Evening star., 1918-06-23
flying DAY |N|TALY|
is STIRRING PICTURE
Life and Death Hang in the
Balance Every Instant at
Training Camp on Beach.
COURAGE IS MAIN STOCK
Of the Associated Press.

Correspondence OF the Ae8ocfated Prrss.
AMERICAN sEAPLANE TRAINING
CAMP, Italy. June 5-A flying day
on the beach here. with the roaring
of the engines of dozens OF seaplanes
overhead. on the water. starting out
or returning. 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 ONE
let's without breaking eggs" they
explain. as they watch a machine
beginning to nose too soon prepara-
tory to making a landing.
Look at him; he's sure to cut in
on that other fellow and bump him."
one exclaims. To the uninitiated 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. A.
the two machines are travelling at
eighty-five to ninety 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 q
thousand seahorses. gradually turn,
and come home.
So soon as the camp commander
in charge of the beach saw the two
machines take the water safely his
mind turned to other matters. There
is q 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 bad
move the hiers make, and this will
be submitted to the commander later
and proper observations made to the
aviators.
You must be careful in this busi-
ness not to discourage the fellows"
explained one Of the officers. Their
nerves are their courage, their flying
ability. and II you take away their
courage, their confidence. you may
spoil Q good aviator"
Too Close for Comfort at Times
Look out there. you'll break those
mander as two seaplanes came
shooting up the beach. too close to-
gether for comfort. The helpers in
the water seized them and dragged
them into a safe landing. That's one
Of the troubles with having too many
machines about" explained the COM
mander. when a seaplane starts in
for the beach the aviator cuts or the
power and then he can't steer IT any
longer. When the wind is unfavor-
able 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: arkansas; ,, Chicago; ..i5o BostonM dn,;
place here" said one. when do you
think they will send us to the
frontT
Have you heard IL we are going
on the Italian or the French frontT
asked another.
Want More Letters From Home.
II wish you'd tell the people al
home to write US often" put in
rosy-cheeked ensign Of twenty.
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 censor
body we see every day censor our
mail and read our private letters-"
Most of them were eager to get on
the front. and into the fighting.
That's real sport" explained one.
One man has been lost at this camp
SO far. but his death hasn't frighten-
ed any of the others. They figured out
soon before nosing. Anyway. they
don't intend the same accident shall
happen to them before the end Of the
war.
Then" said one with a laugh.
we're going to shake fighting and
take up the safer passenger-carry-
ing end Of the business"