Finally Got WOFF

[Sailor Steve]

18 August 1914

Verdun:
Noel Kay spent the day making his way southward this time. Actually only another hour. The rest of the day was spent talking to mechanics and chatting with his fellow pilots.

Maubeuge:
Corrie Aujla writes:
"0505: Extended navigation exercise. Three BEs. Lt Cruikshank was flight leader. Robbie was number 2, with me in third spot, We flew up to Arras, then up to Tournai and back to Maugeuge."

Amiens:
Ries Meismer took off with his observer for another exploratory flight. He had barely made 1,000 feet when his engine started banging and sputtering. Fortunately he had enough altitude and engine to make it back to base. Total flight time 7 minutes. Too late in the day for another try.

Dusseldorf:
Odis Först made his first extended flight, following his instructor down to Jüchen and back. Almost an hour in the air.

[Sailor Steve]

19 August 1914

Verdun:
Noel Kay and another pilot made an extended flight southeast to Toul, east to Nancy, northeast along the Belgian border and back to Verdun. 2 hours 18 minutes.
In the news the Germans took Haelen yesterday. Everyone is wondering when they will reach France.

Maubeuge:
Corrie Aujla and two other planes patrolled up and down the Belgian border for almost two hours. Nothing to report.

Amiens:
The entirety of No 4 Squadron made a very long familiarization flight, west to Abbeville, northeast to St Omer, westward to Lille then back to Amiens. 3 hours 32 minutes. Ries Meismer is amazed at his commander's planning skills. They landed back at their home field with less than 15 minutes' fuel remaining.

Dusseldorf:
Cadet Odis Först followed his instructor around the area again, this time west to Kaarst, northeast to Duisberg and back to Dusseldorf. Almost an hour, and any hour spent in the air is a good one.

[Sailor Steve]

20 August 1914

Verdun:
Noel Kay makes a long flight east and then south, experimentally takes the plane up to 12,000 feet.

Maugeuge:
Corrie Aujla makes another patrol of the Belgian frontier, this time in company with one other plane.

Amiens:
Ries Meismer continues to learn the area around Amiens.

Dusseldorf:
Odis Först continues his training with a flight from Dusseldorf to Köln and back.

[Sailor Steve]

21 August 1914

Verdun:
Noel Kay makes a flight to Chalons and back. While near Chalons he suffers another engine failure. Kay manages to put down safely at the nearest airfield. After an examination the mechanic tells him it's going to take two days to repair. Kay gets a telephone call through to Verdun, and his commander tells him to stay with the plane and return home when it is ready.

Maubeuge:
Corrie Aujla makes yet another patrol of the Belgian border. Nothing to see, nothing to report.

Amiens:
Ries Meismer makes a very long flight - almost three hours. The squadron is told that they need to get all the flight-time possible, as the war is going to come to them all too soon.

Dusseldorf:
Odis Först makes a very long flight, following his instructor all over the region. No explanation is given other than that they need practice navigating.

[Sailor Steve]

22 August 1914

Chalons:
Noel Kay spends the day in town revisiting some of the places he saw during the week he was stationed here.

Maubeuge:
Corrie Aujla spends yet another couple of hours patrolling the Belgian frontier. As usual nothing is happening.

Amiens: Ries Meismer makes another long trip around the area. Not as long as yesterday, but still enough to tire even a young pilot out. His observer is even more bored, since he has nothing to do at all.

Dusseldorf:
Odis Först repeats his flight of yesterday, this time solo. He botches his landing and receives a stern warning about the cost of the planes. If it happens again he may find himself grounded for an indefinite period.

[Sailor Steve]

23 August 1914

Verdun:
The starboard engine finally repaired, Noel Kay and his observer fly back from Chalons to Verdun.

Maubeuge:
No 3 Squadron has the day off. Everyone is busy packing as they are transferring to a new field tomorrow.

Amiens:
No 4 Squadron is also not flying. They are also preparing for a move.

Dusselforf:
Odis Först and his three fellow students follow their instructor on a long flight down to the Belgian border near Liege and back.

[Sailor Steve]

24 August 1914

Verdun:
Noel Kay spends another half hour just flying around. It seems like it's all for nothing. At the end of the day he writes: "News from Belgium is not good. Our forces have lost another battle and are in retreat, as are the first British forces to engage the Germans. At the same time our army in Alsace is withdrawing."

Maubeuge:
No 3 Squadron is transferring from Maubeuge to Le Cateau. Ten minutes after takeoff Corrie Aujla's engine conks out. He lands on the grass at a nearby farm, but the plane is still moving when it hits a patch of furrowed ground. The BE noses over and is severely damaged. Corrie and the much disliked Captain Fabio Carlson both receive fairly minor injuries. The squadron flies back to Maubeuge, and an ambulance is sent to pick up the injured pilot and observer. They are put into a cottage hospital and are told they will be there for the next two days. The squadron takes off for their new home at Le Cateau.

Amiens:
No 4 squadron is also transferred to Le Cateau. They make the journey without incident.

Dusselforf:
After the flight the previous day Odis Först and his three fellow students are told to take the rest of the day off, spend some time on the town, but be back at noon the 24th. Today they gather in various states of sobriety and are told to pack their gear and get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow they are all flying to Belgium to join a new squadron forming there.