THRILLING AIR INCIDENT.

North Otago Times, Volume CIII, Issue 13652, 21 August 1916, Page 4

THRILLING AIR INCIDENT.

A PILOT'S COOLNESS. The daring exploits of the allied airmen in this war.are so frequent that it would be impossible to recount a tithe of them. Here is a story which once more brings into relief the coolness, courage, and resource which are the common attributes of all French pilots: Near Yprcs a flight sergeant went up with a young lieutenant to take photographs over the railway lines in possession of the Germans. Above Roulers the Frenchmen were attacked by three fast Hying enemy planes, one of which they disposed of. Immediately afterwards, however, the French machinegun jammed and the'young lieutenant stood up to adjust it. He was shot through the .head and fell across the control levers ditching the pijot in his death agony. Two attacking machines were within a hundred y;m\>i and .the French biplane was rocking to and fro in a perilons fashion The Gorman bullets were whistling round the helpless Apparatus and perforating the wings. The sergeant wjlli great difficulty managed to free himself from the convulsive grip of his dying comrade and pushed the body into the bottom of the car, then he quickly regained control of.the machine, lie was twenty-five miles from the French lines, and the German airmen were close behind him pouring in a constant stream of bullets. The Frenchman was unable to reply, Ihe gun being beyond his reach', Twisting and zig-zaggiiig, he steered for home closely pursued by the Fokkers. one above him and one below. Four bullets struck his seal, another cut through one of the.rudders. The. only course open tojhc French pilot was io volplane as quickly as possible down lo his own lines. Five miles from home he was only 'I'M feet up, ami as he crossed the trenches lie was handy 11)01) I'cet above the ground, lie came (lowa on French soil, not .inn yards from the Germans. His young observer officer was still alive, but succumbed to his injuries next day.