ENCOUNTER IN MID-AIR.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 169, 17 July 1916, Page 11

ENCOUNTER IN MID-AIR.

(FRENCHMAN'S ADVKN'I'UKE. News has reached Paris from the Verdun, region of a heroic adventure, in which an aeroplane pilot and observer were involved, writes the Paris correspondent of the "Morning Post." The two men met with a Fokker in the air. and .-while they -were chasing it a second Fokker came up behin,d, and it was not until they heard the sound of its motor that they knew it wad near. The existence of the second enemy machine had hardly been recognised before the pilot fell over his controls wounded. The machine started dropping like a dead leaf, and fell from C,OOO feet to 2,500 felt. ■ j. Meanwhile the observer was re-loading the machine gun, wondering all the time what was going to happen unless the pilot regained his senses. The Fokker, believing tho French machine to be entirely out of action, followed it down. but. when still 2.500 feet up. the French pilot came to, and the observer, taking advantage of the Fokker coming into range, fired his muchine-gnn off pointblank. It -was the Fokkert turn to fall, and a puff of smoke from the petrol tank showed that all waa up. Trie French machine had a rather difficult landing, but help was at once forthcoming. The special correspondent of the " Matin" in describing the episode, writes that neither man could leave the aeroplane unaided. One had three bullets in his body, and the other two, but they made light of their wounds in view of the success they had achieved. What is considered here to be a record flijrht is tbp one recently made by a French aviator from Salonika to Sofia. The distance was three hundred miles, ami the flight was accomplished alone by night. Despite difficulties in finding the way. the airman succeeded in getting through unhurt, though his journey involved passing over the enemjy's air fleet both on his way to Sofia and on his return. Tho hero of this e\-ploit is a well-known pilot, who in times of peace gained several prizes.