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I am currently reading "Solo", the biography of the Australian Aviator Bert Hinkler. As early as March 1916, Hinkler was trying to get the Admiralty to look at a scheme of his for night fighting. Most fighters taking off at night to search for a zeppelin were reluctant to stray far from their home fields for fear of being lost, and having to land on unfamiliar ground. Hinkler tried to suggest that the observer leave the aircraft by parachute, and fire off a few "very" lights to illuminate the ground for miles around, thus enabling the pilot to select the most suitable landing ground.
Steve Drew
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