Hero of the Angry Sky. David S. Ingalls

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      January 10, 1918. I finally took a ride in a Camel, a scout, single-seater fighting machine. It’s so touchy it just seems to jump if you shiver, and goes into a spin every time you take a turn unless you do it perfectly. I was full of pride that I got back in the same world as when I started. Then later we three went to London again for some excitement. Alice is still to be found. We learned from headquarters we were to hurry through Gosport and proceed to Turnberry, the British finishing school for machine gunnery, and then go to Ayr for a course on aerial fighting.

      So on the 13th we left at 6:10 for our finale at Gosport to find dud weather for several days. More bridge than flying. Ken and Shorty got more damn mail. They gloat over me till I think I’ll advertise for a girl, one who will write a lot. That’s all a girl is good for if she’s in the old U.S.A., at least as far as I’m concerned. Me, I like them closer at hand.172

      [Gosport] January 14, 1918

      Dear Dad:

      We negotiated the battle of London safely for the three days’ leave we were afforded, staying at the American Officers Club, seeing shows and talking to many interesting officers, Army and Navy, who are always stopping there on their way to and from France and America. Among others we saw Admiral Sims for a minute, and Capt. [Hutch] Cone,173 who, as you probably are aware, is at the head of naval aviation. The latter expressed a desire for our finishing up quickly, from which I derived that the men who are going to make up the flights that we are to command have almost completed their course of training at the U. S. Army aviation school for scout pilots in France [Issoudun]. Of these men’s ability to fly and fight the machines we are to use I have unfortunately not a very high opinion. First, because they are not a particularly capable lot although selected as the best from the exceedingly miscellaneous and rather inferior lot of men first sent over. I think I have previously written you concerning the type of men who arrived in France about the time I did. Secondly, because they have not had a great deal of time in the air. And thirdly because from what I have learned of the school, their training cannot have been as complete nor as thorough as the work they are to do demands. Although I fully appreciate the impossibility of such an act, still I am very sorry that they too could not have had the wonderful training that the English have so kindly given us. To be sure they have received the best instruction that the Navy could offer and I hope it is better than I have predicted.

      According to a letter from “Di,” who is executive officer at our future station [Dunkirk], it is progressing as well as could be hoped from the disadvantage of its location—it is constantly bombed by aircraft, which occasionally breaks up the monotony of the construction work. Evidently the authorities here have also received orders to hurry us through, and I expect practically to live in a Camel this week, after which we will immediately be sent to Scotland for I imagine at least two weeks, probably three, training in gunnery and aerial fighting. From here we shall return to France with all the customary naval delay, and probably spend several weeks waiting in Paris, and then perhaps longer for our men to study up on some technical point highly important practically, such as the use of a compass or something like that, which has been sadly neglected.

      Here the weather has been rotten. Wind, clouds, snow, and worst of all, fog. Any weather seems to bring on a heavy ground mist preventing flying. Today it did not clear up until afternoon very late and by that time it was almost tea time, everyone was compelled to adjourn for that important event. However, we have all been given a private Camel, to fly our heads off, which is just what we all want.

      The new allotment or class came in this afternoon—they change every two weeks. We feel like old timers now, just imagine me at tea explaining to an R.F.C. flight commander, who had spent two years at the front, how to work the type of motor used here and how to put one of these dual-machines into a tail-spin. This new bunch are a bit uneasy because this afternoon before flying became possible two of the best instructors went up and did the most wonderful flying imaginable. Even the old timers had to stand around in awe. You see if these men pass here well they do not send them back to the front immediately, but are given a much needed rest for a month instructing—so they are pretty keen to do their best. By that time they are fed up and dying to get back to the front again, and they are then in wonderful shape. A great many, almost all in fact, of this class are Canadians, who I find are a great deal like Americans and have often spent a lot of time in the States, so one feels almost as if it were an American station.

      Well, Dad, here’s hoping for a few weeks good weather. Please tell mother I received a perfectly great chamois vest-coat today, which is just what I’ve been wishing Santa Claus would send. As ever aff. Yours Dave

      [Gosport] January 17, 1917

      Dear Dad:

      Although the weather has been rotten so far this week, yesterday was passable, and I had about an hour and a half [flying]. As we now each have a Camel to ourselves, if the weather permits we can fly as much as we want. Until yesterday afternoon I had not become accustomed to the way the Camel handled, as it is a long step from an Avro, the slow dual machines, to a scout, especially a Camel, as it is about the trickiest and hardest to fly. What helped more than anything else to make me accustomed to the machine was that late in the afternoon as I was fooling around, looping, etc., an instructor also in a Camel suddenly appeared diving at me, and for about ten minutes we chased each other around. It was the most enjoyable and exciting time I have ever had. One forgets about simply flying and does so instinctively, keeping one’s eye always on the other fellow, and also a general lookout for other machines. It is really remarkably how close two machines can come together without colliding.

      Another funny thing, Shorty had just been up before in the same Camel—it is painted a peculiar color, and we had fooled around together, quite a bit apart however. Well at first I thought this must be Shorty again, but in about a second I saw I was wrong for from quite a distance the difference in the two men’s flying ability became quite apparent. To tell the truth whereas Shorty and I had each lots of fear of colliding, when this fellow came around I never thought about it. He had perfect control and I just never thought about running in to him. It seemed to me that the danger of collision is when two machines are just fooling around, thinking themselves alone.

      Well, as I have said, from this little encounter I got lots of confidence and for the rest of the afternoon felt perfectly at home. The machine handles so lightly that anything can be done and it is so easy that you simply couldn’t fly straight if you wanted to. But very foolishly I did a lot, six or seven, tail-spins just before coming in and as the darned little machine spins at a terrible rate I felt rotten for two or three hours afterward. Also, I have broken all speed records that I’ve made before, as several times looking at the air speed indicator in a dive it would be registering 190 or more. If the weather doesn’t improve we’ll be here another week. Suits me all right.

      Dad, the tobacco here is rotten. When you go to New York could you send me some M.M. (medium strength) tobacco. At the “M.M. Importing Co.” address I think 11 E. 45th St. New York. They might be able to send a pound every three or four weeks.174 Did you send my license as a naval aviator? It has not yet arrived. Of course the last mail from you was dated I think Nov. 23 or so. So it may come any time now. I was just talking to an R.F.C. fellow about Dunkirk. He says it isn’t bad in summer but Hell in winter so we’re in no hurry to get there. Well, dinner is served so must go. Aff. Dave.

      January 21, 1918. We’ve been doing a lot of huffing in our Camels, that is, we go up and have mock air battles.175 It’s good practice for the future, provided we get to that future. Ken generally puts it all over me. He has acquired a damn fine reputation here and is considered one of the best pupils the school has had. However, I can hold my own with Shorty and there’s still time for practice before we get to the front. We flew over to Beaulieu for lunch at the school there and were well entertained.176 We had to laugh that afternoon. Some new bird got stuck in one corner of the field and a mechanic went out СКАЧАТЬ