I'm always amazed at how problems are solved with the technology of the day. This must be one of the first flight simulators for gunners. Check out the target Biplane in the background.
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Unless that is some kind of photographic artifact it looks like the "rails" are actually U shaped and the center of the U appears to have a series of hills and valleys. If the wheels actually ride in the trough of the U then the rapid up and down motion would be a reasonably good approximation to the buffeting an airplane would experience in a dogfight.
Very odd. I'm not sure what nationality that is, as it's a Lewis gun he's aiming, but the hat doesn't look like a RFC one (though it could be a potential gunner from another branch). Not US as they didn't wear hats like that in WW1. Maybe (Imperial) Russian?
It also could be almost any timeframe prior to the late 30s, as that manner of support for a rear-mounted MG was common in Europe as late as early WW2.
