Air Force News Jul-Dec 1924
Air Force News Jul-Dec 1924
'LIEUT• MAUGHAN
I SRACE AGAINST
THE'SUN./
With the sun to pace him L' t' "
service pilot .t ' t f ,~.:Leu, • .Russell L•. MaUghan, the well-::~nownArmy Air
Monda .1 ';l se ou romM1.tchel F1.eld, Long Island, N.Y. ,just before dawn on
y, ~une 2~ -rd, toily across the continent to San Francisco Cal~f w~th the
expectatl.on
d
f, ..
0 arr.:Lv.1ngthere just before" the even.:Lng
.
~hadows,,"cast their
., ..
pail ,
of
arkness over the Gol?en Gate city • "Old Sol". however ,'proved too strenuous. a "
p~cemakerl and when L1eut. Maughan reached Crissy Field he found himself out- ' ,
d1.stanced. '
With clears.a~ling. ahead he would have realized easily his ambition to see ,"
the sun on,the Cal.:Lfornl.a coast before it sank below the horizon over the broad
exp~nse of th~ calm pa?ific,. '!Jut his progress was retarded by strong head winds
durl.ng two~th.1rds ot h.1S trip and by cross winds during the remainder. A mechan-
ieal breakage while at Dayton consumed valuable time to the 'eXtent of one hour and
11 minutes While the necessary' repai-- work was being made. al:so an extra stop at
North P~atte, N~b.! between st. Joseph, Mo., andCpeyenne: Wyoming, consumed pre-
cious t.1me. Th.1s .1ntermediate stop was necessary by reason of the taot that the
landing ti~ld at St, Joseph was muddy and Lieut. M"aughanfound it. necessary t~
take off w1.th a fuel supply considerably beloW the maximum the little pursuit
ship being ut?equal to the task of taking off !r'om.the wet field with a full load.
Faoed w.:Lthall these handicaps, Lieut. Maughan truly made a most remarkable
flight. He spanned the continent in 21 houre, 4st minutes, or about 'five hours
better than the record made last year by Lieuts. Kelly and Macready in their non-
atop flight across the continent.
As the NewYork TRIBUNE-HERALD put it "The sun still travels il little fa.ster
than this i' but humanity' seems to be pushing him rather hard." A cartoon in the
Cleveland PLAINDEALER ~howed Lieut. Maughan pointing at the surprised countenance
of "-Old Sol" and exclaiming: "I made you step, didn't I, 5011"" '. " .
. As is well known, the plane which L;eut. Maughan piloted was theCur:tiss '
Pursuit ship, powered with aCu:rtiss D-12 engme , whieh is capable of attaining an .
average speed of 160 miles an hour. It was on the assumption that the plane could
average this rate of speed that Lieut. Maughan calculatGd on making h:i.stranscon-;
tinental flight between sunrise and sunset but as before st'ated, the wind did ..not .
appear to be in sympathy with his flight, for Lieut. Maughan was forc&d ~o oombat .
Old Boreas practically al! the way. . .
It is not likely tha.t Lieut. Maughan wi,ll again attempt this .flight for the
mere satisfaction of actually . acco'mplishinga dawn to dusk transcont;inental night
He has demonstrated beyond a Shad~w of a doubt that the thing can be done, and
nothing would be gained in ta~inghis phy.sical endurance in another grueling test
of that sort. ' ..'
Delayed in his start several ~times be cause of bad weather, conditions~or,
~un. 23rd promised to be ideal for the flight. and prompt advantage was taken ,of,
that fact. captain John Platt, Jr.), meteorologist of the U.S. SignalCQrps,
shortly before midnight sent word to the newspapers that, weather conditions were
~exeellent allover the country ... News i;hat Maughan would make the flight sped
'quickly through Mitchel Field. He was awakened shortly before three o'clock, ~nd
while he was eating a hasty breakfast' a. crowd was already gathering on the fieIr;!.
The plane was wheeled out to the f'ly;i.ng.field, a mechanician olimbed into th~i
cockpit, threw ,on the switoh and the motor began to roar. Li.eut. Maughan str~pr~d
~n his parachute, posed for some flashlight photos taken by newspaper photograph-
ers stepped into his plane and waved farewell. As the first gray strGaks of ',.
(lj da~ became visible on the field, Lieut. Maughan "stepped on the gas 11 ~nd was '~rr_
. The time of his take-off from Mitchol Field was 3:59 a.m. Eastern Dayl~ght Sav~n~
\~ Time. or 2:59 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. tie rose rapio~y in the air and soon .
disappeared in the darkness of the western horizon. v...5242 i.. 5
~ieut. Maughan &rrived at McCook Field, Dayton, Ohio, at 7:10 Eastern stand-
ard ~J.me. ~ quick inspection of the plane showed that the gaso.lIr.e line nee ded at
tentJ.on. LJ.8ut. Maughan also decided t~1at it wcu ld be better if the machine was
equipped with larger landing wheels. One hour and ten minutes were used up while
the repairs and changes were made and the plane refueled, and a~8:l5 a.m. Eastern
St~ndard Time, ~ieut. Mau@1an was again dll1 the air headed for his next stopping
pOJ.nt.~ st. Joseph, Mo. He landed at xose or-ane Field at 10: 55 a.m., Central Stand
a:d TJ.me, and spent nearly 40 minutes at this field •. At 11:37 a.m,. Central Time,
L1eut. Maughan took off for Cheyenne, Wyoming. but landed at North Platte, Neb.,
for gas at 12:48 p.m., Mounts.itlTime. At 2:15 p.m., Mountain Time, he arrived at
Cheyenne, He apparently had difficulty in landing for he circled the field sever-
al times and twiee skimmed the surface before he finally made a perfect landing,
He bettered his mark of last year between these two points by about 22 minutes.
After a rest of 30 minutes, at 2:56 p.m~, 'Mountain Time, he was in the air'speed-
ing to~ards Salduro., Utah, at wpich plao~ he arrived at 5: 20 p.m., Pacific Time.
LJ.eut. Maughan was adhering closely to his rest periods and 31 minutes later
(5: 51 p , m, ) found him on his way to his destination - .Crissy Field, San Francisco,
Calif., where he arri~d at 9;47 p,m., Pacific Time, thus completing the entire
transcontinental journey from the Atlantic to the Pacifie coast in 21 hours and
48 min~tes elapsed time, or at an average speed, counting, all the stops made, of
approxJ.mately 118 miles an hour. The figures given above are not official, same
being taken from press reports. They are, however, about as accurate as can be
had at this time. Lieut. Maughan no doubt kept an aocurate check on his time,
and will in all probability disclose same. in his official repo.rt to the CHief of
Air Service.
A battery of arc lights illuminated Brissy Field some time before Lieut.
Maughan's arrival. ,When he arrived over the field the mist blotted his plane from
sight, and a great din, burst forth from the assembled throng when he unexpectedly
.soared down to the field at the south end of the big quadrangle. Newspapermen
broke through the police lines holding back the huge crowd and greeted the flyer.
A few seconds later the spectators, cheering and shouting while automobile sirens
shrieked in a bedlam of noise, surged OVAr the landing field and surrounded the
plane.
Lieut. Maughan's faee bore a serious and drawn expression. He appeared to be
almost overcome with emotion at the vi!rtory which he had achieved. His comrades
from the Air Service lifted him bodily from the cockpit of the plane and carried
him on their shoulders through the cheering crowd to the Army Headquarters ..A
San Francisco newspaper picks I,lpthe story here thus: "They took him in Colonel
W.E. Gillmore's ofJfice and he sank into a chair. Every muscle of his face was
twitching and he had the appearance of a terribly tired man. The women had put
wreaths of California wild flowers around his shoulders and he still held his
battered helmet. smiled and answered the quest Lens that were flung at him by mem-
bers of the press with that proverbial good nature, willingness and modesty of
his that fatigue could not lessen. II . .
The demonstration accorded Lieut. Maughan was witbout parallel in the history
of aviation in San Franeiseo:
SecretarY of War Weeks dispatehed the following eongratulatory message to the
victorious flyer: '
"The Army is proud of you and the latest record you have added to its. ,
achievements. Yo~r flight of yesterday is not only a triumph of science, but Dr
personal courage and skill. I extend to you my o~n congratulations,' as,well as
the thanks of the War Department."
Major-General Mason M. Patrick I s message to Lieut. Maughan was a.sfollo~s:
"Congratulations on the achievement of a wonderful i,eat,You have fulfJ.lled
every eonfidence I had in you. Your success proves the full valu~ of careful, .
preparation, efficient organization and excellent physical condit1on and qual~tJ.es
of endurance. You have brought prestige to yourself and to the Army Air SerV1ce.
