Aeronautics, Military -- France; World War, 1914-1918 -- Aerial operations; World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal narratives
Another danger, which I would never have thought of if an experienced
pilot had not pointed it out, lies in the cables mooring the captive
balloons. These are invisible to an approaching aviator and to collide
with one means a fatal smash. When flying low enough to pass under the
"saucisses," aviators must watch out for these "tethers." Nevertheless,
you can always take advantage of one of their peculiarities. The cable
always stretches to windward, and in a good breeze it stretches far. By
keeping well to leeward you can always rest reasonably assured that you
are on the safe side. Many aviators, however, have met with fatal
accidents, through fouling these cables. I know of only one instance
where the pilot did escape unhurt after striking the wire. It seems
that the moment he saw what was going to happen he put his machine into
a vertical bank, so that when the impact came he was turning about the
cable. Then, strangely enough, by continuing his spiral he was able
finally to disengage himself and escape.
Telephone and telegraph wires also are a certain menace to aviators.
They form a regular network behind the lines, while on every
aviation-field there are in addition wireless aerials to avoid. Many a
returning pilot has forgotten them in his haste to get back to camp, and
fouled them, to his regret. One pilot I knew met his fate in this way.
He had been wounded by a shrapnel-ball over the German lines, and had
managed to return to his own field. He was so weak from the loss of
blood that in his anxiety to land quickly he forgot the aerials. His
machine caught the wires and fell to the ground. Both the pilot’s legs
were broken in the fall and he died, not so much from his wound as from
this unfortunate accident.
Still another risk is encountered when flying in the clouds. A cloud is
dangerous at any time because there may be an enemy—or, in fact, any
machine—in it. If you enter the mist you may be going head on into
another aeroplane without having the slightest warning of its presence.
Your own motor makes so much noise that you never under any
circumstances hear that of another machine until too late. You are in
consequence deprived of both your eyesight and your hearing. At the
front the risk of meeting an enemy aeroplane under such circumstances
can never be overlooked, for often fighting machines use the mist to
cover their presence.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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