New-York tribune., 1919-03-16

Il tiona Service Canada's famous
Ace Of Aces, Colonel William A.
Bishop, " c., d. s. O., M. c., d. +. G.,
describes some effective methods en-
ployed in aerial fighting
"To those who have never seen a war ma
chine" says Colonel bishop, II would ex-
plain that to control one the pilot has to
manipulate but single lever, which we call
the Joy stick 1t Is very much like the
lever with which you shift gears on an au-
tomobie, but it moves in four directions.
If you should want your machine to 90
down, the instructive move would be to lean
the body forward. Therefore, the fighting
alrpiane is so rugged that when the pilot
pushes the 10Y stick forward the nose of
the machine points down. In the same way.
If he pulls the 10y stick back the nose goes
up and the machine climbs at the angle he
wants 1T to. In turning it is necessary to
bank the machine, otherwise it will skid
upward. 1t is also just as necessary that
the machine is not banked too much This
is one of the first things a pupil is taught
when learning to fly. The soy stick also
controls the banking. By moving it to
either side you can tilt up whichever wing
is desired. At his feet the pilot has rud-
der bar which controls the horizontal di-
rection of the machine If he pushes his
left foot forward and banks slightly the
machine turns slowly to the left. To go to
the right there is only necessary a push
with the eight foot and slight bank. The
pilot thus has both feet on the rudder bar,
holds the Joy stick with his right hand
and with his left controls the engine of
the machine by holding the throttle He is
always able to do anything he wishes either
with the engine or the machine itself When
firing the gun he simply moves his thumb
slightly along the Joy stick and presses the
lever which pulls the trigger. To be able
to fight we'll pilot must have absolute con-
troll over his machine He must know by
the feel of it exactly how the machine is,
what position it is in and how it is flying,
so that he may man9uvre rapidly and at
the same time watch his opponent or oppo-
nents. He must be able to loop, turn his
machine over on its back and do various
other flying Stunts Not that these are
actually necessary during combat, but
from the fact that he has done these things
several times he gets absolute confidence,
and when the fight comes along he is not
worrying about how the machine will act
He can devote all his time to fighting the
other fellow, control of his machine coming
instinctively Thus the actual flying, al
though perhaps the hardest to train a man
for, is the least important factor in aerial
fighting. mans flying ability may be
perfect. He may be able to control the ma
chine and handle it better than any one.
but if he goes into fight risking his life
tC t1o ,C,+
tion for good shot and then fails to hit
the mark he is useless.
"If unable to bring his opponent down he
must further hazard his life in order to get
out and away from the enemy. For this rea-
son l consider aerial gunnery the most i'm
portant factor in fighting in the air.
Tactics are next in Importance, because
by the proper use of the right tactics it is \
easy to eliminate risks and also to put the
enemy at great disadvantage. Surprise is
always to be striven for, because if you can
surprise the enemy and get into the proper
position to shoot before he is aware of your
presence it smplifies matters tremendously,
and there should be no second part to the
fight. But it is a very difficult accomplish
ment as every fighting man in the air is con-
stantly the lookout for enemy machines
To surprise him requires degree of patience
and the ability to withstand many failures
A point to be remembered Is that it is easier
to surprise a formation of four or six than
1t is to surprise one or two. This is because
the greater the number the more confident
is their ability to protect themselves, and
also because there is a systematzed plan
fer observers to follow.
"When flying alone or with one other the
pilot must be constantly turning around in
his seat nosing his machine to right and
left, looking above and around or below him
all the time. 1t is only natural that when
you know there three or four other men
behind you it is easier to concentrate your
attention in the direction where you hope
the enemy machines are located if you want
to attack them.
"In an ordinary fight, or a duel, there are