Your flight is a history-making event Which more than ever demonstrates the pos-
sibilities of the airplane as an annihilator of time and distance. Not only from
a military viewpoint but from a commercial viewpoint your flight is epochal. I am
proud of you." . ,
The significance attaehed to Lieut, Maughan's flight may be drawn from edJ..
torial eomments of various American newspaper's. Some of them are: quoted below,
as follows: }
The Boston TRANSCRIPT says: "For Lieut. Maughan no praise can be too high
-2- V-5242.A.S.
an~ the womi~r. of the explOit grows with lengthening contemplation. Up an hout-
,:e ...ore t~e r1s1ng ~un, ~h~ stars above and the first faint flt;sh of C9.Wl'l in the
tast beh1nd the ta11 vf h1s machine, he helo his courae steadily to the goal while
" ~e sun passed ?verhead and sank to the horizon in front, on through the ga'thering
n1ght to a land~ng at Crissy Field as twilight faded to a close, To put more than
sixlieen. hours of ~ctual cross-country flying in less t han 22 hOIH'S tOljP..l elapsed
time, w1th l:'1O rell.ef pilot at the second control, is an un\~sllal faaton an air-
plane of any sort. On a pursuit 'machine, designed ~nly tor sh~rt patrols, it be-
comes marvelous. ' The pi1o~s cf, such craft were seldom expected,'to gf.ve more than
two hours of ac~ual flyi~!g each 4;~revel1 under the stress of Vlaj.' conditions, yet
the machines wh~ch we~e 1n se~v~q~ then landed more slowly than Maughan's, and the
country. over whJ.ch they flew wa~'(tn the whole, far ,less rugged and hazardous than
that. WhJ.~hhe had to, cross. Sucl'*inet?-asMaughan make the AirServi.ce, and the
~ervJ.c~ an turn,thrt>ugh the rare'e~prj.t de corps that exists has a la.rge share
1n makdng men." . " .,:;":' ,
1'He'has bridged not merely tQ'~.pontinent". cornme~ts the Philadelphia PUBLIC
LE~GER,"but the whole of man's progress from ox-cart to -the ai~~plane. x x This
tnumph was not merely oOVerth~ teelestial mechanics' of propulsion but over the
human engine of the solitary voyager With.:no reliance euftaide hims9J.f and the
sm~ll, frail. craft he piloted. His thrilling flight meant a bloodless victory e!
sea.ence , an J.nspiring achievement fOr the lasting advantage of mankind. By the
same aerial pati!way he took, millions will ultimately pass from sea. to sea at a
rate exceeding the celerity that has thl'illed America. 11
The De~REE PRESS states that while Lieut.Mau~an ascribes his succes~
to the mechani~al1y pel'fec't behavior of his plane, thJse. ~ applaud him know ho,""
much of the feat has been due to his persistence, his will power, his nerves of
stee'!, and his determination not to be outdone by the elements. Li&ut. Maughan
has demonstrated that the Atlroltic and -the Pacific coasts can be linked by air
within the space between dawn and dusk~
Aocording to the Cleveland PLAIN.DEALER,Mau1!P,a.n has written one of the most
fascinating chapters in the history of aviation, and it goes on to say: "The pos-
sibilities of aerial navigation can be foretold by no man. The AmoTicans ~o
have flown halt way' around the world are still flying. Other Am&ricans have
soared high beyund the life-sustaining zone of the atmosphere. others have
achieved spaeds unbelievable. ,All we can do is to wait and wondero Day after
day brings its new record, its new story of difficulties overcome and perils
finely scorned."
"seventy-two years ago", says the Chioago TRIBUNE,"Ezra Meeker crossed the
continent in five months. That was a record. Day before yesterday Russell
MauaPan crossed the continent in 21 hours and 48 minutes. That is anotter rec~rd.
Meeker piloted an ox team at two miles an hour, ' Maughan drove a pursuit plane at
an average of 156 miles an hour. Between these two transcantinental~trips there
are seventy-two years, or one man's life. That is not long -as histery goes, but'
in human progress it is many ages. Between Meeker's creaking ox cart and Maugh~
pursuit plane thet'e are mQre centuries compressed than can be counted ~n '''he en..
tire thousand years of the mediaeval era~ In industrial development, in inven-
tion, in the advance of human knowledge, if not in human wisdom, there are more
ages packed than can be found in the entire period of kings and holy wars. If
The El Paso HERALD states that ItLt.. Maugtlan has made the re.ilrl) ad",seem al-
most as antiquated as the stage coach. He has shown the new possibilities in
commercial aviation. Also he has proved it possible, if ei~her of our coasts
were menaced by an enemy, to move an army ~f the ai~ across the entire United
States in less than the time required to transpcrt it across Texa.s by train. "
"Lieut. Russell L. Maughan has shown how armed men of.the Republic may be
awakened with the reveille in circling cemps on the Atlantic seaboard and arriv~
the same day in, ample time to he'ar the soft, restful notes of 'Lights out t t'loa;t
over the reinforced strength of camps on the pacific sea'boardll ,is -the ed;_torie,1-
eomment of the st. Louis GLOBE-DEMOCRAT. and it then goes on to' say: HThat is.
what his flight means in terms of naval and military efficiency. Of course, 1t
is another and, let us say boldly, more important definition, express?d itn tterms
of commerce and peaceful communications." Later on in the editorial 1t 6 a es
that the journey of Lieut. Maughan covered one-ninth of the average distance
around. the globe in a little more than four-fifths of a day, ~nd that at t~a same
speed and the same ratio of stops a flight around the world mJ.ght be made J.n a
little more than seven days.
. The NewYO~kEvENINGPOSTsays: "The whole "courrt ry followed Lieut. MRughanf E..
dar-Ing flight WJ.thhopes for its comple-he success. The thrill with which +he
people read t~is morning of the aviator's safe landing at San Francisco within the
s~heduled perJ.od was nation-wide. Man had achieved one more victory in the long
IJ.st of conquests over space and time." .
. ,The Chicago ~S points out that "What many army aviators believed to be im-
po es Lbl e - accordJ.n~ to the positive decle.rations of some ';:)f them - La.eu't , Russell
Maughan of the army has succeeded in achievinO' despite conditions that appear- to
have been e xcept' 1.ona11- y unf avorable. x.x'x'. Only 0 r
exceptional pluck and endurance
c?upled with wellnigh perfect mechani~m, make possible such astonishing feats. '
L:-eut. Maughan by this striking aoh i.everrerrt: has given one mor-e imp'o r't arrt demonat.r-a-
tJ.on of ,av~a . t ai en
en ' s vahleto.the
.' . defense
cou.ntry's .' and to industry and commerce."
P?J.nt J.ng out that L'ieut. Maughan's .'wonderful achievement shared equal promin-
ence w~th news of the Democratic Convention the CHRISTIAN SCIENCEIffONITOR goes on
to say'. lip ar haps a 'd'ecade ~r so he~ce the achievement of this trail-blazer will .
b~,.~ooked back upon as one simply marking a step in the progress of aerial navd ga-
t1.on. Today one is incline.d to regard it as the ultimate in this spectacular
method or transport. Twenty years ago the possibility of such an achievement had
not b.een ?rea:m~d of. except by visionaries. And yet how Simply.'the record of this
latest f~J.ght as w~J.:tten! The -story must be told in simple words, just as simple
words tell of the. ~omi~ation and,eleCtion' of a president, the launching eta ship,
or.
the res~lt of ~ ~a.~tle:,"" the dedication of ~ great monumerrt , It is a fait
accomplJ., a thJ.ng 'alr~adydO;ne.. . ..
Almost within:th~me'movy, of s'qme.persons still active in the affairs. of today,
there was no pathway across the. Great American Desert. That path was marked and
worked deep !ollow~ng:the dis~overy of gold in California in the late forties of
the last century. Even'then,Indial'l runners corrt e et ed the 'passes and the roadways
Wit? the white men and their caravans, The invaders, wending their s'l owund
perJ.lous eourse over mountains and across desert wastes, were not welcome. They
heralded,it vas divined, a progress which the ple.i11s peop Le resented. Yet how
crude were the processes employed!' At first they seemed ineffective and futile.
Wise ones said the desert could never be conquered •. Those who passed it ;"\ safety
despaired of ever retracing:, their steps. They were glad to leave the barren
wastes, the sturldy peaks, the buffalo and the red men to themselves.
But progress does n6t eome by men retracing their steps or turning' backward.
It comes through the courage. and dauntlessnessQ'! those who,once setting forth,
proceed, undiscoura.ged, to the goal which they have set. The covered wagon was
the pioneer ~f the stagecoach. 'the pony express and the steam railroad. The
;'. desert I ccnquer-e d, was a aesert subdued; An empire invaded was an empire peopled
and made pr oduct Lve, How distinctly the sevea-a l stages have been marked. O!le
man, braver and more determined th~n' hi's f e l.Lows , sets some new record of achieve-
ment. His accomplishment.i~an inducement to greater and ever greater end~avor.
Today I as one reads of,~ Lieutenant Maughan's wonderful achievement, it does
Mt seem that it will' 'soon be .surpassed. But a wise observer will hardly venture
the assertion that it oann6t be. A short look backward will convince a prudent
person that no limit can safely be set upon progress. True pr-o gr-e es signifies
actual progress, and that, necessarily, cannot be expressed in inaction or retro-
gression. "
Heading its editorial .with the caption "OUr Narrowing Land", the Providenoe
JOURNAJ:, states: fllrhis was incident ally either a speed or an endurance flight. It
had the definite 'purpose of demonstrating th~ feasibility of a mobiliz~hion of the
forces of the ..Aviation Service at points far distant from. a base. 5pme day Whole
squadrons will cruise with like confidence."
. Says the Kansas City STAR: "!'twas a thri.ller that Lieutenant Russell L.
Maugnan gave the eountry, It was a thriller fer the Whole flying world. From
Qcean to ocean by the light of one day's sunJ That's going aome ; that IS staying
some. Speed, endurance, control, combined .ina new achievement in the air. .
