South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-07-22
How our First American Aces Mer
Taught the Tricks OF Fight
ing i'm the Air.

Taught the Tricks OF Fight
ing i'm the Air.
1t is no use trying 70 compare
aeroI lanes with birds. Both fly. of
cours but there the parallel leaves
of. ined up in front Of the hangers
at an aerodrome. they look like
nothh & so much as gigantic insects.
In fact, they are insectivorous in
their nature, huge mechanical
wasps, whose machine guns are
their sting The resemblance con-
tinues when the creatures lift them
selves from the ground and 'zoom"
upward into the rarer levels Of air.
The low drone of the engine sounds
amazingly like the buzzing Of an en-
ormous wasp. and their line OF fight,
too, is more conservative than
birds There is none of the aim
less drifting, the responsibility as
70 direction. nor the sudden chang
ing Of speeds.
But there are varieties of aero
planes, as everybody knows There
is the low-fying bombing plane, the
swifter scouting plane. and the sea
plane. which goes sailing out over
the water TO spy out tin fish" as
the submarines are jocularly called.
Finally, there is the real battle
plane. the ambition of every intre-
Did pilot. the agile Newport. and
the powerful spad in which our
American aces have flown 10 their
aerial victories.
Lieut. Douglas Campbell and
Lieut.. Eddie Rickenbacher are, so
10 speak. our first all-American
aces. y number Of other American
flyers, like Maj. RaOul Lufberry and
Mai. William Thaw, have had the
distinction OF bringing down five or
more Huns, but they were attach
ed TO the Lafayette escadrille or 10
some other flying corps of our al
lies Campbell ana Rickenbacher
are in the aviation section of our
own signal corps. The greater part
Of their training was acquired in
France. under conditions somewhat
different from the ordinary.
Went as Pershing's Chauffeur.
Lieut. Rickenbacher is a skillful
driven racing automobiles. Early in
the war he joined the army and went
TO France i'm the capacity of chauf-
feur 10 Gen. Pershing His training
in aviation began when he was still
sergeant Later he was commission
ed and attached 10 the third aviation
instrU elton center in the respOn-
sible position Of engineering officer
incidentally he found time TO study
the elements of flying. He ac-
quired his mastery of aeronautics
during the weeks when he was TAX
ing care of the machines and han
gars.
Then Rickenbacher became a test
er. He took the planes into the air
on their initial rights TO see whether
they were air worthy. This is a
duty which is fraught with consid-
cradle danger. There may be a fatal
weakness in the construction Of the
frames or the steering apparatus
! may unexpectedly balk However.
Richenbacher got through without
! any accidents and, i'm a short time
was transferred to the air service
exclusively.
\ Pupil of Pelissier.
The case of Lieut. Campbell was
similar. He never had flown be-
fore he went to France. Upon ar
rival in France he also was assigned
20 the third aviation instruction cen
ter After successfully completing
his flying training he took charge OF
the 1S-meter Nieuport field 10 act as
t executive officer. and also 10 do some
flying. lie received special lessons
from Sergt. Billet and later from
Ninmera. who. i'm addition 20 hi.
prowess in the air. is well known
Illustrator for a number Of Partisan
journals. Campbell learned rapidly
p and attracted the favorable atten-
ton of Capt. Pelissier. chief pilot OF
French flyers Pelissier was Away.
sure that Campbell would distin-
guish himself and bring down a bis
2 quota Of enemy planes. His first ex-
perience with a spad was at the con
centratiOn camp at Plessy- Belleville
He saw the new plane. thought ne
could fly it, and tried it. He flew II
admirably and his subsequent ex
PLOTS in the air were accomplished
in this type Of plane.
Both Campbell and Richen bachel
wanted, from the first, 20 become
pursuit pilots. Their course Of in
= struction began with 23-metel
Newport, by which is meant on,
with % square meters Of surface
The width. over ALL of such a ma
chine is delicate. but it is spaciou,
enough 10 permit a beginner e
b make easy landings From 40 10 81
landings are required of learner
, before ne can advance 70 the mex
stage OF proficiency. From the %
meter plane he graduates 10 an IS.
meter plane This is harder 4
manipulate. The flying is more diff
fcult. and the training takes a diff
ferent turn It is necessary 10 know
j just how 10 bank, or tip on on,
wing. and 10 go through loop OF
spiraling down from an altitude Of
! 1000 feet
Develops Ginger
) The French method Of teachinl
j. acrobacy is calculated 10 develop al