EXPERIENCES OF A CANADIAN AVIATOR.
(Related in a letter by Cadet E. S. Grant)

Flying is the subject of the day so I will give you a little account of my work and one flight in particulat. I have been on "solo" for some time now and can manage a machine fairly well. When I came down the day before yesterday I had finished all my "stunting" except two stunts, one was a loop which 8 had to fo by myself as they went loop with two in these machines.

Yesterday I went up about 9.20 4. M. to do evert stunt that I knew. I climbed up about three thpusanf feet right above tge airdrome and in a good place where my instructor could watch me. The first thing I did was to fo a half roll, that is I turned the machine right over and got on my back, then drove out of it. It "nosed" her into the wind and dove. Then I pulled her up and over, then down she went making the loop as nice and easy as could be. I felt pretty good to think I could "loop", so continued "stunting" I did a "roll" that is make the machine turn completely over and upright again and go straight on in her course. This went alright too. I tried nearly everything for thr next fifteen minutes or so, including another loop. I decided to try some steeper turns or "vertical banks", so I turned the machine over on her right side and spun around. It worked fine. Now I said "here foes one on the left" I was up almost three thpusand feet yet. After finishing thi this I intended to do a "spin" or "spiral nose" dive down. While I was doinf this "vertical bank" on the left, I let the nose of the machine frop too low and almost before I knew it, I was into the "loose spin" That didn't worry me for I knees I could spin. I immediately decided to make it spin small and fast or put her in ahat is called a "tight spin", so I moved the rudder hard and moved the "stick" accordingly but she wouldn't come. I then thought I would pull her out of it without waiting any longer, so I tried in the usual way but failed. All this time I was spinning round and round and going earthward at a fine rate. I thought now I must tighten up the spin. I had forgotten to shut off my engine so could not get her to work correctly. I knew I must have dropped a thousand feet by this time so I began I think quickly. I knew what was up against and had about ten seconds to do something or crash. In that ten seconds I did pretty nearly everything. I shut my engine off and tried to tighten the spin up again. I saw her begin to come right so I gave her the engine again, to hurry it but she went back into the same old way. I shut my engine off again and glanced downward. I was vert near the ground so held her hard over then without waiting for her to get in into a real tight spin I tried once more to bring her out, and you can imagine my joy when she came straight about one hundred feet from the ground.

I believe nearly half the camp at the "hangers" saw me. Nearly all the cadets and instructors of our squadron were watching me. Thet all thought I was a "gonner". I was so low down before I got out of the spin that the ambulance had started out and gone about a quarter of the mile to get me. It's only one in a dozen that get into a spin like that and get out. It isn't the fault of the "spin" but of the cadet. I left my engine on too long. I will go right up now is they want me to and again get into the same thing anf bring her out within thousand feet. I,m not the least bit afraid to do the same thing again. I know better how to handle it. That is just part of the adventure. I got away with that part but what came next I didn't get away with. My engine gave out about three minutes later. I had to land so made for the airdrome anf level lanf ground. I didn't have enough height to glide down then, so I saw I had to land any place I could. The only place I could find was a field full of stumps. I knew I was almost certain to crash the machine up but it didn't worry me in the least to make the landing I picked out the best place I could find and dove down. A few feet off the ground I feld her up until she lost all speed and then dropped. She hit a stump and spun up on her nose. I didn't smash her up bad. Five hundred will cover all the damages I think. Nobody cares for a machine when a fellow gets away with so much. The instructor didn't seem to care m uch about the machine if the cadet got off O.K. They have the machine all fixed up this afternoon or nearly so. A little experience like that often gives a fellow confidence for he knows just what can happen. I have as much confidence as ever I think and will go up any time and "carry on" with the "stunting ".

Of course dont say anything to the folks at home about this for they would only worry about it. Probably I will tell them about it when 8 get through, but I dont think I will before. Even if I had crashed I would have likely got off with a few broken bones. The machine was not coming straight enough to completely finish me, I dont think. I like flying just as mach as ever. That is the main subject with me it seems.

(Extract from another letter)

I talk flying half the time, think about it half the time and I suppose I write about it just as much. I'm on "solo" now. This morning I spent fifty minutes in the air alone. It was a case of go up and come down and do the same thing again. Landings' are fairly hard to make at first so that is what I am practicing now. A fellow crashed a few feet from me this morning. I had just landed and was standing still. My instructor was with me but I was doing the work. After web had landed another fellow started to take off straight for us. My instructors took the machine and got it off out of the wat. The fellow tried to avoid hitting us and well I cant say just what he did. When I saw him he was dancing a little jig with the machine. Then I saw him crawl out from under it which was upside down with a broken propeller. broken under carriage two wings broken and the centre plane smashed. He wasn't hurt as it wasn,t a bad crash but he fif about a thousand dollars worth of damage in about ten seconds. About two minutes later I had to go up but I did not mind it. We see things nearly every day, yet no one has been killed for a long time.