The country congratulates Lie\ltenant Maughan o.11d.'theUnited states Army.' Th1.6
new fea.t is not merely a detached stunt in Hying; it is related to the higf. aver-
age skill American airmen have displayed as a class and to the whole problem of
air development in this oountry. It should stimulate interest in the Air Service,
both military add commercial. The two lines should be expanded together. Commer-
cial flying creates a reserve for possible defenaive emergencies. T~e old coa~t
defenses have become relatively ineffective. The Panama Canal, tor J.nstanre, 1.9
exposed to assault in a way never contemy~ated before the advont of air bombing.
Yes, the great flight of Lieutenant Maughan may be classed aaa splenoid de-
-4- V-5242,A.S.
tensive .maneuver , as a. Elu(?;gestionof what ..might be done if nec-essary in the way of
air mO?il,bation it we had the req,uisitenumber of planes and men, all proved by
training and service."
. "The Gree~s of old", says the Indianapolis STAR. "represented the sun god
driv1ng a char10t across,the sky pulled by white horses. Heretofore no mortal has
, }eenab~e to equal the speed of that ~estern race, but now a twentieth century
P~lot s1tting at the stick of a roaring plan&'1has reduced into hours and minutes
the mythology of early centuries."
The Washington Evening STARsays: "Lieut. Maughan did not suddenly emerge
trominactiOri when he performed his great flight. Preparation had come through
hard drill. physical, mental and, above a+l, spiritual. His feat was not that of.
a tra-peze performer ~ but was the demonstration of a great service to humanity, es-
pecially to the nat10n Whose soldier he is. He has crystalliied an idea which had
been disputable. He has opened the way. just as all pathfinders do • tor others .
to follow, with improved methods, due to his obstacles. Lieut. Maughan worked for
a big idea, and only that kind of work is humanity service. II
. Comparing transportation over the oountry in the. days of '49 with that of the
present time, the Louisville COURIERJOURHALsays;' "It was over this wilderness.
'.now a prosperous and settled country 1 that L:i..eute.nant Maughan took his flight, fly-
ing. with the sun, enduring a strain on every nerve. It was a test of the fiber
that was in the man. Keyed to the highest pitch, constantly alert, rocked by the
eros~ currents till he almost became seasick •. he heeded but one call ~ speed.
Here was high adv~nture. as bold as that of Magellan of ColumbuSh The same
stuff that brought their caravels acrossthe.Atlantic'or sent them around the
world guided MaUghan from sea to s~~. The Same ieal for discovery was in them all,
and the same intr~pid' spirit in ea~h was essential to sueee sa," .
As the Baltimore SUN sees it: "The peaceful and commercial aspects of the.
airplane space-killers are more plea~ant to dwell upon than its warlike implica-.
tions. Yet that is one ..of. the suggestions from Lieut. Maughan's achievement whi,ch
must give us pause. If we can fly in. less than a day from NewYork to San Francis-
co, a foreign :neat of the future !l1i~~ fly in the same ti~ from the Pacific to
the Atlantic. The east is no longerf3~ far away from the west that we can feel
no concern in its troubles. Science~~ making us ..all next door neighbors, and is
em,pha.s-izing the' necessity et internat~~na.l h~rmony and understanding, if the peace
of the world is not to suffer by reasotl ..,f its very advance in knOWledge. II
The.Milwaukee JOURNAL sees in Maugh~n's .flight a n~w era of tran'sportation
"tour times swifter thafl any we have knewn,'ll for, "it ,says to the man in NewY~rk.
'You ean open an office in San Francisca~nd spend two' or, three days a week there
, ,'''''" ' .' f
and the rest of the time at your home off~ce'; it says to the Whole nat10n You
are one community bound by the span of a ~~ngle day.•• n .
FRANCEFIELD .FLYERSPAY
'A VISIT TO COSTARICA
The early part of J\.1ne saw a continuation of the cor.dial relations already
established wi~n the neighboring peoples of the Panama Canal Zone, when four DR
planes journeyed via David, Republi~ of Pan~ma, to San Jose, Coata Rica! the',
trip being made from France Field to San Jose in exactly five h~l.lrs n~'lng. Capt~
T.S. V~ss, &epartment Air Officer, Lieuts. Carter, curry, Amberg and ~1~ter ~~
sergeants Ruef, Cattarius and Dossett, all.of ~he 24th pursuit Squadron,.compr~8ed
the panty. They were royally received by the .American Minister! Mr. Dav1s, and
welco~dby President Rermanoz with his cabinet and other of'ficials •. ~ great
crowd was present to witness the arrival of' the planes. The party v1sl.ted the
coffee plantation near Cartago and were the guests of official Sart Jose a~ m~y ,
dinners and similar functions. The ret~rn flight was ~ade on Ju~e 11th w1th ~ne
stop at D~vid .• R.P., and was accomplished in four hours, and 45 m1nutes.
/
HOTWEATHER
FLYING
To thos~ skeptics who do not believe that aviation is: be.gi.nndng to get a hold
on th~ pe~ple of this country of'curs I would suggest a v,isit .to st. Joseph, Mo.
In th1S 11ve city of the middle wes~ will be found the keenest tnterest i~ all
phases of aviation and a brand of enthusiasm which will be a revalation to some of
those "Doubting Thomases" who believe that the airplane is just a toy in the hands
of a "nut" rather than a powerful instrument of progress. '
, If SOmeof the aforementioned doubters could have boon in "st. Joe" an June
23rd. the day of Lieut. R.L'. Maughan's rr.emorable,!light' a-cross the continent. they
would hardly have been able to understand that-tbis interest was occasioned by
one man and one airplane ... in,this partieular 'ca~H3"fl"pow&rfUl cOlllbination - and
not by a national election or a world' s champi.onshi.p boxing match. There were en-
thusiastic crowds - artd I mean ~rowds - in the'$treet 'in front of the newspaper
offices on the windows 0'( which were posted'frdm ,t;i~e 'f;o'tim~ the bulletins showing
:the progress made by Lieut. Maughan in his flight to Frisco.
At 10:30 that morning Lieut_Maug."lan had landed at the municipal field at-
st. Joseph and received a welcome from 10,000 people who had gathered there,'Forty-
two minutes later he left for Cheyenne. his next scheduled stopping point. and
trom that tim~ until .he landed at Crissy F'ield, Calif' •• the all important l=luestion
in St. Joe was, "What is the latest report?" That 'question didntt refer to 'the
De~ocratic Convention in NewYork nor to the prospects of a new government in
Italy or Whether the Giants won or lost. Maughan and that Curtiss ship ofdhis
were, the biggest things in the world to ~t., Joseph that day.
For the benefit of those who are a little shy on geography, it might be well
to day that st. Joseph is a city of about 70,000 inhabitants located on the
banks "r the Missouri River about 60 miles up the river from Kansas City} It is
wide-awake and progressive and as a result it is prosperous •
.About four years ago an automobile dealer of st. Joe, Mr. Carl Wolfley. con-
ceived' the idea of ,waking up st. Joseph to the fact that. aviation was a big thing
and that his home city shou'l.d get in on the ground floor. .He therefore started a
campaign, all alone, "~o work up interest and enthusiasm among the inhabitants of
st. Joseph. Needless to say, he met ~with all the discouragement that could be
imagined. He was ridiculed. he was called a "nut", he was'told that it couldn tt
be done and that he was just wasting his time, But C:id that deter him? Not a
bit 9fit. He talked aviation, he talked municipal flying ~ield to the busines~
men, to the Chamber of Cammerce, to the civic clubs. to individuals. He bro~e 1n
to meetings of the .directors of the. Chamber of 'Commerce. He took valuable t.lme
away from his busanaas to preach this. gospel that he believed in so completely.
Artd gradually, day by day, week by week, he pro gre ased, He aroused intere st to
the point where people began asking ~uestions that indicated an interest. He
finally 'secured the munic;pal flying field; he organized a .chapter of the Nation~l
Aeronautic Association. which has 180 members and which he promises will have 600
members within another year. Incidentally • Mr. Wolfley is Governor of the ASBO- .
ciation for ~he State of Missouri. And now as a final touch, he has persuaded the,
city to appropriate $60 000 to purchase a site for a combined seaplane and land;"
plane station. He has the backing of every worth while organization in his city
and he is going to put over an. aviation program that will be a lasting credit to
him and to st. Joseph. '
This article isotfered'"not in praise, of st. Joseph and of Mr. Wolfley.
though they both richly deserve praise~ but to show what one man can do by bull
dog persistence and What an average Axne'rican city can do and will do when it
-6- V-5242,A.S.
realizes the bTeatpaF,t that avaat acn is bound to play in the near future. There
is no very great difference bet weeri St. Joseph and other cities of the same size.
What st. Joseph has done, other cities can do and will do. It is a question of
finding a man who will show the way. When these men have been found in the cities
of our country, when they have aroused in the pe cp Le that interest which is e scen-
tialto success and when those people see the light and demand progress and devel-
opment of aviation in general throughout the country -and that time isn't far off-
_then will America truly be "First in the Air".
