Learning to Duel in the Sky 



How the towed target balloon is used in machine-gun practice 

 By Lieutenant Henry A. Bruno 



Late Imperial Royal Flying Corps, Canada 



A FEW weeks after America entered 

 the war plans were made for the 

 immediate training of thousands of 

 air-fighters. Some of the best army men 

 in the United States service were sent to 

 Canada to find out something about the 

 science of training men for aerial warfare. 



The largest aerial gunnery school in 

 Canada is the one at the Royal Flying 

 Corps Headquarters, Camp Borden, On- 

 tario. To-day there are several gunnery 

 schools in this country modeled after 

 Camp Borden, and the methods used in 

 the United States are slight improve- 

 ments over those adopted by Canada. 



It is at the ground school that the 

 prospective air-fighter first makes the ac- 

 quaintance of a machine-gun. In order 

 to graduate from the machine-gun di- 

 vision of the ground school he must be 

 able to take down and assemble both the 

 Lewis and Vickers guns 



Firing, with trench machine-guns, at 

 large targets placed in gun-pits, is the first 

 actual firing 

 done by the 

 pupils. 



After receiv- 

 ing Q. V. G. 

 ("Qualified 

 Very Good") 

 on this ground 

 gun work, the 



Drum li\ positioiv 

 for Iirir\g 



Rear sight 



\ _jj / /- barrel ai\d stock 

 -Tripod 



^Gyr\rvcri scat 



pilot takes his first actual lesson in aerial 

 gunnery. A standard Curtis, two seater, 

 ninety horsepower training biplane is 

 used, altered so as to allow a gun to be 

 fitted. The target, a square of white can- 

 vas bearing a reproduction of the German 

 iron cross in the center, is laid out on the 

 ground. Two signal flags are raised to 

 warn the curious away. 



You climb into the plane, and strap 

 yourself tightly in your seat. As the gun 

 (an eighteen-pound Lewis) will move up 

 and down only about ten inches, the only 

 way to get a shot at the target is to have 

 the pilot shut off his motor and dive nose 

 first to within a few feet of it. Then you 

 grind out your shots and swoop up again. 

 If your pilot doesn't open up his motor 

 and swoop up in time, you crash. If you 

 fire at too long a range the instructor will 

 call your attention in no gentle way. If 

 your pilot shows fear in not getting close 

 enough to the target, both of you will get 

 a worse reprimand than if you were to 

 Rediiacj smash several 



Rcdiiaq, Ballet X machines. 



•» ^tnn N I About a week 



later you will be 

 ready for ad- 

 vanced air prac- 

 tice. This time 

 the target is a 

 pear-shaped 



The target, fifty feet from the gun, consists of 

 white canvas with black squares painted on it 



LiixtoTfligKt 



® 

 ^igr\ol riaq 



- 10 feet ■ 



RcprodvJctior\ of 

 tKe Gtrrrvon lroi\ CroAi 



® 



.tlrveotfligM 



/'Comn\ci\cc f irii\g 



. Ceaat f irirxj 



5igr\al f lag^ 



Target ot\ grovirvd 



6igi\&l flag 



Appearance of the target, at which the flyer 

 directs his fire, as his aeroplane dives down 



Diagram showing the line of flight in practice 

 and marking the proper position for firing 



