'Field notes: Aden Protectorate' [‎17v] (34/56)

18
CHAPTER VIII.
SPECIAL NOTES FOR VARIOUS BRANCHES.
AERONAUTICS.
Atmosphere.—Lsiiiev flights show that greater experience in
the east has eliminated the difficulties due to overheating to
a large extent.
2. Sites jor aerodromes and landings. —An excellent site for
an aerodrome could be found in the vicinity of Khor Maksar.
An aeroplane could land without difficulty in many places in
tracts :—
(а) North-east of Fiyush.
(б) Shaikh 'Othman-Bir Ahmad-Hiswa
(c) West of the Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. Kabir from Bir Ahmad to line of
W aht.
3. From reports as to general nature of the country about
Thalab it would seem that a suitable site for an aerodrome
should be obtainable without much difficulty in its vicinity.
ARTILLERY.
Native camel drivers.—The camel drivers of the Mobile
Artillery are composed of Arabs, Somalis, and Indians,
The Arabs appear to be far the best being, keen, intelligent,
amenable to discipline, and with a good naik, who should, if
possible, know English, do well.
Indians give no trouble, are less intelligent than Arabs,
but are only of use with Indian camels, which, unlike Arab
camels, are not fed by hand.
Somalis are indolent, and generally unsatisfactory.
Hand feeding is a local custom and many local camels at
first refused to feed themselves ; they can however be broken
in to feeding themselves and this should invariably be done.