Diary And Letters Of A World War I Fighter Pilot, The (5 page)

I had a topping day in Town yesterday & went to see “Zig Zag” at the Coliseum; it was priceless & awfully funny. I also did a Cinema & had dinner at the Maison Lyons & got the 10 o'clock train from King's Cross. I had a comfy journey to York where I had to change & wait three hours so I went to the Station Hotel & lay down in the Lounge till train time – they charged me 2/6 for that, swindle! I was met at Tadcaster by a “tender” & here I am.

I have been placed on the strength of 46 Reserve Squadron pro tem. & as the Flight Commander of “B” Flight is acting C.O. I am acting Flight Commander!!! I have to “instruct” & test “buses” & get people through, it is jolly hard work too! Fancy me a Flight Commander!! Nothing further about Tractor Scouts which I thought I might be put to learn. I had a ripping leave & enjoyed it awfully. Well my duties call so I must knock off. writing again soon.

Tadcaster

The other day I took the bus up to about 6000 ft over Harrogate & proceeded to delight that town with a few choice “stunts”! I managed to do the famous Immelman Turn – you pull the nose up with the engine on till the speed goes down to about 40 m.p.h. Then you kick on right rudder hard & switch off the engine, the bus “stalls” but instead of the nose falling straight down it falls over to the right, gets into the nosedive & comes out the opposite direction to that in which you started. I did a tail side also, that consists in “stalling” without pulling the joy-stick right in to you – on the stall the bus slides backward for about 30 ft before the nose goes down, however this is bad for the elevators & not to be recommended I have taken up several pupils on my flights for “joy rides” & more or less “put the wind up them”!

The Immelman Turn on F.E.s

I tried a new thing the other day (quite safe!) called the “Falling Leaf Flutter”. It consists of coming down in a series of right & left side slips & is rather fun. Yesterday I went up & had an aerial “scrap” with another fellow in another “bus”. I kept on his back nearly all the time & dived on him at 120 m.p.h. Some speed! The weather has been pretty “dud” lately & most unsettled. The other day I had a forced landing on an F.E.2B. My engine cut out at 3000 ft I looked for a good field, over judged my landing & came to ground at 80 m.p.h. – went slap through a hedge hardly feeling a bump & came to rest 150 yds the other side. I sent for A.Ms [Aircraft Mechanics] & they patched up the engine & I flew her home all right. I went to Leeds the other day & saw “Razzle Dazzle”, jolly good. The other evening I went out to dinner with Burbidge to his home in his sidecar & had quite a good time. Three of my pupils got their “Wings” last night & did their night landings – very dark! I am afraid I can't get to Kirk today as being Flight Commander I have to stay here & fly! Well I will knock off now as you have all my news.

Tadcaster

Thanks very much for your letters. I think I am going up to Turnbury [
sic
] on Monday next. I shall try to manage a weekend in Edinburgh on the way there if I can get it – won't that be nice? I am no longer Flight Commander as a fellow just home from France has come & taken over. I am just as glad as I now have a superlatively “cushy” time!

Yesterday evening I went up & took a man for a joy ride, I have never been up on such a gorgeous evening! From 5000 ft you could see for miles round & never a bump. Then above that you came into night mist. I got the bus up to 11,000 ft in 23½ minutes which is jolly good for a bus weighing something over a ton! I was just level with the top of the mist & in the light of the red setting sun it was lovely!

I did a perfectly vertical bank yesterday. On the way down last night from 11,000 ft I did every “stunt” I could think of. I started with an Immelman Turn & incidentally very nearly got into a spin (quite safe of course at that height) but it “put the wind up me”! Na poo! Then I did a spiral, then I stalled & did a vertical nose dive getting up the speed to 125 m.p.h. Next I did a very steep spiral then the “Falling Leaf” side slip stunt & then I S-turned onto the aerodrome & landed. The passenger said I was “some stunt-pilot”!