TEST OF RADIODIRECTION
FINDER
capta~n W.H. Murphy and Lt. A.J. Lyon recepylY made a ,flight" from McCookFieh
D~yton, Ohf,o , to Columbus,. which proved to be t~t first use of the"ra~io direction
fJ.nder under actual ne ce saft.y , The weather Vias(extremely fo ggy and LJ.eut. Lyon.
the pilot, who had never flown with the aid of '~".f'\adio direction finder, was not
6xactly sold on the efficiency of the proposition, Hence the trip was started by
compass. The fog was so thick that the plane had to be kept hovering just over
the tree tops. Not a land mark was visible. This, together with a variable drift
Wind, soon made it apparent that Columbus would scarcely be reached without some
other aid. The plane was the Radio DH P-292 and as soon as the equal radio
signal direction finding system was taken int~ confiderice, the plane was set on the
correct course and Columbus was reached without difficulty. There was no question
as to its use on the return -trip.. It simply was used, and the result proved equal-
ly successful througnas persistent bad weather a~e stubborn drift windS. :The
compass was, ~f course, forgotten, as it was found to be reading incorrectly.
Captain Murphy made an interesting experiment on the return trip which leads
to the idea that should two planes be traveling the same course, one, for instance,
flying from Dayton to Columbus and the other from Columbus to Dayton, they could
each keep slightly to the right of the course. thus avoiding collision and still
be led to their destinations with great accuracy.
AIR SERVICECOOPERATES
~N HARBOR
CONSERVATION
PROGRJUA
" A special training camp for the R.O.T.C., commencedits activities at Wilbur
Wright Field, Fairfield, Ohio, on June 15th, and remained in session until June
29th, the camp being' commanded"by Major E.L. Hoffman. The"person"nel of the eamp
consisted of the 464th and 465thpursuit Squadrons, which form the 318th Pursuit
Group of the 2nd Army. The 464th .is an Indiana" organization with headquarters at
Indianapolis. The reserve officersat"tending were Capt. Alfred E. Bennett of
Booneville, 2nd Lieuts. Wm.L. Betz and Emerv V. Gates of Indianapolis, and 2nd
Lieut. Lester I. Bockstohler of Santa Claus," Ind. The postoffice f~om whi~h the
last named officer gets hi9 mail was a surprise to the people of th1S stat10n,a~d
it is hoped that a man who comes~rom the town of Santa Claus will be well provJ.d-
ed with Christmas gifts. ce~tainly, he has taken his share of jokes about the
town he claims as his own.
In addition to these four , the followin170 reserve officers are attached . to .
the 464th Squadron: Capt. Layman R. Walker, Cleveland, Ohio; 1st Lieut. Glenn P.
Rogers and 2nd Lieut. Byron H. Lytle of Holmesville, Ohio; 2nd; Lieuts. Geo, E.
Bulford and Ralph G. Canny of Columbus, Ohio. There are also three ~erge~~t~1two
Corporals two Privates 1st Class and seven Privat'es, all from IndJ.ana.
. The"465th Pursuit Squt,dron is' a Kentucky organization, with headquarters at
Louisville, the- following "officers being permanently assigned to it: Liel,tt.
Thompson, Anchorage, Ky.; 2nd Lieut. John P. Riddle, Pikevillej Lieuts. John
Speed. Mason Morgan, Jenkins. Alvin L. Prichard, George R. Evans and Se.muel B.
Ki~by. from Louisville. Two Sergean~s .and seven Privates, all of them fr&m
"Louisville and vicinity, were also in attendance.
-7- V-5242,A.S.
The f ollowi~g R~gular- Army- off t cer e were.-appointed for tempC'raryduty at -tht;;
R. O.T" C. ?amp; L~?4t. L8.rtghorne W. JAot ley, Officer in Crarge of Flving; L:.eu+..
W.S. Ham~:ln! Adjutan+J; 1ieuti Lewis R.? ?eese, Recreation Officer"; an d C:lpt3.in
F.F: Chr~st:lne,.Instfuctor in Pho t ogr aphy , Lieut. H.J. Loss, O.R.C., ser;ren [HI
Engf.ne er Lng Off2cer. A program was prepared outlining tho courses of instruction
for each day at the camp. Two sample programs, selected an random, are given
below a.s follows: - -- -
June 18th: 7:00 to 8:00 a.m ... Foot drill for enlisted men; 7:00 t6 11:00
a.tn ... Refresher flying fer officers, Mechar::ical work for enlisted men; 1:00 to
3:?0 p:m ... Tour of ins;'lec~il)l1 for anthl'01..'_gh-Supply Depotj 3:30 to 4:30 p s m...
Atnlet1c or trap eho ct Lug for alli '7:00 to 9:00 pv m, - Lecture" Development work
at MeCeok Field. -
June 26th .. 7:00 arm ... Cross-co.untry flying for pilots carrying enlisted.
men (C~lumbus) i Instruction in Martin BOl'J1bor. 7:00 to 11:00 a,m." Instrudion
in aenal pho t o gr aphy at W::.lbur' Wright Field; 1:00 to 4:00 p s m... Leccv!'e on Fuel
Systems; 3:30 to 4:30 p,m. - Athletics.
A reception and- buffet dinner wastel'ldered the visiting officers at the Of-
r.1cers I Club from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m, on June 20th.
MANILANEWSPAPER'
PRAISES WORK OF AIR SERVICE
During the preceding eleven months the 9Ist Observation Squadron of Crissy
Field, now stationed temp~rarily at Rockwell Field accumulated a total of 1887
aircraft hours, with an aver-age pilot personnel of' 8 officert3 al1dl enli8t~d men.
The ~fficers and enlistednen shown below have piled up the timo set OPPoS1te
their names, pilo.ting airc.~.'an onofficia1 missions: Ce.piain John W. Signe r ,
l40:25j Lieut~ Walt'er MUleI', 180:15; IStaf! Sgt. Fred KellY, 394:30j 2S'caf!- Sgt.
CecilB. Guile. 219.50i Staff SgL T.J~ F()wler,_13~:05i and Corporal R.H. Fatt,
Jr., -f~0:55;, _ _ - . - . . .
staff Sergeant Kelly during this period .was on detached serV:lce at. Brooks
Field,. San Antonio, Texas, from Sept. 13 to December 19, 1923, a~d hi~ p11o~
book shews a total flying time between these dates of 220~35t wh:ch gl.ves h:lm. a
grand total. tor the period of 6l5hours and 5 minutes piloting a1rcraft and, an
addition, he has spent 45:05 in the air as an aerial observer.
2Staff. Sergeant Guile during this period- was on deta(~hed service with the
organized Reserve at Vaneol"lver Barracks, v{ashington, from July 1 to september 1,
1923 ,and his pilot book shewa a total flying time between tnesedat es of 42: 45,
which gives him a grand total ,for the period of 262 hours and 35 minutes.
All flignts, with lthe exception of the necessary test flights ordered by
the Engineering Officer; - are made under Operations orders for some spec~fic .
purpose, and the majority of the flights made are over mountainous terr1tory w1th
emergency landing fields few and far between.
J
The Engineering
---
GAX AIRPLANEBEING REMODELED
An acoount of the participation of the Army Team in' the Gordon-Bennett BaJloon
Race. at Brussels, Belgium, has been received from 1st Lieut., William A. Gray, Air
Serv1ce, a member of the Army Team.
,There were 18 balloons entered in the. race, of whioh Franoe, Belgium, Spain
and the ~nited states had 3 ent~ies each, and Switzerland, Italy and Great Britain
two entr~es each. Praotically all of the pilots of the European teams were veter-
ans of at least six or more International Races, which fact indicated the keenness
of the competition in this contest. In addition, Lieut. Ernest Demuyter, the
winner of the two previous contest's t was an entrant in the race. Several of the
teams brOUght experts from their Weather Bureaus in ..order to secure the most accu-
rate foreoa.st possible of weather'conditions. This fact illustrates how seriously
the Gordon-Bennett Balloon Race is taken in Europe and as the r-aee later prove<$.
the pilot' having the most accurate scientific data at his disposal was able to, .. ¥
. ":: ..
beaten. The American entrants were particularly impressed with the reception ac-
corded Lieut. Demuyter on his return to Brussels. wh~re he was showered with
flowers and we'Lcome.d by Prince . Leopold. the son of King Albert of Belgium. A1:.
though there was a driving rain. a crowd of about 50.000 people were at the depot
.to welcome him. The King's Guard was turned out and he was carried to the City
Hall on the shoulders of. enthusiastic adr:ri./ers. Bur gomaster' Max of Brussels ap-
peared with Lieut. Demuyter on the. balcony, and the basket of his balloon, the
"Belgice"', filled with flowers, w~s presented to him' on behalf' of Belgium's Sport
Societies. . ~ .
This deMOnstration was followed by a reception at the Aero Club of Brussels
where the pilots who participated in the race gathered to congratulate the winner.,
In commenting on the sportsmanlike spirit of the American entrants, Lieut.
Demuyter, later made the f611ow,ing remarks for publication: "They (the Americans)
are the best crowd I've ever met. When I returned to Brussels after winning the
Gordon Bennett cuP. they were all there to meet me, and while the Americans had
every right to envy my success, they were the first to congratulate me, to wish me
more success, and in true Eur-opean style gave me the 'accolade' .It
Dear Ed -
,I guess my admires &. other readers will be knocked for a ghO':ll when
they see by the above mentioned addre~s where I and the ninety ls~ squ~dron'has
finely arrived at Rockwell f,iaid fo~ the: summer It for the benefits of them'that
,dont understand such things I will :set 4th the 'inside 'reasons Whywe are here &. .'
why a more desirablle place as f,o~ inst ,1<;ellyfield or Yourp.aarizo,na wasnt selected
on acct of having a milder sumrner climate.
