The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1918-11-02
AMERICANS HAVE
LARGEST FLYING
!: CAMP IN FRANCE
Field Covers Area of Thirty-Sh
Square Miles.
MANY TYPES Of AIRPLANEs

Reservation 10 Divided Into Nine Sec
tens, Through Which Men Ad.anc
to proAcIency-Tkree Branches 0
Aviation for Warfare: Chase ant
Combat Work. Bombardnent, ant
Reconn oIssance.
The American flying camp is thu
largest in France and Is said tn be
greater than any other in the world.
4 flying field Of ?6 square miles, the
area Of An American township. with
nine separate flying fields on which
American aviatOrS advance TO the
stage Of fight combatants. and air.
planes-I.ibcrtys, Nieuport5, Capronis
aud all the others, with officers in
structors, and newly equipped nvi"'
TORS swelling our SquadronS each
mouth these were some or the main
features. Of this vast aviution ground.
As tha Associated Press correspond.
eDt entered one of the fields a big gray
machine rose from u nearby field with
. loud. dfoning noise.
'TIere goes n Liberty airplane," said
one Of the officers. Ii was one Of the
ipcrea>in" number now coming. and
every tight was watched with keen
est int resi- and CROWN" enthusiasm
by those wh" will put il to the ST-
premp rest on the fighting front. Only
one opinion was heard among these
men--thar If was the biggest and fast
est ma chine Of them all.
Groups Of aviators were lined M as
we arrived, preparatory tn taking the
xir. They were stocky. young men, like
two football! rlovcnS about to take the
field. The dying grounds stretched off
for lnilcs-- fields of four square
miles each AL rlpan.rUt stumble fields
on which the machines conlh land
without shock Above them rirrlrd
many planes, sing1y and in sq,,ndrons
drawn out like wild geese. looping and
diving and all the tvolutions, Of tight,
with groups Of arrobatic pl4nes over
to the right making hcndlony spirals,
wing slips and REFRESHMENTS
Barracks Form a City.
In the foreground rose city Of bar
racks, one-story pine Shacks 100 feet
Iong--nOt very highly ornamental, but
very practical. Fully Thousand Of
these barracks had risen on this Level
plain TO house the army of flying men
on the way to the fighting lines.
We went from field to field to note
each stage in the development OF COM
hat aviation. Generally speaking, it
wss explained. there are three distinct
branches OF this aviation warfare
chase and combat work, in which most
Of the lighting occurs; bombardment
Of enemy forces, camps and towns;
and scouting or reconnaissance work
for purposes Of observation of enemy
activities. 1t Is for combat and bonn
bardment that the training is done
here, and Of those going forward
too1thly about four-ffths are combat
~ aud one-tifth bombardnent pilots.
These are the 'grasshoppcrs,' said
the captain rs we came to Geld No. I,
where the initial groundwork and the
Org Of flight begins. The grasshoppers
were diminutive machines with just
enough horsepower to jump over the
ground. and occa slonally rise ten feet.
The men call them taxls. They were
skipping about singly and in squads.
TWO were having a race across the
plain, and one taking dive buried its
nose In the ground. This was the cir
Gus part Of flying, at the start, but
there was plenty Of very practical
work beside with motor instruction.
xunuery, trap shooting. rifle range and
machine gun firing. Small dummy air
planes dotted the field as targets. and
the bounding grasshoppers took their
shots and were rated by the watching
instructors.
On the second field the ayia tors had
left their grasshoppers and were in
doub1e-c0ntro] machine accompanied
by an Instructor. They were getting
the feel Of the machine in actual
flight, and If the rudder was not ma
nipulated deftly the instructor was
there TO make the correction. And
IT was necessary here to learn how to
come down as well as to go up, and
to come down at definite point.
Small numbered flags marked the land
ing point of each machine
The captain of field No. 2 was about
to step into the "Flying Dragon" one
" the most curious machines of the
fleet, for besides being a very aret.
1Jlneter car, it was famous for its
dragon body, with flaming scales and
tentacles and great red eyes. Here
on this field the aviators entered
Sngle-control machines. without an in
structor, and for the first time took
their own risks.
Tricky Type Of Machine.
On field it began to develop wheth-
a the aviator could qualify as COM
bAt airman, ar for bombardment or
scout observation. He was now in a
fast machine with large wing sur
face, and used for high air maneuver-
fhg. He was being accustomed to all
types Of machines. There was feet
Of one of these strange types drawn
across the plain. Their chief nov
city was in having ball bearings m all