yb 



THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



asked the chef de piste to put me with 

 another monitor. He had to know why, 

 and I registered my kick, which practi- 

 cally said that the first monitor didn't 

 know his business and couldn't drive ; 

 that I was scared to ride with him. The 

 chef was a bit sarcastic, and told me to 

 take two rides with another monitor to 

 show how I could make a virage. I did 

 it the way I've been accustomed to ; made 

 a fairly short turn. When we got down, 

 the monitor said, "Eclatante" (Am. 

 ''stunning"), or something like that, to 

 the chef. 



The chef had meanwhile communi- 

 cated my complaint to the first monitor, 

 and he was the maddest man I ever saw. 

 Demanded what "ce type la," indicating 

 me, wanted; said the virages I had just 

 made were dangerously banked (the 

 monitor I was with didn't mind, though), 

 and then all three started arguing at once 

 at me and I spelled all the French I knew. 



Then, of all things, the lieutenant, with- 

 out further remarks, said I was to con- 

 tinue with my first monitor. My heart 

 sank into my boots. I had visions of 

 staying in that class without rides, or 

 with only rides and fights, for months. 

 I rode no more this morning, and what 

 was my delight to find this evening that 

 my bewhiskered pal had left on permis- 

 sion. 



I got another monitor, a fine one, who 

 put his hands on the side of the machine 

 and let me do everything, with a bit of 

 assistance on the landing, which is differ- 

 ent from what I've been doing on the 

 Caudron. Seven rides and a finish — the 

 23-meter tomorrow morning. I wasn't 

 very good, but got by. 



September 14, 1917. 

 Things for me are going all right. 

 Have made progress on the Nieuport 

 since last I wrote and will fly alone soon. 

 As regards the U. S. Army, things are at 

 a standstill until I get to Paris, which 

 will be a week or so. I hope to go to the 

 front in a French Escadrille and in an 

 American uniform. Some say it can be 

 done ; some that it cannot. It sounds so 

 sensible that I am afraid there must be 

 some regulation against it. 



THE TRUCK SALVAGES THE WRECK WHEN 



A PUPII, "capotes" 



September 2j, 191 J. 



Since last I wrote a regular letter, con- 

 siderable has taken place. First, I am 

 now at Pau, having finished up Avord. 

 Have sent post-cards to father right 

 along to keep track of movements. After 

 brevet was over, I did not take the cus- 

 tomary permission of 48 hours, but went 

 straight to work on Nieuport D. C. 

 (double command). One cannot learn a 

 great deal riding with an instructor — only 

 about enough to keep from smashing in 

 landing, because one never knows when 

 the instructor is messing with the con-, 

 trols, when it's one's self. 



There are five kinds of Nieuports — 

 differing mainly in size, the smaller being 

 faster and more agile in the air, better 

 adapted to eccentric flying. They are 28, 

 23, 18, 15, 13 (the Baby Nieuport). At 

 Avord I had about a week of D. C. on 

 28 and 23 (the numbers refer to size of 

 wings), with several days of no work. 

 Then some days on 23 alone, and finally 

 on 18 alone. 



The landings are a bit different from 

 those of the machines I had been flying, 

 as they are faster, and the machines are 

 quite nose-heavy. In the air the nose- 

 heavy feature makes them "fly them- 

 selves" — that is, according to the speed 

 of the motor the machine will rise and 

 climb or pique and descend, with never a 

 touch from the pilot. If the weather is 

 not very bad, the Nieuport will correct 

 itself automatically from all displace- 

 ments. 



But in landing the nose-heavy feature 

 causes a great many capotages. If the 

 landing isn't done about right with the 

 tail low, over she goes on her nose or all 

 the way onto her back. It is a very com- 

 mon occurrence and has become almost 

 a joke. When a pupil "capotes," every- 

 body kids him. No one hurries over to 

 see if he is hurt; not at all He climbs 

 out from under, usually cursing, and in 

 ten minutes the truck is out to salvage 

 the wreck. 



It is astounding the way smashes are 

 taken as a matter of course. Yesterday 

 one chap in landing hit another machine, 



