The New York herald., 1921-02-27
Flying Not Always Serious Business,
But 1t BehOOVes One to Take 1t So

skies when he recalled an all important ap-
pontment to have tea somewhere, and
started to climb down to get il. But a tree
had other plans for him. Like a true bird he
came to roost In the branches. His machine
stayed on top, but the aviator continued
downward without hesitation. After turning
a fiip-fop he landed on his feet. without a
splinter-without even q scratch--to remind
him that tree had once meant something in
his life, while the wreckage above would
never get over It,
He shook himself, gave one glance at the
crumpled biplane and went on to his en-
gagement.
The Airpiane Hitches Itself
To a Post of Disaster
Down South another lieutenant In a hurry
decided 1t was high time to return to earth
and picked for his landing place a spacious
lawn with a smooth, velvety appearance
Ideal II seemed that a perambulator could
be pushed across 1t without jarring loose any
howls from the occupant. Just as he neared
the ground the aviator's startled eyes saw
that he was headed straight for one of those
ornamental iron Jockeys stands around an
old-fashioned hitching post, only too ready to
oblige.
The airplane hitched itself TO this very
emphaticaIly. The aviator managed to pop
out in the nick OF time and escaped with
nothing worse than regrets But his ma
chine was ripped in two and made a spec
tacle of itself generally over the hitching
post. The flyer stood scratching his head
and looking at the inviting lawn and the
prostrated airplane.
"Dodgast IT," he exclaimed, "this was the
only bad spot in the place. and had TO pick
& outl"
But he kept his date
When aerial adventurers first acquired a
hah pf fota fha Ixrr
the land informally and getting away with It,
II was noted that when they were finally
picked up they seemed most interested in
whether their cigarettes would draw. THIS
soon became standardized. OF course the
idea of the coffin-naiI display was to show
that even II the earth had been shaken, the
aviator wasn't
Fledgling flyers eagerly adopted the Gus
tom of rolling one after a forced landing to
indicate that you couldn't keep a good avi-
ator down. A young cadet In an army camp
a short time ago made up his mind that II
over he had a crash he would be found airily
putting weed to display he had perfect con-
trol--except perhaps when the bump oc-
CURED. He soon had an opportunity TO dem
onstrate. but II so happened that after he
fell his commanding officer came on the
scene before the young man had time 10 have
all the stage props suitably arranged. In his
agitation the novice stuck the lighted end OF
the cigarette into his mouth
Experience with excited young neophytes
their initial flights increases the sense OF
humor OF instructors but turns them gray.
A young graduate from Princeton was up
on his first aerial tour with an instructor
in back OF him when he rose excitedly 20
look over the cowl and make sure as he pre-
pared to land that he wasn't going to dis
locate the map. In his nervousness he
caught the "joy-sticls" used for elevating and
depressing the plane. up under his coat so
that the more he leaned forward the more
the ship accommodated him by leaning
forward too.
Knocks the Pupil Out
To Save Him From Injury
The instructor. sensing something was
wrong, began tugging on the dual controls
behind. but the more he pulled in one direc-
ton the more the stick was pulled in the
opposite direction by the cadet, who now
seemed unable TO disentangle the coat the
Joy stick or his feelings Finally the In
structor had 10 sntc him over the head
with a wrench, knocking him unconscious. In
order to bring the plane to the ground with
out hurting themselves or the scenery.
Upsetting the terrain Is an important mat
ter for army flyers, even ~ the landscape
looks so wild that little rough treatment
might improve II. Every time part OF the
ground Is disodged by an aviator he must
report II TO his superior officer, for the
very good reason that in doing so. even
slightly. he might have damaged or weak