It ~ll started b~ck in Ma~ch one ,a.m. when one of the squadron officers was
being shaved in the squadron barosr shop It capt Hanley:came in to inspect It the
etc. Just as the bar-ber-s razor was glideing vs the customers juggular vein capt
Hanley says to the barber in a severe tone if I find any' more diTty combes It
clippers in youre shop youre names mud & anyway he says you give me a rotten hair
cut last tuesday It should ought tp be in the mill & went out & 'the barber was so
upset he alllIlost cut the customers throat from ear, -to .ear partly by accident and
partly to obey that impulse to,reduce the no of officers right then & there j~wt on
gen prinoipals. Finely the poor retoh of' a customer .made his eacape damp and soapy
around the edges but alive & hole. • Well Ed who should be run into outside but col
Gillmore & col Gillmore says well my boy what makes you so paile & this offic~r who
is a modest guy says right back well col I. guess I been, wor,king too hard or some-
thing, 8; so col Gillmore ca.lled up capt Hanley & says w'~J.l Tomthe boys seems to be
working pretty hard & some of them is beginning to look paile 8; run down. Dont
blame me col says capt Hanley I, done all I could to keep them from working themse~s
to the bones. Only ye st er-day he says I warned 2 (II' 3 Clf the most fragrant cases
they should ought to take it easy & no't. slaive their Uv~s away but it dont seem to
have done no good. '
So col Gillmore says it looks like we got to take drastick measures 'Tom &
either court marshall a few of these birds for conduck unbecomeing a of ricer &
gentleman or even go so far as to transfer the worse offenders to the inspector
generals department so that in the natural course of events somebody will undoubt-
edly shoot the s in the lines of dutys & learn them not to be so _
industryous. Hnwever continued the col I have thought up a plan wearby even such
horrible exaluples as Cy Marriner dock Beeson & johnnie & even cpl Fatt can be in-
duced to COnserve their strenth. I have decided to saive all these boys from an
early graive by sending the' ninety 1st squadron 8; the 15th photo section to an
atmosphere of complete rest and quite for, the summerwhere the most difficult part
of the system of paper work in use there coneistsof a per .q~e,m':attempt to make
any steen numbers between 7 and 10 add up.to less t,han ninety o~ exp.lain why not.
Oan such a place be found says~ap't- Hanley eceptically & if' so ,d~es a fellow
half to swear to these explainatior.s',whi(\}r. you m~ntion! '
Its hard to find says the col but all as you half "lio is fly in, a' southerly
-10- V-5242,A.S.
direction keeping the Pacific ocean on youre right and the u.s.a. on youre .left.
Just before you reach Mexico you will see a long wide thick clowd of dust cove r-Lr
~he courrt r ye Ldes &. then if you look in the copy of field service re~lations wh.ic
a s hangf.ng an a convenient position in the cockpit you will find that wean'.sa
high thin clowd of dust denotes cavalry trotting & a low thick clowd al.Iway s de-
notes in~antry walking or running as the chase may be paragraph '73:?{ has bean
added whi ch reads changes no 64 - long wide thick clowd of dust al.Lways denotes
navey commanders pract icing ground looping &. other fancy taxying in vcught s or
what have you, Then all as you half to do is watch your-s chance &. land&there
you are. Where says capt Hanley laughing hear td.Ly , Rockwell fie.ld replied col
Gillmore makeing a rye face.
Well Ed I have now let my readers in on the inside reasons why we have come
to Rockwell field &. next week I will relate other incidence of the service.
yrs. respy.
Pvt . Ed Stock 9lst Sqdn..
/;:. FLIGHT V
PROGRESSOF THE AROUND-THE-WORLD
to continue his work with the flight and assist in making the repairs which were
necessary.
The establishment of an emergency base between Rangoon and Akyab was deemed
essential, and the American Destroyer SICARDproceeded to th~ mouth of the
Bassien River with fuel and oil for the flight. This precaution was necessary
because, in addition to the difficulty experienced in getting the pla.es off
with a heavy load during the heat of the day because of the fresh water in the
river, the planes were less byoyant.
On June 26th, after word had been received that the SICARDhad reached the
~ Bassien River mouth, the planes took off at 9:29 aim" Lieut.S~ith feeling well
enough at this time to fly his own ship. ~After refueling at the Bassien River,
the journey to Akyab was resumed, the airmen arriving there at 2:35 p.m.
-ll~ V-5242,A.S.
_.Z'
........ ~._,~~."'.:"-'-~ ....5..:.....~""'''''",~,_;;.,.,,--_,_.~'''':; • .:_:.:"".11'
with theil~ arrival at Akyab they covered a total of 11 690 miles since leaving
Santa. Monica, Calif., wi'bh 13,636 miles yet to go. •
The next day, June ~7th, the American expedition took off f or- 'calcutta, India
the terminus of the 3rd Division of the ar cundct ne-wo r Ld flight, leaving Ln tile
mor-ni.ng, as usual, and a!'riving in the af t ar no cn, the distance covered beLng 445
ml Les , Ln reaching Calcutta the Amer-Lcan flyers cornpl e'ce d the greatest d.if;t:i!lce
so far attained by an e.e:rial expedition, and incident. :.:'.1J.y they cr o es e d SucG8cs?fal-
ly the second great obstacle in 'the path ef thoir f li.gM - the fi:cst being IVil.,:s.to
on H.e coast of Japan, aNer cr os s.cng t.he Pa(;,1':!u'i a.'ld '~he second in safeJ.] pas s i.ng
through the typhoon be).t o f Lhs Chira Sea and '~he ~"'i,~2(L:rA Jf tho Bay of BeH>:').:;'.
At Calcutta but three days wen"e :'equ~.7'ed 'liO co:np}e~G1y refit Lhe af.r cr.,"ifers
with new Wings and new rLot!)~'El, ar.d 1;0 1"::lplaco 'cha pcnto ons I'sed lor J.e.ndings on the
water with the regular wheel! lanciing ge ar wh::ch will 'los '.,nEd u~rtiJ,Ellgland is
r e ached, It was thought at first that this worrk would :f8(p:;ire at least a woek ,
This splendid prv-gr-e.ss , however, was not unat.b ondo d by mir.f0rtune. The flight
commander's" jinx" seemed to have frlJ.0wed him to ca1(::~i:ta, for while W(Jrldl:g en
the upper wing c'f his plane he slipped and i'ell, !I'aei'ur~.ng a rib. Lieut. Smith
did not consider this painful inju~y of sufficient importance to keep him f~cm
t ak Lng his accustomed pLace in the pilot's c0ckp;l:l:. ana loading hd s flig:yt .t()'lmrds
Allahabad en June 30th, After leavin~ the Royal Air For0e airdrome at Dum Dum.
o " ~ tl
North Caloutta, at 6: 30 a. m, the flight soon passed O\lt cf the lowlanas 0... '16
lower Ganges Valley wHh Hs' paddy fields and '~ec.'l1ing rUY'al populatio,n ir.to the
high, rollin,g and somewhat mount aanous country in N0ri;hwestern Bengal and finally
into the Plains cf Bihar' and 'hhs united provinces of India in which Allahabad is
situated.
The oountry flown ever during this journey is devo'te d entirely to agriculture,
and that portion over which the fLtght passed in Bor>go.'" BiilO.r and the souther-n
part of the United PrOV:l.rlC-;:1S is pe:r!'1af\8 the most 0.0L::;e)y p'J}:'\'lated rll1'aJ. azea in
the ent Lr-e world. The pop'~',latio;:\ .1::- ~r:rnp::H>er1. n;a(icJ.y .);~ g:.ntllls and M~hamme~e.r.sa~d.
though the cultural differences ~II3't\'ieen 'ChE:SQ F',1(J[.}.(1- :i,(J gr'e,::.tt they lnterm~ngle an
all the towns and carry on or'dir:J.'~ry b,1.:15,ni.';f1G :inJe:i" (:'Q\,:::U8 without friction. A num-
ber of Animis"tics, wor-shi.ppe r s of tho eJ.(:;;l'~n.~c, w:.i.1J.o8 f ound throughout this areal
in all classes, even among the 8"..,1;1;le rn~.r",kj EB!1ga.!.~ fv;ho],a.ra.
When 'lihe flight Lande d a't the Hvj9,::' J\'.1.!" ,t".''7''.,''j t:i.~:'(h""!r.2, west of the Saczoed
City of Allahabad, the .I'\msric.::m aix-'::;]8'1 W?:~() '.'J(;11-:VIT11v.h) the Eng1ioh avi at or s sta-
tinned there. While all of thesCJ o:iiuerD 0.,:'6 i'.>l\X~J)V.S to so e ChFt. stuart Maclarm
.:ucceed in flying ar-eundt he wor-Ld fi7'q~, ;;1':'.)/ hUVEl "ta;um rd:J At'1AriCo.ncompetitors
ti} their bosoms with that oharur:~,(.:"j,8~:~C h(:flJl~:r.aJ.iGy and spv:r'fismanship for which
they are noted throughout the '110",1(1,
The distance from Caleut'!;/l to Al.Lahabad , 475 miles, was covered in 6 hours
and 20 minutes flying time, 0;:' at "t:Je:rd;0 cf about r,'l t:,L,.5S p er ncur' for the
entire distance, flying against head w~,nd.:l 6.~j(J. r : ".,,,'n"lng sever a), -thUl'lderstorms
Which made it necessary to detour cOJ:ls-lc2f'ebly from the direct route and con-
tributed to the slow average spc3d fur th Ls Cj,':,i;'s, Considering these obstacles ,
however, the planes were able 'to m8.lW rsuch fa8't."n' -t,lInS than hod he~'etofore been
possible with the heavy. bulky p,")nt )Ol'l');. which We>f'C 1,d'l~ "1:1 Calcutoca.
