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On the right hand side of the Nieuport body there is a drum on which the belt with the loaded cartridges is wound. The empty end of the belt is wound on a drum at the left, this drum being provided with a spring to keep the belt taut. The empty cartridges are discharged through a tube that passes through the side of the body. On the 1916 Fokker the gun is of the Maxim type, and is immovably fastened above the engine cowl and slightly to the right. To fire the gun, the pilot presses down a small lever fastened to the control column, and from this lever the connecting Bowden wire closes the motor clutch and starts the gun. A cam is fixed to the motor shaft in relation to the propeller blades. When firing, the elevator control is locked fore and aft, while the lateral control movement is operated by the pilot's knees. Steering is by the action of his feet on the rudder bar. Thus the pilot can balance laterally, and steer with his hands free for the manipulation of the gun, but he cannot change his elevation.