The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1918-11-20
STIRRING PICTURE
PRESENTED At
FLYING BEACH
Life and Death Hang in Bal
anCe Every Instant and
Commanders Naturally Ap-
prehenSive.

AMERICAN SEAPLANE TRAINING
CAMP, Italy, Nov. 20. Correspondence
OF the Associated Press. IA flying day
on the beach here, with the roaring of
the engines of dozens of seaplanes over
head, on the water, starting out or re-
turning, with cries Of command in two
or three languages, presents a stirring
picture.
Life and death hang in the balance
every instant. Those in command are
far more apprehensive than they care
to show. You can't make omelettes
without breaking eggs" they explain,
as they watch a machine beginning to
nose too soon preparatory to making a
landing.
Look at him, he's sure to cut in
on that other fellow ana bump him.
one exclaims. To the u%ninitiated the
two aViatorS who are trying to make
a landing near the home beach seem
to have hundreds of yards Of space In
which to maneuver but the officers
know they have but little space. AS
the two machines are travelling at So
to 80 miles an hour on their nose dive,
the matter Of a possible collision is
soon settled, and favorably. Both hit
the water safely on their tails-the
proper way-and race across the lake
snorting like a thousand ~seahorses,
gradually turn, and come home.
So o rs the camp commander in
charge of the beach saw the two ma
chimes take the water sarely, his mind
turned to other matters. There is a
special instructor who sits with a
chart before him with the name of
every student flying this day upon 1t,
and he records merit or demerit marks
there for every good or a move the
flyers Make and this will be submitted
to the commander later ana proper oh
servations made to the %aviators.
You must be carefui IN this BUSH
ness not to discourage the fellows" ex-
pfained one OF the officers. Their
nerves are their courage, their flying
ability, and If you taNe away their
spoil a good aviator"
Look out there. you'll break those
wings& called the American comman-
der asftwo~N seaplanes came shooting up
the beach, too close together for com
fort. The helpers in the water seized
landing, That's one OF the troubles
with having too many machines about, "
explained the commander. When a
seaplane starts in for the beach the
aviator cuts off the power and then
he can't steer it any longer, When the
wind Is unfavorable or the water is
rough, they have to make several trials
sometimes before they can get in head
on"
There are men here from Little Rock,
Ark, Chicago, Boston-everywhere. ITS
a pretty dull place here" said one.
When do yov think they will send us
to the 'front.'"
Have you heard if we are going on
! the Italian or the French front?" asked
another.
II wish you'd tell the people at home
to write us often" put in a rosy
checked ensign of 20. Somehow, 1t
seems to take a month and more for
us to get letters. Tell them, too, we
can't write much from here because
our letters are censored, and we don't
like to have somebody we see every
day censor our mail and read u pri-
vate letters" fl
Most Of them were eager to get on
the front and into the fighting, "Thats
real sport" explained one. One ma
has been lost at his camp so far, but
his death hasn't frightened any of the
others. They figured out that per-
haps he cut off his power too soon be-
fore nosing. Anyway, they don't in
tend the same accident shall happen
to them before the end Of the a
."Then," said~one with a laugh. were
going to shake fighting and take W
the safer, passenger-carrying end Of
the business"