(Extract from another letter)

Yesterday was a fine, clear, bright, September day. I was on early mornung flying so was called about six to be at the "hangers" As is natural with me, I slept in for about ten minutes and then had to hurry to be there on time.

When I arrived at the "hangers" my instructor was just ready to ggo out with another cadet who had been on "solo" before. He told me to get a soft helmet as I always do when I go up and also to bring a hard helmet which is used for solo only. In fifteen minutes he was back and we got into a "buss". He "took off" with the wind and away we went. We circled to the right as the airdrome was using a right hand circuit in the morning. All machines go to the right during a certain period or to the left according to the way the wind is blowing.

We landed on what is called the middle aerdrome and which is about half a mile from the "hangers". I then took charge of the machine and we went again, circled around to the right again and back to the aerdrome. I landed but only made a fair landing. I tried the same thing again but was worse this time. I began to get the feel of the thing so the next two trips I was fairly successful. He said we will go up once more. This time I also succeded fairly well.

When we were sitting on the ground after having made the five trips, the instructor turned to me in his seat and told me to put on the hard helmet. I did so. He got out of the seat and went over to the machine of the other cadet, who was on solo and who had just landed about fifty yards from me. I thought he ment for mr to fire ahead and do what I could but he intendedto come back and give me finak instructions, and then send me jup alone.

As he had gone to the other machine, I said "here goes, I,ll try her anyway." So I shoved open the throttle, shoved the "joy stick: forward and waited. She started to purr and started forward alonf the ground. In a minute or a few seconds she began to leave the ground and climb. I seemed to have so many things to think about and watch all at once. Almost before I knew it I was up about four or five thousand feet and I only wanted to go up a couple of hundred as it is easier to land when you are not too high. I was certainly far steeper than I wanted to be or should be, the reason being that I was alone and no one in the front seat so the nose of the machine naturally rose. There I was away up in the air alone and sped along at a fine rate. For a minute ar so I had nothing but straight flying to do so I had time to think. It,s really surprising how fast a fellow can really think when he is in the air. I concluded that I was not very nervous and was rather enjoying the novel experience.

I decided to turn and make a circuit and land again. I shoved over the "joy stick" and put the machine in "a"Bank" and at the same time shoved on the rudder and around she came all O.K. One thing that see med so peculiar was the awful force of the wind. It was much greater than I had ever noticed before. I finally concluded that the cause of this was that I had on a large helmet and it caught the winf much worse.

After making the complete circuit, I could see the place where I wan wanted to land with a circle in the centre. Here now was the hard part I said here foes and shoved the nose down, she shot forward and downward so I shut off my engine and waited, down, then I dove. I could hear the wires on the wings whistling and see them quiver so I knew I was diving too steep. I pulled the nose up alightly anf kept on diving down down. The earth shot up to mr it almost appeared As near as I could judge I was nearly twenty or thirty feet from the ground so I began to gradually pull her nose up and glided. Up came her nose again and I steadied her on the horizon, letting the tail drop. I heard the wheels touch, bump a little, then settle on the ground and glide along on terra firma once again. My troubles weren't over for I had over shot the mark and was on fairly rough round. She began to swerve on the ground now so I shoved on the opposite rudder. In spite of what I could do she swung completely around. He then gave me some more advice and told me He didn't mean for me to go uup alone yet but that it was alright and he only laughed about it. he was telling the other fellows aver at the "hangers" afterwards about me running away from him before heknew I was going up. it must have been funny to see him turn around to come over to give me final instructions and then to see the machine gone. I didn't mean to beat it. I thought he meant for me to go. He was not sore about it though. Thus I managed to make my first trip in an aeroplane a alone.

"Go ahead again" he said, so I switched on my engine again which was working fine, took off again, rose into the azure deep and was o off. I made the same circuit as before. There was no one to tell me to "keep her nose up" or tell me I was slipping. When I made a mistake all I had to do was correct it. I felt quite sure I was side slipping downward on one turn I made, but I did'nt care I could get out alright at anytime. The second landing I did the same as the first. It was better but I bounded too much on touching the ground. My instructor was two or three hundred yards from me whrn I landed this time so he did not come over. I went up again and made another trip and after that we went home. 8I was up an hour and five minutes counting the time the instructor was with me. My actual "solo" time was small but it was a start. Oh ; it is fine to be up alone and I prefer to be alone every time.