The other day we had “Formation Flying”. The F.E.2Bs made a formation & the two F.E.2Ds were going up above to strafe them, we lost the formation & flew over Harrogate. It was very bumpy & thick above 4,000 ft & the other man was quite low & doing “stunts”. I lost him & went home. At 3.30 p.m. he rang me up to say that he had had a forced landing at Redcar about 7 miles off! The other morning I went up to test a bus & the engine cut out just as I got up! I shoved her down to land in a field but she just picked up & crawled home! I had “wind up”! Thanks awfully for the bracelet it is topping & just right.

Tadcaster

Thanks so much for your numerous letters & etc. Alas! Turnbury [
sic
] is “washed out”. I am not going. A nil report went in & when our names went up it was too late – rotten, isn't it? I am now staying on here pro tem. The Flight Commander has gone away for a week so I am again acting F.C.! I have an assistant! isn't it priceless?! I have been having quite a few adventures lately. On Friday I went over to Catterick & took a passenger, I flew at 11,500 ft I stayed there a few hours. McElroy [later Captain G.E.H. McElroy, 40 Squadron] is doing awfully well; he has been “looping” on a Vickers. Coming back it was rather misty & I had some difficulty finding my way. On Friday night there was a Zepp. scare & flares were alight all night & patrol machines up. Yesterday morning I went up with a passenger & established my height record. I got up to 14,000 ft. It was very cold up there but I didn't notice that it was hard to breathe. The view was gorgeous; you could see the Humber nearly to the sea & all the mountains for miles round. I was over Harrogate; it took 20 minutes to come down. I had a little game with two clouds like this:-

I got a big cloud bump going under that one. I have been doing a lot of practice scrapping with another machine, one gets on the tail of the other about 70 ft. behind & the other tries to get them off & get on his tail. You twist & turn a bit; it is great fun & splendid practice. Another machine passing you & going in the opposite direction seems to be going like a rocket. The other “bus” always seems to be “crabbing” sideways.

I nose-dived at 133 m.p.h. the other day. All these stunts are quite safe as I am always a good height up. Now I come to the incident for which I deserve about 14 medals for valour! Two of my pupils had gone up to scrap – one on the best & fastest bus in the flight – my own pet one in fact. Well they didn't come back. Then I heard that one had crashed at Northallerton – about 35 miles away & that the other had come down to see him – the poor chap was killed sad to say. I was sent over at 7.p.m. in sidecar to Northallerton – having had no supper! It took 2¼ hours to get there, I found the crash which was the best machine lying on its top plane & pretty well smithereened! The other was all right or looked so but I was told the lead from the main petrol tank was leaking. There are 3 tanks to a “bus”. Service, Main & Auxiliary. The Auxiliary lasts about an hour – so the only thing to do was to fly it back on that. So I got it started up & “took off”. The field was on an awful slope but I “took off” down hill & got up O.K. Then I flew back – I started at 9.10 p.m. & got back at 9.50 p.m. & it was getting rather dark. However I managed it all right though I was all the while expecting the engine to miss & splutter showing the petrol was giving out. The pilot of the “bus” wasn't there so I left him behind. I couldn't risk waiting as it was getting dark. He came back today – of course he had no right to go so far away. Such are the joys of a Flight Commander!

I went to church today but the service was awful. When I went to Catterick I left my pocket book behind with £8. in it – however I phoned up & am glad to say it was found. Enclosed are some photos which my passenger took at 6,000ft – the one showing the wing tip was taken in a vertical bank – please return them.

Tadcaster

I hope you got my Sunday letter, I am expecting yours tomorrow. There is not much to tell you, I have mastered the way to do pukka Immelman Turns & practise them! In one position you are more or less upside down but there is no danger of falling out as I strap in for them – they are great! I have discovered that a sort of half Immelman done with the engine on is the quickest way of turning round & so am practising that. McElroy came over here yesterday on his cross country from Catterick on a De Hav scout. However he made a “dud” landing and has damaged his tail skid & so is staying on till it is fixed up.

I flew over Harrogate today & dropped a message to a fellow there I know who was at College & who lives there. I don't know if it will reach him!

I hope you are all very fit – isn't this great weather? I never wear a coat flying these times!