T~e flight landed in p'Olrlect C')P:U:tion at A:ija;1'lb)C: nt J2:50 p~m., r cady for
the f1:l.ghtthe next day to Anlb~11f1". ,"'u,;;.~b:~j !J~'e "':m;'i£H~ ..,:'. 'ch'; morning of July
1st, the three airplanes of the A.r,i('r.".c'Jx; ()\:P3ct'it:1.~:n d"ch'd c:J\>8',' the airrhomc and
the City of Allahabad and started :::Drt-,'i8$Z, "to't,;ra,:d ;;8U"". and Aml>ala. 530 miles
away. It was originally con:';em:J:i,c' ~;d6 -['l'9.L i~rJC n.:t;;;H wo,.] d !.and at Delhi, hut
~fter L~eut. Halverson, the arlvr~!v';~,ol';~;"('?i' fl)r ,,11.3 r:?:.lr~jn Division, had made an
anspe ct Lon of the Land i ng field ';;}1n,,,,:w (:nd,o:isd a.g,ti':1S'(: 'i,;r": u se nf that G.iJ.'Grome
on account of its restrictt3d area fi;ld ;;118 ft~'~',i..h8.t "\<;1n Royal Air Force were only
using the field as an emergency st ::t:; i,'7"1 ,J'.(',~C'r-d'.:", g1 YI tho i +, inerary of tlle
flight ,was altered to take in A.m0cJ.:ifl, 1::;0 miLc,s'p:;:":,h~l' nort h , which has en excel-
lent aar dr-ome and possesses e'!flry l1c31'; t'1 f'll' .':.he l,;C1,,:::r:':'on.;8 of the fliers. The
flight, however, passed dir-ectly «v 3:~ 'J,:2.hi, e11 l'(\1.U; e vc c 1\.;;':')<1Ja.
At one time Delhi was the lc~~'f;,j~'t c:J.:y .h I'1di,p, r:,c':rerir~g a space of twenty
square miles and having a popuJ at io n of abou c two rnij,V.(li"l. It is now r educe d in
circumference to seven miles ar.d :cn ;'09vla+ io,:,; "to a 1itt.Ls ove r 200,000. A vast
tract covered with ruins marks the e.::t8d vi .t~e eTl3i",~,::c. Met::-opoli.s of the Mogul
Empire. The present city is sur,..od'10ed by wa:i,ls or 1"3.1 sandrrt one , 30 feat high.
There are seven colossal, arched C;;:;,!:oc[:I..!:;-!~f\Fl,d3C b;r r ounue d bu Lwarks , Ttl"3 palace
of the great Mogul, built by Shah Jehan, is '0y far the n.o st Lmpoe in g and magnifi-
-12~ V-5242,A.S.
cent building in Delhi and perhaps the most wonderful structure of its kind in
India. In 1911 the city was proclaimed the capital of India and the supreme gov-
ernmen'~ was transferred there from Calcutta. The city, though a monument of the
past, 1.S on).ya pharrt cm of its tormer great affJ.uen(;e, ,
The
i :l~ght lended at Ambala af'~er 5 hours and 20 min';,t.es in -the a:Lr) cover--
ng the d1s"ance from A;lahabe.d at "?he rate of 9::lt miles per hOI\1'. in spite of
numero~s thunder end r a ...n storms whJ.ch thoy were forced .to pass through en route.
The flJ.ght passed thr'ough 'Ghat portion of In',ericr Ind;.a which is subject to the
e~uthwest mcnSG011 :in ~h& su~mer and which is f',lw8.:rs accompanied by heavy electric-
a ... storms and torre:'rno.l ),"a111a. I>:.':s to~he +'orri.tic he af the engine in Lieut.
Nelson's plane C:C'El.c:ted A. we.t~r jl;o.!;Jwt, and ::>•• th"ugh cor"sider-able wat e r was lost be-
fore Ambala was reached, he Landad safely and none the wor-se {vI' his experience.
The lal"ding field is within the cant cmnerrt of tho British"Indian Army. The
officers of the Rcy~l Air Force ~et t.he A~erir.an flier~ with the s~ma cordiality
Whi~h their brot.hel' oEicers had accor-ded th~ AmsZ'icans at Al.Lahabad, Every fa-
cilJ.ty of the British Airdrome was made avrdlab:te fer the American aviators and
the alight damage to Lieu\;. Ne Ls or;" s plane wa.s quickly r epaar-ed,
On July 2nd, at 9:~.6 e:,m. I Jehe wOi:'ld Uters left Am~~ala for MuHan, !lying
along the fringe of "",he G~eat Indian Des81('t, which i,s J.a?gely embraced in the pro-
vince of Rajputanl;l.. This flight was M-t accompli shed wi'~hout d:i.ffi.culty, although
only 4 hours and 42 minutes wer-e ne ce s aar-y '~o make the trip of 4:25 iniIes, A vory
heavy sand.storm was enco\.\n'~,el"ed, and the exceasave heat made flying difficult.
Lieut. Smith I a report. s~ys the.t they landed at Multan safely, but 'fI6r-y tired. The
fliers again landed upon a British Airdr~e a~d W8~e shewn eve~y courtesy.
On July 3rd, at 6::'.,0 a.m., -the .hmerica.n expedition leH Mu):tan and headed
down ths Valley f)f the Indus toward Kare,chi, on the Arabian Gulf. The country
whieh was flown O"1er en rcwe e is not subject to hea-;y r-ad.ns and thunderstorms like
the Ganges Valley. Tho\.~gh the coun't.ry imlnediate~y ad' ae9rit eo the Indus i.s fertile
J
and thiekly Popula.ted. that purtion which was t~aYe]ed over by tha flight is on the
edge of the Great Indian Deaez't, and in pur sudng a st. aight 4 line the flight did for
a distance of about 100 miles cr oss over 'che east er n edge of the Desert.
It was dUring'this time that Lieut. Nelson's engi.ne a.gain eracked a water
jaeket, and though a great deal of water was lest he fil'lally landed safely at
the Royal Air Foree Airdrome, east of the City of' Kar achd , where ai-r angemerrt s had
been made for 'the lauding of C~he flight by Lieut. Halverson, the Advance Officer
of the Fourth Division.
Ke,rachi was reached at l: 11 p.m~, July 3rd. Here the American expedition re-
mained for three days •. t~king eff at 6:30 a. m, July 6.th for Char bar , Persia, and
arriving there in the afte~MI')~l, the d;.ctance cover-ad being 330 miles. The fliers
left the same day for Bandar Abbes, PeTsia.~ a:i.so 330 miles dista!lt.
Re~arkable prog~ess was made the next four days, the airmen reaching Constan-
tinople on July lOth, at'ter tre.ver.6ing eLose to 2,000 miles. They are at this
writing in Paris, France, and onl~' a sho r-t hop acrona the English eha.nne~ will
take them to London, where their pla:tHls wi:'.l under-go a thorongh overha\,\lJ.ug and
pontoons again placed on them prepp.ro.to~.y '~o~l:'9.ir dif'fi.cult hop across the
north Atlantic via Greenland and IceAend to their native soil • the good old
U.S.A.
Chief of Air Service1 visited the Island of Lanai to secure data incident to the
establishment of airways and airdromes on a1l IslandR. .'
An excellentfield was secured and markBd, and this work was J.mmedJ.ate1y fol-
lowed by the 4th Squadronf all pilots and observers making the trip in formations
of three planes each.
OBSERVATIONSCHOOLSIN HAWAII
There has been a decided Lmpr ovemerrt in observation with both toast and Fie:'..d
Artillery since the 4th Oeser-vat Lon Sq1.'adron ..Art,:i.llel'Y schools h~'Y'e been ccmpJ.d",d.
A number of mi aunder-at andfnga in types 01' messages serit and receJ.ve~ and tho Ir.cs
~f standard methsds used in observing with1different batteries convJ.nced thO Cum-
~l3- V-5242,A.S.
m~ndil1g Officer that a !3cl1.oo'l for all artillery communications off.icers and all
P~1ots and observers was the best method of eliminating small mis1Jnr'i:J:rstl.'n.dinge •
. The school was first organized bet\veen the A:i.r' Ser~Tice and the i.l-th Field
Artl.llery Br:::'gade, end c.ue to exce tLerrt cooperation some e x cept Lo nal, resul~~s were
obtained <tad a 'chorJugh ucder at andang of limitations of each branch of service
was gained.. . .
