The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1919-07-24

dent what a flyer can do. He enters
n very fast machine az No. .. with 10
meter wings capable of making I'D
miles an hour Some of the men drop
out of the training az this point. as IL
has become evident that they lack the
dizziness or get faint at the height or
the heat OF the motor. The rest go
on to field No. O. where they begin
pursuit work and some OF the early
stages OF acrObatic nose dives and
slips.
sThere Is nothing freakish about
these acrobatics," said the officer. ''for
they are one OF the most essential
parts of combat aviation. To be n
chase and pursuit pilot one must be
able TO out-maneuver the enemy avia-
tor: 10 make quick turns under ire
and get above your adversary or on
his tail One Of the other will be out
unanswered. and the enemy Is very
skIllful AT acrobatics. and he must be
beaten at his own game"
Lieut.. Quentin Roosevelt was In
command OF field No. Z while he was
hangar with n group Of fiers about 10.
paying tribute 10 the splendid quail
ties and daring of their late leader
This is the field on which formation
flying Is begun. I'm squadrons mp 20 IS
machines. but usually with five The
squadron flies I'm V-shape. with the
commander at the apex OF the V. car
rying n streamer which signals the
commands. A fleet Of u machines
was started as we passed. and an
other had just come I'm after two hours
In the air. ending with figure eight.
difficult evolution executed by "cross-
ing the controls" so that the rudder
serves as elevator and the elevator
serves as rudder.
Camera Like a Gun.
On the combat and acrobatic fields.
Nos. and o. scores OF machines were
I'm the air going through their fighting
evolutions or dipping and looping. The
combat airplanes carried camera guns.
a novel device combining a dummy ma
chine gun and a Photographic camera
II looks like n gun. but as the trigger
Is pulled the camera takes n picture
OF the target. showing just what would
have been hit IL n shot instead of a
lens had blazed ahead.
II was over the acrobatic field chat
the real wonders were going on. in
the vertical virage spirals and wing
slips. Spectacular as these seemed
to be. each had It's use I'm the fighting
game. The "vrille" is that dizzy head
first tumble. and the chief thing IL
not TO do Il but TO undo II and come
out of II. II has It's uses. too, In de-
ceiving the enemy into the belief that
the aviator has been hit and Is turn-
bling. then as the enemy Is OF guard.
attacking him suddenly as the aviator
comes out Of his headlOng dive One
OF the flyers made four vrilles as we
watched
1T Is dangerous only when near the
ground" said the escort ~ffeh In
the air there IS comparatively no
set your levers so that you're sure "a
come out OF the vrille-"
Others were doing the spiral. an
other form OF head-first dive. except
that the car Is always under control
whereas In the vrille the control Il
lost until the aviator succeeds In
emerging from his fall. Often thu
machine seemed 20 stop suddenly. turn
over. and then glide away In the oppo
site direction right side up
One of the best maneuvers for es
cape from n dangerous fight is thu
vertical wing-sllp. as IL Is the tastes
means Of losing altitude and gettini
below an unequal combat. When al
acrobatic maneuver misses or Is badl.
done II IS pancake" or barrel
! There Is "a much lingo to the aviation
field as there is to the baseball dia
m9nd-
Leaving the field we passed a Grip
pied aviator hmping on crutches-
"He has had 81 crashes" said III
officer, (which Is about the record
But he goes back every time and he
eager now 10 get In his machine again
And that Is the spirit OF every ma
here. 10 be ready for combat and {
beat the BOche."