TRANSCRIBED FROM THE ARKANSAS GAZETTE MAY 5, 1918 P. 28
Just a few lines to let you know I am fine and going great. I have been receiving the Gazette pretty regularly since I have been over here. Have been over now about seven months and the best thing I can say for Europe is that it is second to the U. S. A. I have seen a part of England, and a greater part of France and nearly all of Italy.
I will endeavor to tell you what flying feels like. To try to be funny, I could say, “Like nothing on earth.” It is better answered that “there are no sensations.” Straight forward flying is not interesting. As soon as the machine leaves the ground the sense of speed decreases and when you have reached the height of a few thousand feet the ground appears to crawl slowly by you, there is never a feeling that the machine is moving, and it is hard to believe that you are moving through the air at from 100 to 120 miles an hour. There is far more sensation of speed in a car going 35 to 40 miles an hour. Going 100 to 120 miles an hour does not affect you unless some part of the body is exposed.
Again, there is little feeling of height. The machine is so detached from the ground that there is no comparison. Some people can’t stand great heights, but low heights very seldom affect anyone. Breathing is affected at great altitudes, owing to the thinness of the air, and at 23,000 feet or more it is necessary to use oxygen. The greatest sensation in a ride is to come down out of the skies to the green fields below, sometimes singing at the top of your voice. This is, of course, drowned out by the roar of your motor. Rapid decent causes deafness and it is best to stop at an intermediate altitude to allow the pressure on both sides of the eardrums to equalize. “Swallowing” helps and also when you get back on the ground if you blow and hold your mouth and your nose closed this equalizes the pressure. This is all there is to straight line flying, but acrobatics are nearly the same in sensations.
Will try and tell you some of the places I have visited since coming over: Liverpool, Southampton, Havre, Paris, Lyon, Modane, Turin, Foggia, Rome, Bologna, Alexandria, Amberrin, Chambrey, Bourg, Macon, Chagny Montelinin, Nevers, Bourges and Tours. Rome is a wonderful place, with the Vatican and St. Peters, the Colisseum, Forum, Partheon, Catacombs, etc. I have had the honor of seeing the Pope twice and was much impressed with him. I have flown over the battlefield at Cannae, where Hannibal inflicted upon the Romans the worst defeat they have ever suffered.
NOTES: First Lieut. Frank Letzig of Little Rock was writing to a member of the staff of the Arkansas Gazette. He trained in the first officers training camp at Fort Roots but was accepted for flight school and was transferred to ground school at the University of Texas. He was one of a group of men who had done exceptionally well at ground school and were sent to Foggia, Italy, to complete his training. Before the war Letzig was an outstanding all-around athlete at Little Rock High School. He was born January 23, 1893 and died February 21, 1955.
TRANSCRIBED BY CAROLYN YANCEY KENT
Just a few lines to let you know I am fine and going great. I have been receiving the Gazette pretty regularly since I have been over here. Have been over now about seven months and the best thing I can say for Europe is that it is second to the U. S. A. I have seen a part of England, and a greater part of France and nearly all of Italy.
I will endeavor to tell you what flying feels like. To try to be funny, I could say, “Like nothing on earth.” It is better answered that “there are no sensations.” Straight forward flying is not interesting. As soon as the machine leaves the ground the sense of speed decreases and when you have reached the height of a few thousand feet the ground appears to crawl slowly by you, there is never a feeling that the machine is moving, and it is hard to believe that you are moving through the air at from 100 to 120 miles an hour. There is far more sensation of speed in a car going 35 to 40 miles an hour. Going 100 to 120 miles an hour does not affect you unless some part of the body is exposed.
Again, there is little feeling of height. The machine is so detached from the ground that there is no comparison. Some people can’t stand great heights, but low heights very seldom affect anyone. Breathing is affected at great altitudes, owing to the thinness of the air, and at 23,000 feet or more it is necessary to use oxygen. The greatest sensation in a ride is to come down out of the skies to the green fields below, sometimes singing at the top of your voice. This is, of course, drowned out by the roar of your motor. Rapid decent causes deafness and it is best to stop at an intermediate altitude to allow the pressure on both sides of the eardrums to equalize. “Swallowing” helps and also when you get back on the ground if you blow and hold your mouth and your nose closed this equalizes the pressure. This is all there is to straight line flying, but acrobatics are nearly the same in sensations.
Will try and tell you some of the places I have visited since coming over: Liverpool, Southampton, Havre, Paris, Lyon, Modane, Turin, Foggia, Rome, Bologna, Alexandria, Amberrin, Chambrey, Bourg, Macon, Chagny Montelinin, Nevers, Bourges and Tours. Rome is a wonderful place, with the Vatican and St. Peters, the Colisseum, Forum, Partheon, Catacombs, etc. I have had the honor of seeing the Pope twice and was much impressed with him. I have flown over the battlefield at Cannae, where Hannibal inflicted upon the Romans the worst defeat they have ever suffered.
NOTES: First Lieut. Frank Letzig of Little Rock was writing to a member of the staff of the Arkansas Gazette. He trained in the first officers training camp at Fort Roots but was accepted for flight school and was transferred to ground school at the University of Texas. He was one of a group of men who had done exceptionally well at ground school and were sent to Foggia, Italy, to complete his training. Before the war Letzig was an outstanding all-around athlete at Little Rock High School. He was born January 23, 1893 and died February 21, 1955.
TRANSCRIBED BY CAROLYN YANCEY KENT