of a squadron which it was left for the war to prove,
and which, even with the experience of war to teach them, some
commanding officers were slow to learn. A paper of 'Maxims' which he
jotted down as early as 1912 contains many wise and practical remarks.
Some of them are of general application, as, for instance, these:

_When things are going well, the man in charge can give play to his
fears._

_Nothing is ever as good or as bad as it seems._

_If you know what you want, you can do your part, and get others to do
theirs. Most people don't know what they want._

But by far the greater number of them deal with aviation and its
problems. Here are some worthy of remembrance:

_Time in the air is needed to make a pilot._

_In training pilots, no machine should go out without knowing what it is
to do, do that and that alone, then land._

_No young pilot should be allowed out in 'bumps' until he has done
fifteen hours' piloting._

_An aeroplane will live in any wind and a lifeboat in any sea, but they
both want good and experienced men at the tiller._

_When on the ground every one overrates his capacity for air work._

_A squadron commander should want a good squadron, and not to be able to
break records._

_Waiting about on an aerodrome has spoilt more pilots than everything
else put together._

This last truth will come home to all pilots who have flown on the war
front. To have discovered it shows an instinct for command. Flying is a
nervous business; there is no wear and tear harder on a war pilot than
to be kept in attendance on an aerodrome, with the nerves at a high
degree of tension, and perhaps to be dismissed in the end. A skilful and
imaginative commander will use all possible devices to avoid or diminish
these periods of strain.

Any account of Major Burke would be incomplete if it contained no
mention of his famous machine, the first B.E. This machine was
familiarly known to the officers of the early Flying Corps, most of
whom--Sykes, Brancker, Brooke-Popham, Raleigh, Carden, Ashmore,
Longcroft, and many others--had occasionally flown it. It was an
experimental two-seater tractor biplane, designed as early as 1911 at
the factory. At that time no funds were available for constructing
aeroplanes of factory design. This difficulty was overcome by an
expedient well known to all students of law. There was no money for
construction, but there was money for repairs and overhaul. The first
B.E. was c