During the next week if we get into nice weather I will have plenty of flying. I will practice landing for quite a while as they are hard. They are not really dangerous but it is easy to smash up a machine. In a couple of seconds a fellow can do a hundred ot two thousand dollars worth of damage by making a poor landing. Thus you have a description of my firsy solo flight in the air. The excitement will follow in about a week when I start to "stunt". No it is'nt as dangerous as people make out. Our squadron is the GOOD SQUADRON and we have less accidents. Now this letter has been nearl all flying from the very beginning and not told in very flowery language either for that takes more time and 8 merely wanted to give you a little description and not write an essay.

(Extract from another letter)

I am supposed to know how to handle an aeroplane alone now. Th remainder of my training now is not so much flying as learning how t to direct the artillery and use a gun to the best advantage. I am not afraid of a plane nowanyway. On Saturday we had a fairly rough day and the winf was extra strong and the air was rough, but I did'n mind in the least taking the "buss" upI. I felt quite confident in te the air and I had a poor machine too for they had just put a new wing on her and she would'nt climb. I could'nt get her higher than 1500 feet. I ddid the famous spin that I told you of in which I nearly crashed. I nearly always spin to come down.

I have had another little adventure which I must tell you about. On Thursday last I was told I could have a machine and go up I was not toldwhat I was to do so I did as I liked. That was alright nbut what I liked and what they liked did'nt seem to agree. Another fellow and I went up and started for Orillia about thirty five or fourty miles away. We got there of course and got back again but the trouble was it took us too long. we landed there and hed a goo time, had apples etc, gave the folks all the news and returned. We were treated like regular heroes. Say; Harry. itis fine to land in some farmers field. Stay there half an hour and you can hardly move for the crowd which had collected. First out comes the farmer and his wifeto shake hands w th the "daring aviator" and the next thing half a dozen invite you to go to dinner or bring out pies cakes etc. Then they want your oppinion of the war. One old fellow tried to get all the news he could from me and here I dont know any more about it than him. Some of the fellows shoot a line to them. You know they ask the greatest questions about a plane an and some of the fellows give them some fine answers. For instance t they will ask you what happens if your engine stops and the fellows say they get out and fix it or use a sky hook and stay up there or they cant get down then etc. A fellow sure has fun on such a trip. When we got back they cancelledour week end leave and gave us fatigues instead. Of course we deserved for they could not allow cadets to "beat" it any time with a machine.

I dont think I have really "got my wind up" yet, even when I was coming down in that spin I knew what I was doing all the time and although I expected to crash I dont think I had "my wind up" It beats all how a fellow can keep cool at such times. My watch came through a bad crash yesterday. I loaned it to a fellow for an hour or so and he crashed. He smashed himself up also the plane but the watch is as good as ever.

Since arriving in this camp, Ive only been up in the air twice. One trip I was up an hour and the other over an hour. I was reading signals from the ground, doing nothing more or less. Our work here is somewhat monotonous as it is all signals and wireless. We are not supposed to do any stinting of any account, although if we are up quite a height it is a big temptation to pur her into a spin and come right down rather than glide down. On my second trip I did this.

I am sending you a picture taken at Borden. These three gents and myself slept in a tent together. On the right in the sun helmet we have Prince L.C. Johnson, the famous Mountainview Ace. So far he has no machines to his credit. I have one machine to my credit. That is I have brought down one machine but it happened to be my own instead of a Hun. I have brought three down but only crashed in this one, as I told you about. I got away with the others.

The war news is looking good now and it is almost too good to believe that the end is so near and it looks as though the Hun was on the run. I sure would like to get over to France but would be glad to see the end. Say: Harry, I may not be able to get over anyway. I had the honer, an honor which I did.nt want, of being recommended for an instructor' which means stay in Canada if I make good. I must have been at least fair at Borden. If I am also recommended here and at Beamsville I,m afraid I am doomed. So you see it is up to me to do some little thing or things to make it much that I wont be recommended here. I dont want to stay here and drive one of these busses. I want a real machine, one that travells. I dont suppose I,ve ever travelled even when in a very very steep nose dive over a hundred miles per hour.

(Clipping from another letter)

If a fellow is inclined to be sick at any stage of the game it is the part that I have just been finishing. When you go up with an instructor anf he starts to stunt, well, look out. Many a fellow has eft his breakfast out on some farmers field and come down with a fierce headache. My stomach stays in place but he can make my head sing. The other day we did roll after roll and "umpteen" turns, one after another, then when we came down I went up and did the same thing myself. When nighr comes after a couple hours flying like that I'm just dead tired. It's great though to feel that a fellow can take t that old "buss" and whirl her up and down and roll her aver and know that you have controll of her all the time. to feel that you can just pi pitch that machine around anywhere and yet have control of her is worth something. My remaining time in the air will be aereal fighting and that is fun.