A French Aviator between Flights.
Adjt. Rumsey: I think 5500 metres is about 19,000 feet. Some go up 6000 metres, which makes about 20,000 feet.
Adjt. Prince: We go up there, and we have a certain sector of the front to look after. If we are only man-hunting, we go backward and forward like a policeman to prevent the Germans from getting over our own lines. We usually fly by fours, if we can, and the four go out together, so as not to be alone. We are usually fighting inside of the German lines, because the morale of the French and English is better than that of the Germans to-day; and every fight I have had—I have never been lucky enough to have one inside of my own lines—they have all been inside of the German lines.
Senator Kirby: What is the equipment of a battle plane such as you use?
Adjt. Prince: I use the 180 horse-power machine. It is called a "S. P. A. D.," which has a Spanish motor. But a great many of the motors to-day are being built here in America.
Senator Kirby: How many men do you carry?
Adjt. Prince: We go up alone in these machines. We did have two guns. We had the Lewis gun on our upper wing and the Vickers down below, that shoots through the propeller as the propeller turns around. Then we gave up the Lewis above. It added more weight, and we did not need it so much. The trouble with the Lewis gun is that it has only ninety-seven cartridges, while the Vickers has five hundred, and you can do just as much damage with the Vickers as you could with them both.
Senator Sutherland: You drive and fight at the same time?
Adjt. Prince: Yes, sir.
Adjt. Rumsey: The machine gun is fixed.