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Show II. S. AVIATION CMPJNMNCE' American Flying Center Said to Be Greater Than Any Other in the World. AMERICAN AVIATION CENTER, ISSODOUN, FRANCE. (Correspondence (Correspon-dence of the Associated Press.) This American Hying camp is the large3t in France and is said to be greater than any other in tho world. A flying field of 36 square miles, the area of an American county, with nine separate flying fields on which Ameri-cun Ameri-cun aviators advance to the stago of flight combatants, and airplanes Lib ertles, Nieuports, Cnpronis and all the others with officers, instructors and newly equipped nvlators swelling our squadrons each month these were some of the main features of this vast aviation ground. As the Associated Press correspondent correspond-ent entered ono of the fields a big gray machine rose from a nearby field with a loud droning noise. "There goes a ' Llborty airplane," said one of the officers. It was one of tho fast Increasing number now coming, com-ing, and every flight was watched with keenest interest and growing enthusiasm enthus-iasm by those who will put it to tho supreme test on the fighting front. Only one opinion was heard among these- men, that it was the biggest and fastest machine of them all. It was doing wonders in quick ascent, and besides straight-away flight it had been put through all the intricacies of acrobatic flight and had been pronounced pro-nounced equal to the AVholc range Groups of aviators were lined up as we arrived, preparatory lo taking the air. They were lithe, stocky, oung men, like two football elevens about to take the field. The flying grounds stretched off for miles nine fields of four square miles each all clean-cut stubble fields on which the machines could light without shock. Above them circled countless planes, singly and in squadrons drawn out like wild geese, looping and diving and in all the evolutions evo-lutions of fiight.owith groups of acrobatic acro-batic planes over to the right, making headlong spirals, wing slips and rc-versements. rc-versements. In the foreground rose a city of barracks, bar-racks, one-story pine shacks 100 feet long, not very highly ornamental but very practical. Fully a thousand of these barracks had risen on this level plain to house tho army of flying men on the way to the fighting line. "We went from field to field to note each stage in the development of combat com-bat aviators. Generally speaking, it was explained, there are three distinct dis-tinct branches of this aviation for warfare: Chase and combat work iu which most of the fighting occurs, bombardment of enemy forces, camps and towns, and scouting or reconnaissance reconnais-sance work for purposes of observation observa-tion of enemy activities. It is for combat com-bat and bombardment that tho train - nib o uuia' iivi i-, iuivi iiniou f,u111? forward monthly about four-fifths are ( combatants and one-fifth bombardment bombard-ment pilots. "These are the 'grasshoppers,' " said the captain as we came to field No. 1, where the initial ground work and theory of flight begins. The grasshop- I pers were diminutive machines with just enough horse -power to jump over the ground, and occasionally rise ton feet. The men call them taxis and : roulers. They were skipping about i singly and in squads. Two were hnv- i ing a race across the plain, and one : taking a dive buried its nose in the ground. This was the circus part of living, at the start, but there was plenty plen-ty of very prnctical work beside, with motor instruction, gunnery, trap shooting, rifle range and machine-gun; firing. Small dummy enemy airplanes I dotted the field as targets, and the, bounding grasshoppers took then shots and were rated by the watching instructors. On the second field the aviators had left their grasshoppers and were in a double-control machine accompanied by an instructor. They were getting the "feel" of the machine in actual flight, and if the rudder was not manipulated man-ipulated deftly the Instructor was I there to make the correction. And it j was necessary here to learn how to j corne down as well as to go up, and to ; como down at a definite point. Small numbered flags marked the landing point of each machine, and the descent must be made close up to the flag. The captain of field No. 3 was about to step into the "Flying Dragon," one of the most curious machines of the ileet, for besides being a very lleet 15 meter car, it was famous for its dragon drag-on body, with flaming scales and ten- J tacles and great red eyes. Here on thio j field tho aviators entered singlo-con-trol machines, without an instructor, and for the first time took their own risks. On Field -1 it began to develop whether the aviators could qualify ;.s a combat airman, or for bombardment or scout observation. He was now In a fast machine with a wing-surface of 18 meters and was beginning to maito dips and high air maneuvering. He was being accustomed to all types of machines. There was a fleet of one of these strange types drawn across the plain. Tholr chief novelty was In hav-iug hav-iug ball-bearings on all their mechanism, mechan-ism, giving a hair-triggcr-'responsc to tho slightest touch. "If you sneeze, you loop the loop," was the way the officer explained the delicacy of this mechanism. Progress is rapid now that it is evident evi-dent what a flyer can do. He outers a very fast machine at No. C. with 15-moter 15-moter wings capable of making 120 miles an hour. Some of the men drop out of tho fraining at this point, as it has become evident that they lack tho deftness or get faint at the height or the heat of the motor. Tho rest go on to Field No. G where thoy begin pursuit pur-suit work and some of tho early stages of acrobatic nose dives and slips "There is nothing freakish about these acrobatics," said the officer "for they aro ono of tho most essential parts of combat aviation. To be a chase and pursuit pilot, one must be able lo out-maneuver the enemy aviator; av-iator; to make quick turns under fire and got above your adversary or on his tail. One or tho other will bo out-maneuvered, out-maneuvered, and tbo fastest ulan wins tho game. The enemy is very skillful at acrobatics, and he must bo beaten at his own game." Licuteunnt Qucntin Roosovelt was In command of Field No. 7 while he was here, and the car of the late officer of-ficer stood in the hangar with a group of flyers about it paying tribute to the splendid qualities and daring of their late leader. His good humor was ra. called by lhe name he had given his car, "Doc Yak," and tho doctor with his flowing whiskers was painted, in flaming colors'on the side of the car. I |