The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1918-10-18
AMERICANS HAVE
LARGEST FLYING
CAMP IN FRANCE
Field Covers Area of Thirty-Six
Square Miles.

many TYPES OF AIRPLANES
Reservation Is Divided Into Nine Sec
tions, Through Which Men Advance
to Proficiency-Three Branches of
Aviation for Warfare: Chase and
Combat Work, Bombardment, and
Reconnaissance.
The American flying camp is the
largest in France and is said to be
greater than any other In the world.
A flying field Of SO square miles, the
area of an American township, with
nine separate flying fields on which
American aviators advance to the
stage of flight combatants, and air.
planes-Libertys, Nieuports, Capronis,
and all the others, with officers, in
structors, and newly equipped avia-
tors swelling our squadrons each
month-these were some Of the main
features Of this vast aviation ground.
AS the Associated Press correspond
ent entered one Of the fields big gray
machine rose from a nearby field with
loud, droning noise.
"There goes Liberty airplane," said
one of the officers. It was one of the
increasing number now coming, and
every flight was watched with keen
est interest and growing enthusiasm
by those who will put it to the su-
preme test on the fighting front. Only
one opinion was heard among these
men-that it was the biggest and fast
est machine of them all.
Groups of aviators were lined up as
we arrived, preparatory to taking the
air. They were stocky, young men. like
two football elevens about to take the
field. The flying grounds stretched off
for miles-nine fields Of four square
miles each-all clean-cut stubble fields
on which the machines could land
without shock. Above them circled
many planes, singly and in squadrons
drawn out like wild geese, looping and
diving and all the evoIutions of flight,
with groups Of acrobatic planes over
to the right making headlong spirals,
wing slips and reversements.
Barracks Form a City.
In the foreground rose city Of bar
racks, one-stOry pine shacks 100 feet
long-not very highly ornamental, but
very practical. Fully thousand Of
these barracks had risen on this level
plain to house the army Of flying men
on the way to the fighting lines.
We went from field to field to note
each stage in the development Of COM
bat aviation. Generally speaking, 1t
was explained, there are three distinct
branches of this aviation warfare
chase and combat work, in which most
of the fighting occurs; bombardment
Of enemy forces, camps and towns;
and scouting or reconnaissance work
for purposes of observation of enemy
activities. 1t is for combat and bonn
bardment that the training is done
here, and of those going forward
about four-fifths are combat
ant and one-fifth bombardment pilots.
'"These are the 'grasshoppers, said
the captain as we came to field No. 1,
where the initial groundwork and the
DRY Of flight begins. The grasshoppers
were diminutive machines with just
enough horsepower to jump over the
ground, and occasionally rise ten feet.
The men call them taxis. They were
skipping about singly and in squads.
Two were having race across the
plain, and one taking a dive buried Its
nose in the ground. This was the cir
Gus part Of flying, at the start, but
there was plenty Of very practical
work beside with motor instruction.
gunnery, trap shooting, rifle range and
gun firing. Small dummy air
planes dotted the field as targets, and
the bounding grasshoppers took their
shots and were rated by the watching
instructors.
On the second field the aviators had
left their grasshoppers and were in
machine accompanied
by an instructor. They were getting
the "feel" Of the machine in actual
flight, and If the rudder was not ma
nipulated deftly the instructor was
there to make the correction. And
1t was necessary here to learn how to
come down as well as to go up, and
to come down at a definite point.
Small numbered flags marked the land
Ing point Of each machine.
The captain Of field No. was about
to step into the "Flying Dragon" one
Of the most curious machines of the
fleet, for besides being very feet,
15-meter car, It was famous for its
dragon body, with flaming scales and
tentacles and great red eyes. Here
on this field the aviators entered
machines. without an in
structor, and for the first time took
their own risks.
Tricky Type Of Machine.
On field A II began to develop wheth-
er the aviator could qualify as a COM
hat airman or for bouha rduoenf mr.