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Aviation History
1915
1915 - 0768.PDF
fWRffil subsistence up to the beginning of 1914. Then the works were transferred to Ithaca, N.Y., where excellent facilities were available, and various types of machines were produced, including land-going tractors and pushers, as well as flying boats. When the war broke out, the output of machines was about one every three weeks, but realising the increasing demand which was likely to be the result of the war, con siderable extensions were made and extra machinery installed, so that in the course of a few weeks the output had been increased to one machine per week. As the demand soon exceeded this figure, the capacity was increased to two machines per week, which is, we believe, the present output, but, should necessity arise, this can be easily increased tc five machines per week. The whole lay-out of the Thomas factory has been planned with a view to facilitating as much as possible the manufacture of parts in quantities and the rapid assembling of machines. As the wood comes from the mills it is distributed to the various departments, such as wing, fuselage, chassis and wood finishing departments. The wing frames and control surfaces are then transferred to the covering and doping shop, whence they travel to ® ® OCTOBER 8, 1915. the assembling room on the ground floor. Here the machines are erected prior to being taken out to the flying ground for preliminary tests. The fuselages and under-carriages are erected and covered in the fuselage assembling room, and are then passed on to the final erecting shop where radiators, tanks and motor are installed. The metal workshops form a special group from whence the fittings are dis tributed to the respective departments. After being tested the machines are dismantled and put into their crates ready for shipment, which is greatly facilitated by the location of the factory, which is such that the pack ing yards adjoin the railway, and thus allow prompt shipment to eastern or western ports. In addition to the works, the Thomas school of aviation, which is under the same management, but is an inde pendent company, is busily engaged training volunteers for the air services, for which they have exceptional facilities, since apart from the aerodrome close to the works, pupils can if desired be trained on waterplanes over Lake Cayuga. Further developments, both as regards new machines and in other directions, are well on the way, but regarding these no information may be published at present. ® ® THREE WEEIS' WORE OF THE S.FX. THE following vivid picture of the way the Royal Ftying Corps does its work was written for the Daily Express by Mr. Pe>cival Phillips, their special correspondent at the General Headr/uartcrs of the British Army in the Field, under date of September 20th :— " Forty aeroplane fights in eighteen days ! " This is the record of the Royal Flying Corps with the British army in the field during the first three weeks of September. Forty battles in the air fought with machine guns and revolvers, a mile and a half to two miles above the stagnant trenches in Flanders and Northern France. " Four enemy aeroplanes are known to have been destroyed ; at least seven others were sent hurriedly to earth and are believed to have been destroyed, and all the survivors were chased ignomiiiiously into their own country. "This is not an attempt to glorify Our flying men unduly, but to give some idea of the work they have done during: the so-called ' quiet' days along the British front. Many thrilling stories of these life- and-tleath struggles in the sky can be found behind the brief official reports of the Commander-in-Chief of recent victories won by British pilots and their passengers. " It is a rule of the Royal Flying Corps that no names shall be mentioned in describing any of the deeds done by its members. I appreciate the motive, but regret nevertheless that I cannot reveal the identity of some of these modest heroes ; for example, of the young pilot who, single-handed, has already brought down and destroyed six German aeroplanes, two of them in one day. "Strenuous Work. " Here is the official record of encounters with the enemy since the beginning of the month :— >ate. 1st 4th 5<h ... 6th ... 7th 8ih ... 9th No. of Encounters. 2 1 9 2 5 2 1 Date. 10th ... nth ... 12th ... 13th ... 14th ... i8ih ... No. of Encounters. 5 1 5 4 1 2 " The majority of these engagements have been over the German lines or behind them, and three of the enemy machines known to have been destroyed fell in the rear of their trenches. The fourth— a fine new Albatros—was brought down in our territory badly riddled with bullets, but the aeroplane was not materially damaged. " Of late the German flying men have lost their taste for extensive reconnaissance over the Allies' positions. The Albatros shot down was far bfyond the protection of its own anti-aircraft guns. British scouts continue to make daily tours above the enemy trenches, and their opponents mainly exert themselves in trying to drive them off or to lure them well within range of the high-angle guns which specialise in aeroplane marksmanship. " Many encounters have been inconclusive. A British aeroplane sailing due east over German entrenchments is challenged by an Aviatik or an Albatros. The latter circles round the intruder trying meanwhile to bring his machine gun into action. The British pilot opens with his own gun. There are several sharp spurts of firing, and the wings of both machines are cut by bullets. "Pilot's Five Fights. " Imagine the situation of a British pilot who is flying alone in one of the small light ' scout' machines. He must steer and manoeuvre with one hand and fire a machine gun with the other. The fragile high-powered ' scout' requires delicate handling ; the slightest mistake might mean immediate disaster. Yet there has been more than one instance of a one-man ' scout' engaging and defeating or beating off a more powerful enemy after a series of fantastic, and, to inexperienced eyes, seemingly impossible evolutions at a dizzy height. " One pilot had five fights in one morning. He beat off the first four German machines that came up to grapple with him, one after the other, but when the fifth bore down on him he had exhausted all his machine gun and revolver ammunition. Instead of retreating to safety he boldly turned and dived to meet the enemy, holding his empty pistol as though ready for action. " The noise of the engines drowns the report of a revolver, and the German pilot who saw him go through the motions of aiming and firing d d not realise that the weapon was useless. The German fired twenty or thirty rounds, and then gave it up. The British airman finished his reconnaissance in peace, and came back to lunch. " One furious battle in the air, witnessed by thousands of soldiers, and resulting in the total destruction of the German aeroplane, took place on September 7th. This machine had been particularly active in ' rangii g' the enemy guns. It could be seen circling and signalling above some of our positions. "A British B. E.'aefoplane went out, and gave battle at 9,000 feet over the German lines. It was a clear blight day, and the two aeroplanes were very distinct as they darted acro-s the sky and back again like angry hiids, now climbing, now gliding, and all the while pelting each other with bullets. They gradua ly came lower and lower. The troops on both sides watched the deadly stiuggle ; it was one of the most thrilling episodes of the year. " Suddenly the German aeroplane was seen to dive erratically. It came down, down, at increasing speed, and at a tragic a gle. ' We cannot say positively that it was destroyed,' said the officer, who told me of this incident, ' but when last seen it was diving nose downwards, at 150 miles an hour, about 200 feet from the ground.' " There were four other engagements on the same day, and in every instance the Aviatik was beaten off. One British pilot, who suddenly fom d himself heavily handicapped, worsted his enemy by a clever ' bluff,' which I shall not describe. . . . His opponent may have been a brave man, but he was certainly a fool. " Another battle, which ended in the annihilation of the German machine, took place on September 5th. The British aeroplane was flying at 9,000 feet when the enemy was sighted approaching at 768
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