The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-01-15
.jtSCSIDtO AIR ftAlS
Of LAFAYETTE MEL
Waicott. Since Shot Down Over Ger.
man Lines, Wrote OF Comrades
Daring Adventures In Flanders.
A DIVE OF 10000 FEET
II Loosened All the Airpiane Wires,
But the Aviator Reached the
Ground in Safety.

lures or the Work OF the members OF
the Lafay cite squadron and other
American aviators In France are given
In letters which DIR. Charles D. Wal
colt, secretary Of the Smithsonian in
stitution, has received from his son,
z. S. Walcott whose airplane fell
somewhere behind the German lines"
along the western front. Tho allu-
sions to the work OF the American
aviators contained In these letters are
ali the more interesting at this time
In view OF the fact that the men about
whom Walcott wrote has Just been
commissioned in the American air SER
vice on the recommendation of Gen.
eral Pershing
Or, Walcott has received a dispatch
from Paris informing him that his son
fell within the enemy lines Deem
Der ~ while fighting three single
seaters, after having demolished an
enemy two-seatcr. and that his fate is
uncertain. Inquiries are being made
to ascertain IL possible, from Ger
many whether young wa.icott was
seriously injured or not.
In a letter dated November IS, in
response to an inquiry about Car2p-
bell, an aviator from Chicago, who
was reported lost, young waicott
wrote as follows;
Campbell vas in the Lafayette es-
cradrille, and they are a member OF the
anne group AZ Squadron 81, so | have
asked them about him. He was on a
patrol with another chap: they at
tackled some boches. and when It was
over the other chap was alone. Camp
hall hra h&
territory and so reported missing. I
believe the chap ne was with has
seen and talked to Campbells father
or some close relative since.
Another chap named Bulkeiv WIS
brought down In similar circum-
stances about the first of September
Ten days ago word was received from
the American emhassf that he had
conr'u heated with them, a prisoner
in Germany
18th 70 are nanv similar cases
where men brought DOWN with Grip
pied machines. or wounded, escaped
destruction by miracle. The only sure
thing is When machine goes down
n flames or s seen to lose a wing or
two.
For instance, there are two Of
""ers - the ~roun Who arr in the best
al Ahc4lLAA5 A&o uaiiy WOEhIHE. sew
al - onth a~o thew were on patrol
together and collided in the air. One
So a"hf1e cut the tail rigging COM
pletelv Off the other plane ard then
they seosrated, one plane without a
tail and the other machine with vari-
GUS parts OF a tail mixed among the
cables and struts of one side OF his
machine They both landed In
France, one on his wheels followed
nv a capotage. or somersauit. turn
over, the other quite completely up
side down. Then term in the hospi-
tai and back they are again.
"Rnrn"th Mari an American and
friend of Pete's. had the commands
~ both his controls cut I'm a combat,
the rudder and elevator leaving him
nothing but the a'ieron, the lateral
balance control, and the motor He
landed with only skinned nose for
casualties, and got decoration for
It.
Divef Vertically 10000 Feet.
"Aro'her chan In an attack on CAP
tive balloons. dived for something like
10000 feet vertically and with full
motor on. thereby gaining consider
ahle Srnad az Won can ina zine. He
came right on top ofthe balloon. shot
H~d ~ teen from hitting It. yanked
as roughly as he could. fiattening out
hss d'~n IN the ree~est fraction of a
second. Imagine the strain on tho ma
chine! When he got home all the
''r'reS Na several 'nches sag IN them:
TIE metal connections of the cables
INTO tho struts and wood OF the wines
had hit into the wood enough to give
the sag
Machines are built to stand i'm
r's"se nrassure on the under side OF
their wings In some acrohatic ma
Mowers I was trying the other dav I
made mistakes and caused the ma
chine to stall and then fan In such
wa that the full weight was sup
ported by the upper surface--by the
wires which in most machines are
supuosed merely TO support the weight
OF the wings when the machine is
on the ground
Eyes. the Spad Is weil-buiH ma
chine the nearest thing to perfection
N roirt of strength speed, and climb
ing power I've seen yet. OF course
it's heavy. and that's whv they nut
10000 horse power In them. The
other school. that Of a livht machine
With a l'0ht motor. dependtng for Its
success on lack Of weight rather than
excess of power. may supplant the
hea vier rsch're In time; I can't tell
Yesterday there was a review fere
In honor OF Guynemer and decora.
tons for the pilots of the group who
had won them. Three Americans re-
ceived the Cro'x de C,ue~re--mereher
OF the Lafayette escadrille. Lufbery.
the American ace. carried the Ameri-
can flag PRESENTED to the escadrille
~ Mrs McAdoo and the emrloves of
the treasury department besides the
two aviation emblems of France. He
was called to receive his decoratior
for fa wing in the course of one day
held seven comhats. descended fsic)
one German plane in flames and fore
cd FIVE others to land behind th-ir
lines (Which means that he Is off,
cialiy credited with one-his th'r-
teenth-and that the other five,
though probably brought down. do
not count for him because th~re were
not the necessarv witnesses required
by the French regulatory
"Aviators are not very military. The
thief OF one Of the escadrilies was
commissioned to command the me-
chanics, who are plain soldiers with
rifles and steel helmets. for the oc-
rasion. He Is bit ~ a clown and
amused the entire gathering. kidding
with the officers The pilots OF each
OF the five escadriiles were In more
or less formation. most OF them With
hands In their poeiVts for 1t was
aN