Diary And Letters Of A World War I Fighter Pilot, The Read Online Free Page A

there are Martinsyde’s Scouts there. Jack Gilmore at Dover. The Art. Obs. machines are all F.Es which are “pushers”. I went to church today.
    On Friday a lot of us went to Harrogate for the afternoon it is a very nice place with lovely hotels but it was very quiet when I was there. I won’t get my “wings” after I leave here but I will get my “ticket” or Royal Aeronautical Club Certificate. I don’t get my “wings” till I have passed through an Advanced Squadron & done 25 hours “solo”. It is very warm indeed up here now wonderful to relate. Well you have all my news as I have done no flying lately.
    Guy got his “ticket” on April 30th & at the same time 48 hours leave so he took the night mail to London & thence to Dover to find his Dad there alone, I having gone to Byfleet the day before. He spent the day & night at 8 Marine Parade and came up to Town on 2nd May & spent a jolly day with us all – Elsie, Gladwys & Leon & myself. We lunched at Gallards on Regent Street & then went to see George Alexander in “The Aristocrats” then the others went back to By fleet. Guy & I had tea at the Regent Palace Hotel & then went to Putney for dinner. He saw me off at Clapham Junction for By fleet & then went on to King’s Cross to catch his own train back to Catterick. On May 3rd he was sent to join his advanced squadron at Tadcaster, about 50 miles from Catterick, so did not get up to Stirling as he hoped. We had a postcard telling us he had been moved & his next letter, the first from Tadcaster, was written on May 6th.
    Mrs Janie Knocker, GMK’s mother.
    46th Reserve Squadron
Royal Flying Corps
Tadcaster, Yorks.
    6th May 1917
    Sorry not to have written before. This place is very nearly as “dud” a spot as Catterick – 2½ miles from Tadcaster village & a very rotten aerodrome very rough bumpy ground. The machines here are all “pushers” viz. De Havilland 2-seater fighters (D.H.1A) with 80 h.p. Renault engines. F.E.2Bs (Fighting Experimental) very stable machines 120 h.p. Beard motor. F.E.2Ds an improved 2B 250 h.p. Rolls-Royce engine.
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    At present I am on D.H.1s. I went up for 50 minutes dual yesterday & did very well. I then went up again for 15 minutes.
    The F.E.2d. Engine 250 h.p. Rolls-Royce.
    Then they thought I was fit for “solo” so up I went alone!
    These machines are very sensitive fore & aft & “stall” at about 48 m.p.h. Well I was quite all right in the air – they are very nice buses to fly. I went round & tried to land but I flattened out too soon & put her nose up. She really “stalled” but I switched on again. Then I tried to land again but a beastly F.E. came down beneath me & right across my front. This put me off so I went round again. By this time I was a bit “fed up” & it was getting “bumpy” so I tried to land. This time I thought I was quite near the ground & put her nose up to put her tail on the ground but I was really about 10 ft. up. I nearly “stalled” again so jammed down her nose & came down “bump” & continued to bump till the machine got “fed up”! I am now on dual again! I did quite well this morning & am quite confident that I have got the “hang” of landing now; I am going solo again next time. I won’t hurt myself so don’t worry. My course down was rather like this:
    My dramatic landing on a D.H.1
    I think I will pass out of this Squadron in about 3 weeks, most people do. Then I will go to Turnbury [Turnberry, Scotland] for a machine gun course & then “Wings”!
    I think I am going to Leeds tonight – about 11 miles off as the weather is too “dud” for flying.
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    Nr. 46 R.S.
Royal Flying Corps
Bramham Moor
Tadcaster
    7th May 1917
    Thanks very much for your letters. This morning I went up again solo on De Havs, they are very easy buses to fly – but landing is as