time
of his life learning to be an aviator
at San Antonio, Tex. He writes of
it as follows:
have always imagined that the
life of an aviator would be very
thrilling, but I've been a bit disap-
pointed because a fellow just lives on
Just the same. Outside of the time
actually in the air, the time is spent
much the same as other soldiers.
We don't have quite so much drill.
neither do we have SO many priv
ileges. 1t reminds me much of foot
ball days-regular meals, no late
hours, and all that. The time in
the air is bit more exciting. l
should not say exciting, because we
must not get excited. But really,
flying is only considered difficult and
dangerous because it is not very well
known. There are things that one
must learn and some strange sensa-
uons to become accustomed to. Al
ter 10 or 12 hours in the air 1t be-
comes as easy to keep the ship level
as il is to drive Ford.
To turn, one wing must be raised
and the other lowered in order for
the wings to get purchase on the
air in order to force the ship around.
just as the curves of a race track
are banked. To turn very short,
we put it into a nearly vertical bank.
To hold it there and turn several
times swiftly makes it seem as IL you
were in the hub of great wheel. the
rim of which is the horizon, and the
earth seems to have gotten up on
cd 10 nf
rate of about 200 revolutions per
minute. To bank up As degrees and
make three-quarters turn four or
: five times will make a beginner
"shoot his breakfast" which. I be-
lieve, is strictly against Hoover's or
ders.
The first time you do a loop or get
your head pointed toward the earth.
everything Just naturally gets twist
ed. Talk about keeping your direc-
tions-I couldn't even keep track
OF the earth. It seemed to be skid
ding all around up there above me
somewhere. When 1t appears to be
falling right on top Of a fellow he
begins to wonder just what kind of a
fix he has gotten himself into any
way. One thing we have to remem-
ber is that when the earth, horizon,
be clear crazy, we must shut off the
engine and let the thing fall. 1t
will go into tail spin. and these
can always be controlled. We can
level off In three or four hundred
feet, so as long as we stay UP around
5000 feet, there is almost no danger
at all.
have been flying alone since
about the first OF May, and will prob
ably not finish training here till latu
in JIly. l don't know where ! Will
lie sent then. hope to go over
We all hope for that. especially when
things are going as they are now
over there.
think our days program might
be interesting to some. We get up
at s o'clock, and must get our break
fast, straighten up the barracks and
be on the flying field at 6:30. The
field I'm now on is quite a distance
out. We ride on q large truck and
are nearly always little late. We
take turns going up till 1890. when
we load on the truck and come back.
We get our dinners at about O'Clock.
In the afternoon we have classes and
drill. The next day We fly in the
afternoon, so we have classes till II 4.
dinner at 1870 and go to the field
We fly until $40 and get home to
supper at about $50. So you see
our days are quite long.
Paul McIver Writes
In letter to Marcus Bates from
Paul McIver, now stationed at Fort
Sill. Okla, he exchanges reminis-
censes of the Fourth by saying that