228 lee: aviation and the war 



The evolution of the machines themselves is very interest- 

 ing. At the beginning of the war we had only about four small 

 squadrons, of 12 machines each. They consisted of what we now 

 call very old machines. There were some Farman machines, 

 some 2. A and B's, and one or two Bleriots, which at that time 

 were considered very speedy machines. All those machines are 

 now considered too slow even for training. In those days they 

 used to fly under 3000 feet and used to come back with a tre- 

 mendous lot of bullet holes in their machines, but there were not 

 many casualties. As the war went on, with time and experience 

 the machines gradually were improved, until at the present time 

 we have scout machines that fly 135 miles an hour, machines 

 that will climb 15,000 feet in less than fifteen minutes. 



That is the evolution that has been forced on France and 

 England. It is a matter of life and death to the Allies to keep just 

 a little better than the German. But it is very hard to get very 

 much better than he. In practically every case a machine is 

 obsolescent from the time that it appears on a production basis 

 at the front. So it is one huge race to get a machine with a little 

 more maneuverability, a little more climbing ability, and a little 

 more speed. Your defense is not the bullet-proof seat you are 

 sitting in; the only defense you have is the maneuverability of 

 your machine. , 



To return to the training. When the pupils come to the ground 

 schools they get a certain amount of ground training. They 

 are told what the machine can do, and the detailed operations 

 that are performed by the various parts. They are also given 

 the ordinary subjects connected with drill and military life. 

 After six or eight weeks in training, when they have become- 

 soldiers to a certain extent and have acquired a certain amount 

 of discipline, they are drafted to a school of flying. 



At this school of flying, according to their temperament, 

 according to how they fly, according to age, and according to 

 their all around knowledge, they are assigned to one of three 

 branches: first, the single-seater scout; second, the artillery- 

 observation squadrons ; or, third, the bombing machines for both 

 day and night bombing. 



