Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1919-01-14


When we first noticed the Huns. our
machines were about six miles back
of the German lines and we were lying
high up In the sky, keeping the sun
behind us, so that the enemy could not
see us.
We picked out three Of the machines
and dove down on them. went right
by the man I picked for myself and
his observer in the rear seat kept
pumping at me to beat the band. Not
one of my shots took effect as I went
right down under him, but ! turned
and gave him another burst Of bullets,
and down he went In spinning nose
dive, one of his wings going one way
and one another. As saw him crash
to the ground knew that had got my
first hostile aircraft. One of my COM
rades was equally successful, but the
other two German machines got away.
We chased them back until things got
too hot for US by reason Of the appear
ance Of other German machines, ana
then we called 1t DAY.
This experience whetted my appetite
for more Of the same kind, and DID
not have long to wait.
It may be well to explain here just
what a spinning nose bend is. A few
years ago the spinning nose dive was
considered one Of the most dangerous
things a pilot could attempt, and
many men were killed getting into this
spin and not knowing how to come
out of 1t. In fact, lots OF pilots
thought that when once you got Into
spinning nose dive there was no
way of coming out Of 1t. 1t Is now
used, however, In actual flying.
The machines that are used In
France are controlled in two ways,
both by hands and feet, the feet
working the yoke or rudder bar
which controls the rudder; that steers
the machine. The lateral controls
fore and aft, which cause the ma
chine to rise or lower, are controlled
II by a contrivance called 10y stick"
If, when flying in the air. pilot
should release his hold on this stick,
It will gradually come toward the
pilot.
In that position the machine will
begin to climb. SO If pilot Is shot
and loses control of this "joy stick"
his machine begins to ascend, and
comes too great for 1t to continue or
the motor to pull the plane; for
fraction Of q second 1t stops. and the
motor then being the heaviest, II
causes the nose of the machine TO fall
forward, pitching down at terrific
rate of speed and spinning at the
same time. If the motor Is still run.
ming, 1t naturally increases the speed
much more than 1t would II the mo-
tor were shut off, and there is great
danger that the wings will double up,
causing the machine to break apart.
Although spins are made with the
motor on, you are dropping like a ball
being dropped out Of the sky and the
| velocity increases with the power OF
the motor.
This spinning nose dive has been
| frequently used in "stunt" flying In
recent years, but is now put to prac-
| teal use by pilots In getting away
from hostile machines, for when a
man Is spinning it Is almost impos-
sible to hit him, and the man making
the attack invariably thinks his en-
emy is going down to certain death
In the spin.
This is all right when man Is
over his own territory, because he
| can right his machine aud come out
| of it; but If 1t happens over German
| territory, the Huns would only follow
him down, and when he came out of
the spin they would be above him,
having all the advantage, and would
shoot him down with ease. It is a
good way of getting down into a
cloud, and Is used very often by both
sides, but 1t requires skill and cour-
age by the pilot making 1t If he ever
expects to come out alive. A spin
being made by a pilot Intentionally
looks exactly like spin that is made
by a machine actually being shot
down, so one never knows whether 1t
is forced or intentional until the pilot
either rights his machine and comes
out of it, or crashes to the ground.
Another dive similar to this one is
known as just the plain dive. AS
sumo, for instance, that pilot flying
at q height of several thousand feet
is shot, loses control of his machine,
and the nose Of the plane starts down
with the motor full on. He Is going
at a tremendous speed and in many
Instances Is going so straight ana
swiftly that the speed is too great for
the machine, because 1t was never
constructed to Withstand the enor-
nous pressure forced against the
wings, and they consequently crumple
up.
II. too, In an attempt to straighten
the machine. the elevators should be-
come affected. as often happens IN
trying to bring machine out OF
dive, the strain Is again too great on
the wings, and there is the same dis
astrous result. Oftentimes, when the
patrol tank Is punctured by tracer
bullet from another machine in the
air, the plane that is hit catches on
| fire and either gets into a spin or q
straight dive and heads for the earth,
hundreds of miles an hour, mass OF
flame, looking like a brilliant comet
in the sky.
| The spinning nose dive Is used 70
greater advantage by the Germans
| than by our own pilots for the reason
that when a fight gets too hot for the
German, he will put his machine 10
a spin, and as the chances are nine
out Of ten that we are fighting over
German territory, he simply spins
down out Of our range, straightens
out before he reaches the ground. and
gets on home to his airdrome. It IL
useless to follow him down inside the
German lines, for you would In all
probability be shot down before you
can attain sufficient altitude to cross
! the line again. lts. =.
! It. often happens that q pilot VII
be chasing another machine wher