The school .f)~ Div~.sion Artillery was so successful that the Squadl'"on Com-
mander decided to carryon with the C08.3t. Artillery. Consequed.ly, aui~1ority was
requested trom and gr an ~()d by the DspertI"18nt Commancer for a. s or.o c I for CO::1lilH::1i-
cations Ofticers of the Coast Art.ille:ry Dj.strbt and Sou.adrcp Officers. As a re-
sult of these s<-hools e numoE;r of minor difficulties were eliminated, aame hav i.ng
arisen from time to tir:e' in flying pr cb Lome fOl' bat t.er-Le s , The 'time elelT''3n1:.and
misunderstanding betwefn Air Service and the Artille~y in t~is Department was
al,e 0 cut down.
The Engineering D3partment of the San Antonio Air Interm~diate Depot, Kelly
Field, Texas, under the direction of Lieu'c. Charles E. Br an shaw, Air Servioe, com-
pletely repaired and overhauled during the mon'th of May t.he following airplanes
and engines: Airplanes 10 DH4B's~ 3 DH4B-l's, 1 DH4B-P-l, 9 JN6H-lfs~.3MB3A~S,
u
. /'
j
NOTESFRC::w1
LIB. SERVICEFI.li:LDS
V-5242, A.S.
four 50 pound demolition bombs , One attack was mace OIl the 21st on an anmuni-
tion train, each plane dropping four 50 j?oundd.emolitio:n bombs. Tw~ attacl:cs on
~l~~r.rW.b~ttery posi tio~a were made. on the 22.l1d, ea.~h ~lalle dro..?,Jing 81:::. 50 pound
-e'l.o1J.tlon bombs. A d.emonstrat1.on of attack ava at Lon was &..1130givei1 for the
students Of the Field. Artillel"y School on the 24th and for the United states EJ.it-
or&' Convention on the 26th.
lI.1.~DQU.\RTERf""B:I0ET:I .:.'J.lT~'..CK 5QU.l.J}ROl-!: Flylng during the past week was
limited to training in attack nnd tactical exercises. ~ number of pilots were
f~ing with the 43rd purSUit squadron the first three days of tJlisweek, when fly-
ing oonditions were suitable.
Misfortune seemed to haunt CDl. l1enloy on his cross-country flight to Clar-
endon, Texa,s,' on IitBy 24;,' vlhen his plane was oompletely wa.shed out about 16 miles
:north of Fredericksburg, ~ex~'1s, in a forced. landing. The right wheel aile. one
longeron were broken in landing. It is believed that the plane had a. defective
land1ng gea.r, since none of the struts in the landing gear were brosen or even
Oracked. Cpl. Henley and. Pvt. Stephens escaped injury. '
TlIIRTEBNTII ATTACK SQU.:.DRONI Flying waa curtailed to such an extent dur- .
1ng the past week due to inclement weather that the Engineering Depar tmenf ha4 .
oonsidera.ble time to d.evote to making mi.nor repairs on our planes and getting them
in good shape for flying. Much wo:rl: Vias :::.150 done on the ;':awns_ around the Hang ...
ars ani BarrackS. . ,
'lltlli'2Y'..SlUtl'.\trlillX "C,;7n:anJf: 'f3':y little flying was done by the squadron
due to the inclement weather. ~.nis orgn.nization has a total of four planes with
the new types of servi.ce eqUipment for SY-ilch!'onized guns.
NINETIETR i:.~~ACK SQUADRON: Operations for the pas t week consisted mostly
of flying purSUit sh1psWi th the 43rd school Squadron, and a. few routine tests cf
the Ships in this organiza~ion.
10TH SCEOOLGROUP
llEAD:~UARTERS
10TH ooooOL GROUP: .E1~ipg. Lt • .L.A. Kessler, s», of the 40th
Squadron flew to NewYork 01 ty in a. 'DII~B"
Lt. Ralph l.:... Snavely of the 40th SqUadron flew to Los Angeles, Ca.lif. in til.
V-5242, A.S
-16-
FORTY FIRST SCooOL SQUlJlRON: Private Dewey F. Shipp, who was a.bsent without
....
lea.ve and wired the Coruma.ndingOfficer for a tenl~) day extension, repol'ted
~or duty after being absent 31 days, and reported_an enjoyable box-car tour
of several states. 'rips. were not exactly ~.naccord with his wishes. However,
he reports that he did treat tlle civilian authorities at several stations to hoi;
cakes,except at Palestine, Texas, where dinner was served, and he drew a nice
fine amounting to approximately $55.00 and restricted to the city hotel for lO
days. Private Shipp reported his experience as an absentee and the many dif-
ficulties enCoUlltered to his squadron Commander, and expressed his sincere desire
to remain from~9! __~ with the service.
FOR1.I!Y-SECmm SeOOOLs:<,U.llDRONr Flyir~ time for the week, 214 hours and 50 min-
utoh StudentlJ1 time- 259 hours and. 10 minutes. Camp at Hew Braunfels has
iu~ned out a suooess, as the member~ of the organization seem anxiOUS to spend
the week-end there.
SIXTY-EIGrr~~SERVICE~U"UDRONl ~ork started on replacing engine bed fittings
on :four (4) oondemned S.E. 51a, also work was hurried on ;M3.jorl1ickam's ship,
Two other DRts sent to the line fOE' servioe. Overhaul of two Liberty
Motors completed in.Motor Overhaul.
lnvitatiollS for lJit. Rush~s \1eclding on June 12th were issued,
Technical Sergeant J .K. 'ii11liams, is away on a Short furlough. \/e trust
it is not in the vicinity of ~oulsiana, Staff Sergeant~oods is handling ships
and hangars with his quiet usual efficiency during J.K.is absence.
THIRD l~TT,A,CK
GROUP
•••
~
~:DIEI'H SERVICE~UADRON: Capt. Balla:rd. pilot and Sgt. Linville, meo1W.nio;
~7otthh of Post Field, Ok.1.a.h')ma.~ a.:;:r1,vedat this field in a DoHaviland plane, ~y
~ "
-17-
ure Of. :M'ajor Martin.) 113ft recently on a. .ten-day leave for points in the East, and
thus hme 1s now fOi.md to pen short items of news from-"this Station.
\¥.nenMajor Yartin recently passod througn Chic~go on his way to report to
. the Chief. Qf Air Servi.ce in rlashington" a goodly number Of the old gang from
Chanute !i1'leld escorted his train for several miles prior t;G its reaching Chicago,
MajQr Martin was entortainod by tho Adventu.rol's Club \Jhile in Chicago, and we all
managed to horn in on the party. It is reported that every ono left in good
spirits. Major I~rtin 1s expected to visit Chanute Yithin a few days, and a
'ruusing reception is bviu5 plaIll1ed for him.
Major Wm.C.McChordis expected to arrive at Chanute Fiold, and assume com-
mand about JUly first. Ha.ving in mind the story told of :MajQr1'fCChordwhen he
assumed his .first command, it is reported that thera are a numbor of soldiers at
this Station expecting to becomenon-conmrl.ssionQd officers shortly after his ar-
rival.
Ohaplain C.P. Futohcr dopar ted for CampCuster, Michigan, where he will
spend tho noxt '.1.roo months at tho SUIDi110r training camp. Heedless to say, our
genial and jolly chaplain Ls grea.tly missed and tho boys are anxiously awaiting
his return.
Most every one has known that Lieut."Doug" Givens is a very good politician
and of la.te he has be on dooiJ.eclly active attending t,he Republican Convention at
Oleveland. Juno 9 to 12th with Mr. Charles Middloton, Co~nissionor of Labor for
the State of :i1Jissour'.• as his passenger. "DO\,l.g".olaimsto be e. wet RepUblican,
Lt. Devery, Lt. T.d.rhl Sgt. Porter end. Sgt. IIe.rvcy flew to st. Louis, Mond.a.~t
June 16. and were gllost,S a.t t:iJ.o Q;llartcrmaster Rotmion hold thare.
Lt. "'Hodl!Eller :recently took off for Hartford,Conn., to serve onD.O.L.
as an InstiuctorQf a. l~ational Gu.n.rdun1 t. HIIod" loft considorablo unfinished
business bohind him..
Lt. Charles c. nowman, Instructor in tho Department of Communications, is on
leave of absonoe praparatory to sailing for IIawaii.
Lt. Charles lIt 1'1'1.118, flying one of the DIl4-B wasn-outa, made a graceful land ...
ing at an altitUde of. some 75 feet with tho usual result. Charlie says "\'lith So
good ship it wouldn't have happened". We are this day informed that the SaInO
Lt. Mills ha.s been designated to pursue a rofresher courae under "Doug't Givens.
Lt. Ployer Pater Rill, Property Officer of the Dopartment of PhQtography, do-
parted last week for three montbs' tompQrary duty in the Chief's offico.'
Several of the R.O.T.C. arrivod Juno 11th Qnd arc now quartered in.tonts op-
posite the lIospital. Captain ll.hitesidos, of tbo Instructors Staff for tho Air
Servioo at the Univorsity of IJ.J.inois, is in cha.rgo of operations, and our pilQts
and instructors will be kept vel'.Y bUSy tho next two weaks ca.rrying out the sched-
ule arranged for the tl'ainillg of tho so men.
Lt. E.G. P1tDk, Corps of Engineors; attaohod to MoCookField at DaytQn, haa
boon at tho FiGld for tho past two 'WGoks await1,ng a. ~ood day to complete a map-
ping projoctC) . Our wea.ther l'Gports show cloar 'Woathor ~d no c Iouda during the
entiro podod •
. Lt. McReynolds, frOOlBolling Field, carne through on airv:aya on the seventeenth,
With Lt. Diclt. Alds\J01'iih, on loavo from Kolly ]j'ield, as his passenger.
