The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-05-14


 and record-smashing achievement had been begun in September, 1911.
 Admiral David w. Taylor, chief con- structor of the navy, of course, ire quently discussed with me problems relating to aviation. One day in Sep- tenlber of our first war year he sent for Naval Constructors Westervelt and ILunsacker
 T want a plane designed that will fly across the Atlantic" he told them, as quietly as though he were ordering poached eggs for breakfast.
 They realized what a task he had imposed, but set about it irnm ediately. The undertaking aroused my warmest enthusiasm. It was big project. ex- ceeding the most ambitious efforts of any other nation.
 Admiral Taylor's force went to work at once. By the end of 1917 all the main elements of the design had been formulated, and early in 1918 the work of construction was begun. The NC-1 was completed by the first of October, and the first test flight followed three days later. On November ', just be- fore the armistice, she flew to Wash 1ngton where we inspected her; then went on to Hampton roads, and re- turned to Rockaway. Sim months later the NC-4 fulfilled her promise by mak-
 
 You will note that this was a war time project, conceived in war time and worked out in war time. Had the war lasted another year We would have been crossing from America to France by aeroplane and dropping bombs on U-boats as we flew.
 GREAT RECORD IN AVIATION
 The aerial record of the navy Is as full of occasion for pride and satisfac- ton as it's purely aquatic record
 The first armed forces of the United States to land in France were naval aviators. One group, sailing on the Neptune, landed on June 5, 1917, at Pauillac the port from which LaFay- cite sailed for America to join the struggling colonists in their war for independence
 z Another group on the Jupiter reached St. Nazaire on June 9, sailing through the very waters in which John Faul Jones operated in the Revolution
 The United States had A aviation stations and units in Europe. Our, na- val aircratt made 5,691 flights, cover. Ing distance of 791,39S miles They attacked 43 submarines from the air ana We're credited, according to the records of naval aviation, with sink ing two, probably two more, and dam aging, several others
 iHe noFthern bombing group in con- nectlon with the British royal air force, dropped more than 155,o00 pounds of bombs on the U-boat bases at Eruges, zeebrugge and ostend, and on the enemy airdromes and air sta tions in Flanders.
 ofi this side of the Atlantic we had za naval aviation units in operation r2troling the coast from Nova Scotia 70 florlda One unit guarded the Pan- anna canal. Marine corps aviators guarded the Azores. Our patrol fliers in America covered 2,455,92o miles nautical. Our advanced training flights totaied 1o,e49,s4o nautical miles The tctal of naval aviation in America Axores and Europe was more than 15,- ooo,ooo miles. Naval aviation grew curing the war to a force of over so'uoo. It was equipped with 1,17o fIy ing boats, 695 saplanes, 262 land planes' 10 free balloons, POS kite bal icons and Is dirigibles. Of this eouin- hieht' o'0 aircraft were sent abroad.
 FIRST NAVAL ACE
 The long flights along inc pr,tish French and Italian coasts, the patrols Tar out to sea, the combats with ener,v tarcraft and submarines form one of inc most brilliant chapters of the war A lNolume would be required to relate them. lah tell here only the story of the represent "a courage, daring and efficiency of our av- tiators who wrote a new page in naval history
 The first naval lace" Lieut.. David s lIngalls, was attached to the northern pombing group in Flanders While air. craft were arriving from the United states to equip this group, Ingalls, was assigned to royal air force squadron No l2lS, with whom we co-operated in bomb ing the German submarine bases.
 Ingalls, began his spectacular perform ances on August II, 1918, when in com pany with British officer he shot down two-seater machine in a running fight over the German fines. Ripping through the upper air at 120 miles an hour by the skillful maneucering of their planes the allied fliers were able to get in sey- eral bursts from their Lewis gun on the tail of the Germans. whose machine crumpled up, burst into flame and fell 10 earth. Ingalls, machine did not escape without it's share of punctures but luck fly nothing was damaged which inter- efred with the functioning of the motors and the kings held until the return to the squadron airdrome.
 SWOOPED DOWN ON .AIRDROME Or the night of August 13, 1918, Ingalls, flew over the German airdrome at Var senaere, and dropping to point where his plane almost touched the ground he sprayed 450 rounds from his machine gun into the wondering Teutons, who were making desperate efforts to get him with their "archies." Swinging in a wide cir Gle, he again swooped down on the hang CTS and let loose four bombs in the midst or things, putting out searchlights scat tering Germans and mussing things up generally. On September 15 he repeated at the Ger man airdrome at Uytkerke the stunt he worked at Varsenaere Flying low, he rushed out of the clouds upon the Ger man hangars and fired 400 rounds from his Lewis" into the light canvas struc- lures, and with the upward swing of his plane he cut free four bombs upon the Fokkers grouped on the field below
 BROUGHT DOWN RUMPLER
 On this raid IngaHs was the leader of formation of five in a wing of 2O Camels, and on the return from Uytkerke going west from Ostehd at an altitude of 6.000 feet. 1ngalls and Lieut. H. c. Smith of the British air force turned out of formation, swung in over the shore and attacked. The RumplerA turned and dived toward Ostend. the Camels follow ing. Firing 400 rounds from ranges of 30 to 200 yards they chased the enemy plane down to about 800 feet just off the Ostend piers, when the Rumpler went down out of control Aurst into flames and crashed just off the beach,.
 On September IS Ingalls, made one of the most spectacular flights on record. In COrnDa0v with fxuo E,ppIish piIota fy,