Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1918-01-11
UP IN AN AIRPLANE
York County Boy Tells Of First
Experience.
WONDERFUL, DELIGHTFUL SENSATIONS

In a Letter to His Mother, Henry
Susss Gives Graphic Account Of Just
How Il Feels to Ascend Miles In the
Air. and Also He Paints an Inter
estins Picture Of the Earth Below.
This description Of an seroplane dight 10
taken from = letter thft Lieutenant Henry l.
Suggs has written TO his mother. Mrs. G. l.
SucRs. Of Rock Hill. Lieutenant SugRs
is q Clemson graduate and former star mem
bsr Of the football team. He is now In the
Observers school At Camp Doniphan. Fort
Sill. Oklahoma, preparing himself for the sri-
alton service in France. The letter 10 re-
markaby well written. and The Enquirer 10
fortunate in being able to reproduce IL.
This afternoon had my first flight
in an acroplane. and II surpassed any
thing | ever did in the line OF sport.
far and away. II was glorious. thrill
Ing. satisfying.
our section marched to the airdomr
in No. : hangar to prepare for the first
trip up, with many and varied emo
tionS. Most of us were whistling or
singing. probably for the same reason
that 4 small boy whistles on a dark
street at night.
| think no man can 80 into the air
for the first time without having that
feeling OF all good football players just
before the kickoff, or the same sensa-
tons in the pit o: the stomach that
crack runner has before the pistol shot
starting a championship race. II Is
physical. so much so as headache
and can be traced by experts to the
in the pit OF the stomach is something
every sportsman would like TO have
explained. | can't remember when |
first felt il. hut | remember how
used 10 feel while warming up for the
Clemson Carolina football game. l
WAS Just as sure that we would beat
Carolina rs | was sure that We would
all come down again: but III both cases
the s;lmS old feeling WAS there. and felt
rather reasSuring, like the presence OF
an old friend.
We spent Il little time around the air
dome while the mcchanicians started
the motors 10 popping and got the ma
chimes tuned Tor flight At o'clock.
after bundllng up in a fur-lined teddy
bear suit. leather coat. helmet and gog-
giles. | went ont to where No. 303 was
sitting. with the motor idling and the
propeller laZily turning, and climbed
into the Observers seat, just ahead OF
the pilot and right between the two
wings \ small. sloping. scmi-cowl OF
mica on the forward edge OF the cock
pit served TO keep the wind OF, II one
uid not get too curious and stretch up
over the top.
"l'n take it easy with you." said the
pilot. and won't do anything that
might give you 4 scare Go to H., l
told him. for felt like might just as
well get II all at once and hooked the
safety belt that held me to the seat.
lie gave her q little gas and we
headed out toward the middle Of the
field. Then into the wind, more gas
and we were humping gently over the
ground at about sixty miles per hour.
| suppose, with the wind from the pro-
psIisE Euchjsk r:I,lt and thS Sasr zatstb9
motor hiiing the wholeun1yeSse With .
mighty noise. The ball had been KICK
ed off and | was having the time OF
my life. | kept behind my diminutive
wind shield: but finally peered over the
side to watch the speeding ground;
suddenly the humping ceased and we
were in the air, climbing fast, as the
ground dropped rapidly away. Up We
went for a mile straight away and
then q wide turn and we were back
over the hangar again. We circled the
field twice and the altimeter registered
$500 feet. about three quarters OF n
mile up.
We were just floating around up
there and going higher all the time.
The ground began TO take on the ap-
pcarance OF great map. and the reg
Llar lines Of tents at Camp Doniphan
began TO show up like checker board.
fhe thermometer on the ground regis
tered about twenty degrees, but the air
up there was colder. and moving awful
last.
5000 Feet Up.
We climbed to 5000 feet. then we
Strengthened out fiat. leaned out and
looked down. The wind seemed TO
have the consistency OF thick paste.
uut | was bound TO see what the world
looked like, and | saw. We were over
the town OF Lawton. The air was
clear and the details that | could see
astonished me. turned to look at the
pilot. He was hanging one arm over
the side and apparently paying no at
tcntion whatever to the ship. l
thought IL that man has a girl in Law
ton, / wish he would take some other
lime TO give her a signal. But we were
riding as smoothly as a Packard with
an occasional little bob just like
small wave hitting an eighteen-foot
sail boat.
1t was rather cold at 5000 feet, but
soon we began to climb again and that
altimeter held my eyes like a magnet
nolds steel. as l watched 1t creep
steadily up until $500 feet was reach
led-nearly two miles up. To my as
ltonishment II was warm up there, and
there we stayed for forty minutes.
We started on a big circle and the
whole country spread out beneath us
Lawton. the railroads. military camps.
and all appeared at a glance, while the
beautiful Lake Lawtouka at the foot OF
Mt. Scott, reflected the blue Of the sky.
appearing as a wonderful sapphire set
in a rich brown.
The roar Of the engine became abb
sorbed and seemed a part Of the
thing, when all Of sudden II stop
ped. Not knowing what had hap
pened, / turned and looked at the
| pilot. He was grinning and told me
we were going to take a dip. / yell
ed all right. and braced my feet.
| Turning the engine on he shot her
straight nose up until the motor
stalled. and l was sitting on my back.
She began slipping down, tail first.
| but the engine DelnS heavier, natur-
ally wanted to 60 down first and be-
fore I knew what had happened, from
sitting on my back looking at the
sky, | was looking over the nose Of
the ship at the ground which SEEM
ed to be rushing up to meet us.
Magnify the sensation Of an express
elevator a thousand times and put the
whole thing out Of doors, unattached
and nearly two miles up In the air.
and It will give you an idea Of that
dip. I felt as steady in my seat as
when we were running level, and
there was no sensation Of falling for
ward out Of the machine. II / had
pulled loose and jumped out, the ship
| would probably have left me behind.
II was then that the earth be-
gan to do strange things. First, 1t
stood on edge. then turned around
once on an axis directly beneath US.
He had thrown her into a 80 degree
bank and I was sitting on my side,