Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-08-11
AMERICAN FLYERS
WIN RECOGNITION.
France and Great Britain Await
the Arrivals of
Crafts. y.!HssEFvs
AvIATORs DO GREAT WORK.
Wealthy New Yorker One of
Most Wonderful Pilots
in War. ..s.zxs:gsal

go y ~ ttsss
LONDON. August 1o-One of thss
questions which seems to be OF the
most intense interest to those who are
not on the inside of the aeronautical 4
affairs on both sides OF the Atlantic
is How are the American aviators
going to acQuit themselves in the air
war;" Probably SO far as Europe Sis "a
concerned the people OF Germany are
more keenly anxious about the SUBJ
Ject than are the French and British,
for they know that Americans are land (.
ing In France in quantities, and they
have heard something about Americas
promised air fleet Also they have been
told that Americas air fleet ia not ar.
irving on schedule time. But probably
some OF them remember certain refer. Is
ences to England's "contemptible little
army" and may be wondering whether
Americas air feet Is going to be as
nasty a surprise for them as was Eng
lands army -
So far as the aeronautical people Of
france and Great Britain are con- g
cerned they are not In the least anx-
ious. They foresaw all the little
troubles which America has had over
-
planes begin to arrive in quantities
every one will be pleased on this slide s
of the Atlantic. and at the present mo-
one Is particularly disappointed
AS regards the American avta torr. i
every one is very much pleased al.
ready. Long before America came into n
the war. we. on this side, had more.
than taste OF the quality of Amer,
lcas flying men. Tho first to show up' a
in the limelight were that gallant little E
crowd who enlisted in the French army
md quickly became -star turns" as thaSs
Escadrille Lafayette"-a little squad-9s
ron OF half dozen or So who did their
best to repay to Franco something, oeg
what the great French General Lafay.s
cite had done for the United States ins
the time of trouble. seq
They deserved the honored name
which they had assumed. Most of
them arc dead. for their recklessness
became a proverb in the French SER
vice.
Harry Prince Kufnn Rockwell Biz
Thaw. Lufbery and the rest made SUCH
e name for the young American as Al
fsh'ing aviator that there was already
high sta dard for the newcomers to !
reach when America came into the
war. Yet the first OF the "oficial..4
ALiariean aviators are already up to-
that standard. for several Americans
have already qualified as "aces"-as
the French call every aviator who has
been officially credited with bringing
down five Hun planes
JUST HAD TO LEARN
GAME For THEMSELVES
The Lafayette Escadrille came b into !
one to teach them the elements of air.
nShttnS. They just had to find out,
for themselves. They were taught. to-
ny the fastest types OF airplanes ofs.
their day. and then were pitched into
the air with machine gun. They tool;
hold mighty quickly. and many n Hun;
aviator was condemned and executed
by them before they came to their
ends. They just waded in and fought
according 10 the light of nature 80
On the ground they had their own
ideas of discipline. Even their mascots
were not those OF other units. Their
two lion cubs. Whisky" and Soda
were famed throughout the French ana
British flying services. One rcmem-z
bers we'll a wing commander in the
British service going TO call on thss
Lafayette Escadrille when it arrived
on an acrodrome near his The first
thing he met was the hind end Of an
American. the rest OF him being under
hut. built a foot so off the ground. :;
from which presently he dragged a.
scutfiing, snarllnG lion cub which he
introduced along with himself to tho
Eritish officer a representing Americas;
IN the air war. That the first In.
PRODUCTION OF the British flying SER
vices to the Lafayette Escadrille.
There is also Cute another kind OF
American with whom many OF us be- Il
came acquainted early in the war. He
was the Canadian--at any rate. he came
over to join the Royal Naval Air Ser
vice and the Royal Flying Corps, hav-
ms obtained commission in the Cana 81
dian army. But when one got to know
him, one found that he came from New
Orleans or Seattle, or Marb!ehead. or
possibly from Oshkosh. Wis. His
knowledge OF Canada seemed vague. Il
but he knew the States inside out As
a rule he was either horseman or a
yachtsman with money of his own. @
One OF them. a wealthy New Yorker. 4
educated at Elton College, was one OF s.
the most wonderful pilots we have 4
ever seen in this country. In his hands
an airplane did everything except talk.
Ana he was great lighting man. His Il
death in an aerodrome accident was 4
genuine grief to many in the Royal
Flying Corps 49,
CANADIAN PROVES STAR
PERFORMER IN THE AIR
Equally brilliant was "canadian..5
from Cincinnati, who was a star turn
In the Royal Naval Air Service. and
eventually met his death very gal!ant-ss
~ In the Balkans And there wcre a
dozens more as good or nearly as good
During tho past year. since America
came into the war. we have had hum
drcdS. possibly evan thnnsan ds 1.k 49,