The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1918-07-10
UP IN AEROPLANE !.
GREAT SENSATION

| GkEAI SENDAllUN
Sid Bonney, in France, Writes Of His
, Experience In an AeropIane with
| Germans Shooting at Him.
| lHE SAILS AMONG THE CLOUDS
In the Air For Half an Hour but It
Seemed Like a Weew-Would
Like AeropIane Service
DR.. and Mrs. A. F. Bonney recently
received the following letter from
their son, Lieut.. H. S.. Bonney:
France, May 26, 1918
Dear Dad:
Well, at least have went and done
it. have been up in an aeroplane
and so now all that is left for me in
the way of thrills is to go down in
submarine and perhaps before this
thing is over l shall have done that
little thing also.
l will admit that there are some
things in this world that make a
noise like a great sensation, but II
you want to have the greatest exper-
ience in your young life, that you ever
had, just 60 up in an aeroplane in
war times, and go over some front
line trenches, and will gamble that
all the things that you ever got to do
in the past will fade away into the
dim distant past and be forgotten,
but that trip will stay with you for
some time.
went out to the aviation field yes
terday Sunday and was looking for
some American aviators who are there
to see if I might get little trip up
in the air. None of them were at
home, and / was about to give up in
disgust when j met French pilot
who said he was going out for a little
reconnaissance trip over the lines and
would be pleased to take me with him
il cared to go. Did care to go?
Oh. no, that was'a a mistake! We
went over to the tent and the mechan-
les were tuning up the machine, which
was two.seated Spad, 250 h. p, and
capable of 140 miles an hour. put
on pair of goggles and climbed into
the rear seat. The day being very
warm, no extra clothing was needed.
The pilot cautioned me not to touch
anything then got into the dent in
front, when the mechanic turned the
engine over. We stood still perhaps
a couple of minutes, while the motor
was warming up, and them the pilot
gave the signal to let US loose and we
started over the field 1t was like
riding in wheel barrow, over the
roughest ground possible, and all at
once the humping stopped, and l
looked over the side and the ground
was. dropping away from us at great
rate. l did not have sensation of
rising, but one, rather, Of the ground
slipping out from under me and fall
away. We circled ar. und over the
camp at about 700 meters (2300 feet)
and then turned east towards the
trenches on steady upward climb.
As we would approach something the
pilot would call my attention to it
and then bank the machine little so
that could get good view as we
went over it. 1t seemed almost no
time at all to me until he pointed
ahead and there were the reserve
trenches of our men twisting and
turning in all directions over the
country. The trenches did not appear
to be dug into the ground but rather
to be built out of it, and to have a
lot Of little round, black dots moving
around in them. AS we passed over
our trenches, we began to climb again
and in few minutes were over No
Mans Land, which looked like big
chocolate cake that had the small pox.
Barbed wire was brown smear on
the ground, and through my glasses, l
could just make out that it was set
of entanglements. We were sailing
along as nice as could be over the
huns home when all at once / heard
a funny "thud" to the right and the
pilot pointed out and there was
black ball of smoke in the air about
one hundred yards to one side and
above us. AS ! looked another one
popped. and then knew what they
were. The boches were after us with
an Archie. We simply stood on our
toll and went up about 200 meters,
and then as we banked, looked down
and the black balls were all over the
country below us. In few minutes
another "thud" told us that they had
increased their range and so we shot
up little and into cloud and then
slid out of the cloud on one side and
turned for home as the pilot had seen
all that he wanted to know. The Ar
chies again picked up our trail as we
turned, and then is when had a fun
ny sensation. The machine stood on
its head and started for the ground
at what seemed to me to be 700 miles
an hour, and then made sharp turn
to one side and could see our
trenches again coming up to us in
rush. About the time was wonder
ing if there would be any pieces to
pick up, the pilot pulled US up and we
Strengthened out for home. Then he
played around over the villages back
toward the field and gave me a chance
to see each one of them by circling
around over them and turning the
plane almost on it's side. We came
down on a long steady slope to- the
field and landed with hardly jar
l could hardly hear when got out,
owing to the roar of the engine when
up in the air, but that passed away
in few minutes, and ISlooked at my
watch. We had been in the air eX-
actly half an hour. l thought we had
been there week. Now why in the
devil didn't YOU give me a chance to