A tragic thing has occurred, someone has “borrowed' my ripping “goggles” you gave me & has not put them back. I always leave them in my office & yesterday they were gone, they must have been stolen I am afraid. I have put up a notice & hope to get them back. Now please don't blame me it really wasn't carelessness this time!

Well I haven't any more news & so will stop.

 

Tadcaster

Thanks so much for your letters which I received on Thursday – I was wondering what had become of you – I haven't been able to get to church today as there was flying all morning & I can't stand that preacher! It is swelteringly hot today & I sit in my office in my shirt sleeves & gasp!

I had a terrific adventure on Tuesday! A man had been on a cross country & had had a forced landing at North Duffield near Selby. He had smashed his tail booms but they were patched up & I was sent to fly it back & at the same time as before so I naturally missed dinner!

Well we got off – I took the other man in the front seat in grand style – it was very misty however & I got above what I thought was the right river & followed it. After about ¾ of an hour, the distance from North Duffield to Tadcaster ought to take about 20 minutes if you know the way, there was still no sign of Tad so I came down to about 500 ft. & flew round. We then realised we had lost our way, we passed over a Cathedral Town & a large camp which we did not know but I saw a landing ground (a field with a white O on it) below & landed. It was an abominable ground all hills & hollows, sheep & long grass with no wind indicator. I kept my engine running & an ancient G.R. soldier came out of a hut so we asked him where we were – “Binsoe landing ground 6 miles N. of Ripon”.

Ripon is about 25 miles north of Tadcaster. It was about 9.30 p.m. but we thought we would have a shot at getting back. We got in but the engine had stopped so I asked the ancient if he could swing my “prop”.

“I be sure I can't” was the reply – so I got my passenger to help & we got it started. Then the fun began!

This is a rough sketch of the landing ground & the country round with which we came in contact. The dotted line shows our path in the air, the solid lead line shows the points our wheels touched. Well we took off & when about 150 ft. up the engine cut out! I jammed her nose down meaning to go over the wooden fence ahead of us. My wheels had actually touched the top of the fence when r-r-r-r-r-! roared out again full blast. I was going straight for those beastly trees! So I pulled the joy stick in as hard as I could, up went her nose & we cleared those trees by about 2 ft! At this moment the engine cut out again & I put her down to land in the next field but just as I was touching the hedge she opened out again with a roar so I pulled her up & hoped she would keep going, but no, with a despairing konk she cut right out this time so I landed in the cornfield – quite well – but pretty fast. The idiotic bus rushed like a mad elephant across that field, howled with joy when it saw the hedge & went slap through it! It was some hedge too! The bus cut a gap, of about 6 ft across, clean through it. The only damage done in that entire trip was a few cuts on the fabric of the planes made by bits of hedge! Some trip! I hadn't any time “to get the wind up”; all I thought of while it was going on was “Gee! This is some steeple chase!” When the bus stopped eventually we both stood up & howled with laughter! We then went to phone for assistance & having left a “guard” we spent the night at the house of a friendly solicitor nearby who kindly offered us hospitality. A very nice chap too, who kept us amused with his yarns till 12.30 a.m.!

Binsoe Landing Ground

Next day down in the village we were accosted by an old gentleman who turned out to be Sir John Templeton and he most kindly asked us to lunch, we went & had a jolly good feed; afterwards we went & sat awhile in the loveliest little riverside garden you ever saw.

Then the mechanics arrived & we got the bus started & took off from the cornfield – clearing the hedge at the end by about 6”! However at 1500 ft. the engine again cut out – this time I made a good landing in the landing ground & got it fixed up. About 6.30 it was all right & we took off & followed the Great North Road home – you do see life in the R.F.C! It was some trip I tell you & steeple chasing in the air with a missing engine is most thrilling, rather too much so! I am not taking any unnecessary risks dear. I was ordered to fly the bus back & did so to the best of my ability – the engine did the rest!

A fellow was killed here on Monday in an F.E.2B which is very sad. Now don't get worried about me! I won't have it!

Well bestest love to you both, from The Bunsoy (some Aviator!!).

[The nickname “Bunsoy” is a Filipino name.]

46 R.S. Royal Flying Corps,
Tadcaster