“I don’t know much about artillery adjustment,” said Bill. “During the war I was a pursuit pilot.”
“Now’s the best time to learn then,” replied Smith.
“Why the trick leggins?” asked Kiel, the Commander of the Second Flight in the Ninth Squadron.
“I had no choice,” replied Bill. “A porcupine started to eat my best ones while I was up in Oregon. All my others need cleaning too badly to wear. These wrapped leggins are comfortable, even though they take more time to put on.”
“I thought that everyone threw away those leggins as soon as they could after the war,” said Kiel.
“It’s a good thing that I saved these,” replied Bill. “If I hadn’t, I would have been waiting in my quarters now for my others to be shined and repaired. Then you would have had to take this mission. From my point of view, I would rather have had it that way.”
“Well, Sergeant, how’s the old bus percolating?” asked Bill when he came out onto the line and met Sergeant Breene.
“A new engine is being installed in yours,” replied Breene.
“I know that, but how is Lieutenant Batten’s? That’s the one that you and I are going to take out on this artillery mission.”
“I don’t know anything about his plane,” replied Breene. “His crew chief takes care of it.”
“Well, get your flying togs, for we take off as soon as we can get the bus warmed up.”
In a few minutes they were flying around over the reservation while they checked their radio with the ground station at the airdrome. The antenna wire hung two hundred feet below the plane and formed an arc with the lead “fish” at the end of the wire. The fish was a weight shaped in a stream line form so that the wire would ride steadily through the air and hang well down below the plane.
Breene sent out the call letters and then Bill and his observer watched for the O. K. panels. As soon as they appeared, Bill headed his plane out over the Coast Artillery radio station. Once more Breene sent out the call letters of the station. This was acknowledged by the panel signal, “understood.” Then the airplane sent down a message giving the number of the plane, the pilot’s and observer’s names and the information that they were ready to observe the fire of the guns. Each item was repeated so that the ground station would be sure to get it. Finally the ground crew placed the panels in the position which indicated “battery ready to fire.” Then Bill headed his plane out over the ocean.