I.

LOOKING FOR TROUBLE.

... You have asked me, mon amie, to tell you, from personal experience,
all about aeroplanes on active service. With the best will in the world
I can do no such thing, any more than a medical student could tell you,
from personal experience, all about midwifery.

The Flying Corps has in France hundreds of aeroplanes, scores of
squadrons, and a dozen varying duties. Earlier in the war, when army
aircraft were few and their function belonged to the pioneer stage,
every pilot and observer dabbled in many things--reconnaissance,
artillery observation, bomb raids, photography, and fighting. But the
service has since expanded so much, both in size and importance, that
each squadron is made to specialise in one or two branches of work,
while other specialists look after the remainder. The daily round of an
artillery squadron, for example, is very different from the daily round
of a reconnaissance squadron, which is quite as different from that of
a scout squadron. Alors, my experience only covers the duties of my own
squadron. These I will do my best to picture for you, but please don't
look upon my letters as dealing with the Flying Corps as a whole.

Perhaps you will see better what I mean if you know something of our
organisation and of the different kinds of machines. There are slow,
stable two-seaters that observe around the lines; fighting two-seaters
that operate over an area extending some thirty miles beyond the lines;
faster fighting two-seaters that spy upon enemy country still farther
afield; the bombing craft, single-seaters or two-seaters used as
single-seaters; photography machines; and single-seater scouts,
quick-climbing and quick-manoeuvring, that protect and escort the
observation buses and pounce on enemy aeroplanes at sight. All these
confine themselves to their specialised jobs, though their outgoings are
planned to fit the general scheme of aerial tactics. The one diversion
shared by every type is scrapping the air Hun whenever possible--and the
ground Hun too for that matter, if he appear in the open and one can
dive at him.

Our organisation is much the same as the organisation of the older--and
junior--arms of the Service (oh yes! the Gazette gives us precedence over
the Guards, the Household Cavalry, and suchlike people). Three or more
squadrons are directed by a wing-commander, whom one treats with deep
respect as he speeds a formation from the aerodrome; a nu