FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1933
1933 - 1268.PDF
FLIGHT, DECEMBER 21, 1933 •*« HHHHnHIHHHBHHHi FIRING AT THE DROGUE : When a gunner has proved himself at the ground targets he is allowed to fire at targets in the air, and his merit is rated by his success at this practice. (FLIGHT Photo.) Air-Firing Practice The other part of the work at North Coates Fifties con cerns firing machine guns from aeroplanes. In a day bomber both the front gun and the rear gun have to be taken into account. The old method of practising machine gun firing from the air was only to fire at ground targets. During the war, before armament camps had been properly organised, it was a common practice for pilots to dive at a pond in a field, firing as they dived. This sometimes re sulted in their getting their machines past the vertical, and as some of the fighters of those days were automatic ally stable when flying upside down, an inexperienced pilot could not always recover from this position, and the results were sometimes disastrous. In any case, firing at an immovable target on the ground was very insufficient preparation for firing at a moving enemy aircraft in the air. At the armament camps each pilot starts his gunnery course by firing at a ground target, and one of our photo graphs shows the rear gunner in a Fairey " Gordon," using his machine gun on targets which lie in a line just ofl the beach on the range. There are 10 of these targets, and each has its number displayed beside it. The target in our photograph is No. IV. The actual targets are covered with old fabric off aeroplanes, hence the rings on the target in the photograph, which do not indicate bull's- eyes, magpies, etc., as might be supposed. When the pilot and the rear gunner have proved them selves efficient at the ground targets, they are turned on to targets towed through the air, and it is the score made on these air targets which counts in the course. The towed targets are of two kinds, a flag and a drogue. The flag is flat, but can be towed in either a horizontal or a vertical position. The towing is carried out by one of the machines of the Station Flight, which is possessed of three " Gordons " and a " Moth." The towing is done by one of the " Gordons," which carries three targets. These are broken one at a time. The cable is a Bowden type stranded wire, and the target is generally released to about 1,000 ft. behind the " Gordon," which flies round in a large circle, so that the machine is never in a direct line with the target. When a practice at one target has been completed, the " Gordon " flies over Donna Nook and drops the target, and then releases another without having to land. The second type of target is called a drogue, and resembles the ordinary wind-stocking which is flown at every aerodrome. It is of the same dimensions as the fuselage of a " Bulldog." One of our illustrations shows the front gun of a " Gordon " firing at a drogue. More than one practice can be carried out at the same flag or drogue before it is dropped. The bullets used in the different practices are smeared with paint of different ccjlours, and a trace of the colour can be seen clearly round the hole in the target, so that the shots of the different practices can be distinguished when the target is dropped. Short of having an aircraft controlled by wire less, or a glider released from an aircraft, as is the prac tice at Gosport for naval gunnery practice, this method of firing at a drogue is perhaps as good as any could be for training pilots and air gunners to hit enemy aircraft in the air. It is the opinion of not a few pilots who did a lot of fighting in the last war, that in those days not nearly enough attention was paid to marksmanship. The general rule was: Hold your fire until you are so close that you can't miss. Baron von Richthofen often speaks of British pilots starting to fire too soon, which he regarded as a sign of nervousness. He never felt any fear of such fire, and it always gave him confidence that the British machine would fall an easy victim to his great experience and skill. Just occasionally one heard tales of someone who was an expert shot in the air, and would shoot down his " Hun from an unexpected distance. It is one of the objects of the armament training camps that in future no pilot and no gunner shall go into action without sufficient prac tice in firing at an air target. This sedulous practice may save us many losses and bring us many victories if ever again our Royal Air Force has to meet an enemy in the air. Note.—For list of previous articles published in FLIGHT dealing with R.A.F. Squadrons, see page 1299. -^ S&r rrmrn 1282 ** 3&K
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