Lt. Luwronco P. Hickey, Director of tho Dopartrrcnc of COlnmunications, on a ro-
oent airways tripeD.st, mado tho flight from Ohanube to ~v1.itch01 Fiold in one da.y1s
flying timo. .
Sergoa.nlt,Aaron i....l'ortor, pilot, accompa.nicd by Sergoant 1.I.lvaHarvey, dopa.1't-
od for Cleburne, To:xas~ Sargoanf; Harvey's home, on June 1.6. .
Tho merobGrsof tho QU<..'U'torlIaatorCorpa, a.t this Station, and tho civlUa.n om-
ployees of that branch oolebratod tho Q.uG.rtormastor Reunion w~.th a. di.n1Ilora.t. tho
Hotol 1:lJDml, Ohampa.ign, Illinois, Juno 16. rrChampa.iguuis the name of the town-
not a. part of tho menu.
Oaptain r;'aloott P. ila.yes and Lt. Samuel Skomp, honor students of tho ro'cent
class graduated from tho DQp<~rt!Wntof Con~:roi.oa.u.ons, rocG~vod. noti.oe of their
assignmont for a c oureo of s~;1ldy a.t tho Sheffiold SC'.cntiU.c school, Yale Col1pge.
Lt. Al Smith anel Capto.~.n S.E. Robinson, of the £';isso"J:r1Uational Guard.
while returning from the B.o;:uclican Oonvontnon at C13voland~ .1J:rao~edup some twen..
ty miles from Cho.nuto Field. fmd procoedod on their t:.d.p to st. Louis a.fter ~arioug
minor ropairs wore made.
Lt. Oook came up from Kolly on an air '~rip to v:..s.tt h(:}w folks m In1;ana,
anc. crackod up for the ed:i.fieat~.on o~ tho n3.tives, r~'~~ur:atngto ~ollY b~ r8.:i.11 ,
Lt. Vinoent J. MolQYIIRogtllD,:rJ... r~ Instructo:a.~ vn.th -ljhoNa.t1.ona.lG..1.8.rda ...
-18-
Nash!ille, Tenn., visited Cht:muto Field to make arrangements for the A.erial
Carnlval to be held in Hashville tho latter pa.rt of this month.
The Poet B2.seball Toam, under the management of Lt. Arnold H. Rich, E
each bunda" on tho Field.
& R Offic6:t-, is pl::wing Q. scho du'lo of gJ.InCS An
'Unusual amount of intorost has boon shown by tho ontiranpersonnel of the li':tol.d.
1n these games. and it is planned that they shall contiriuG throughout the sea.~
son.
StUdent officers 0 f tho Enginooring DiVision, at MoCookFiold, \Voro ro-
l o¥t 6U2sta of Chanuto on a tour of 1nsp0ction of our various shops and courS~iB
orma.a.- very, vOl'y fO:l'mal - d1mJ.er and dance was given in their honor at 'tile
Off1cors. Club.
1bjor Follett Bradloy,Commanding Offic~r of Frcnce Field, Panama Canal
Zona, ~as a recent visitor at ~~ute.
Sunmor ,is coming - Yes Sirl lind, hoy. do we knot;? - Ohl.lof course ,' by the
thermometer, - but also becauso_people arc going off for vacations. Mrs, James
T. Cutnberpa,tch and her young son loft for Co.l1fo1':118.as he.vo Mrs. DUdloy"W.Wat.
kins and Mrs. Kenneth B. ';lolfe, Mrs. Charlos C. Chauncey also left, and will
reJoin hor husband at his now Station in ~~shington. Liout. Chauncey was in
ohar~o of tho SChool work horo und loft a remarkab~ smooth running organization
to lu~s successor, Lt. ChJ.s... 1... ~Iorn. Lt. Chauncey's new work 1s along someWhat
similar linoo as ho is in tho ~raining Division, Offico Chief of ~ir Sorvice.
Tho Posts t bast YJishcs for succos s arc cx tondcd , .
Young Scotty Royoo, six yoar old S.Dn of .l\~t't.jor and i.irs. Rn.lph Royco, sufforod
a sovoro bGroavomcnt roccmtly. One of tho numer-ous dogs on tho Post caught a
baby brush rUbb,it, and tho inf3.!l.t, apparently unhurt. was presented to Scotty.
It wa~ so young that soliel food offored no tomptation and tho problem becamo
acute UIltil Mrs. Royce ended tho hungo r strike by injocting warm milk down Petor
Rabbitic' throat y:ith ono of Co-pt. Thorns's medicino droppers, Pator soomod to
thrivo for about a. wook, but finally, after boing per-suaded to partako of a tondor,
grass Shoot, ho vaG apparently seizod with acuto indigostion and passed into tho
Th'ppy lIuntj,ng Grounds in spite of tho boat otforts of tho Flight Surgoon. .Jmd so
Scotty is desolate.
Tho world.s aaddos t dog. ICorn-Yl.b.iskoyT,bolonging to Lt. Harlan T. MaCo .... ";
mlckll Visitod tho Post for a fOil days, but ll?od to go back to hiat sanitarium' to
chock e. slight attack of dis'cempor.
Lts. oscar A. Proehl and. Lloyd ih ~Iunting aro qudto busy those days turn-
ing d own tho "revorse o ongracufat Lons« of their fr1onc1s. Both of thesG aspir-
ing young [',COS sot thoir ships dorm ~rong sl<1o up roconbIy ,
J.t. John K. Hissley, Post Utllitios Officur, and .Mrq. laGsloy, loft to spend
a few Wtoks at Liout. liissloylshomo in Pasadona, Cellf.
Lts.Elno Shingle ~nd ~lbert G. Kelly loft the post for their new stations
at'Ft. SQD Houston.
lleetic activity on the par t qf the seven National Guard Officers, I,ts. J.B.
Douglas, S.E. Hartsfield, Edward L. Meadowsand J.L. Peterson fr~n ~ennesEee and
R.J. Rentz, R.S. \711113 and J .M. Bell from Minnesota, Texas and Indlana, respec-.
~1vely, h~s become very noticeable. Tho reason is that the appropria.t\cn tor
their training has run out, cutting their period frDm the proposed fou~ mo~ths
ending July 17th to the 3d. This is a great disappointment to these. off)(:c~rs t
and they have requeated their respective states to talre up the financ1al b1:':':C'.:'ll
for tIl.e remainder of their training period temporarily until the beginning vi:: t.h.e
new fiscal year. .At all events tney will remain until July 1st on their own
ttme, if necessary, '. "
Lt. Clinton F, \7oo1sey flew a Kelly Field 11artin over the Airways ~h;;~ week,
takinO' his passenger Lt. Gordon T. ':Taite, on siCk leave to his home in ]'y~::.e!:..}.F.5,:'..a'l
In addi tion, Lt. 1,70oisey carried a Liberty motor and spare parts "destined rc r 1i.\:lS-
kogee and some express for Do.llas. /
-19-:-
.,..•.
.Boy hOW~1 What a pa.7'ty ... The bachelor officers on the Post are mi.p;h.t;r eor':
ry
miAs"'" to cave
.. to S1).<';1l".a.. J.':L\,c:.i::~g Lg;1{;; as .Lt. Cl!.:r,~"~l~S lloMJ."l1en d(mar+,\-O' f~or.l t-":'r"';~
:.t..... "-- , .... "'M ~ - wII~\ •._ \'~.~.~,,~').... oJ.~r_',""
_.• ,~ on ... :1 e&.n c \)0 h[-i~?ea.. Lt. Mc~u:Ue~.:1. \vill 'i:letrancfe:'xsd to the 8::::.1:1 An-
tonio A.i;: l:~te:i"lr,E-)r"~at,,e D8P!)t, san AntOIlio, 'l!exas. in the c~pa.city of Offiuer in
Charge 0].. t,,1.e Re:f;a:t..l' J!)e:Qotil
B"l" ~'li'(.> '1a""\~"~l ". 0":,1, ;lGS'l as a s l' ;:,['r;.~
..,..... J, '- .~ ,'.• ,~
• to'!:en of their regarti the rest 0: t he
L ..
verted that neither he Ima t nor gogglea are neoessa~y an1the motor mUf~led so that
ordinary conversation is unhampe red , (:00 we hoar some old toy saying I!QOGb."~
what pampered pets, ... now. when I took rrt., flying training, etc~ eto.-" M:lybe, .but '\
think it over, its progress for the servlce~o
. And that's not all cHhol', this class w:l.ll get some three or four hours For-
mation Flying in Vough';;st .and a',;udonts c:Ju.J.d.n't ask for more.
HWehave with us ... et~c.":MD.jorand Mr.s. Clinton W. Russell and Capt. Harry
.B. Flounders, with a cl~ss of seventeen R~O.T.C. Air Service cadets fr~m Texas
Ao& M. Oollege. They oIlly arrived last week, so we haven't become really acq~int.
ed with them all yet.
Lt. e.nd Mrs. lI~f1l'll1JlYll T:Joylor loft for the ~hilip.r;>!neso Their friends a.ll
wiSh them t bon voyage t •
Lt. J.B. Haddon. cur o.r ..c~ FIylng, in acl.dit!on to his other qualities is
something of 11 diplor.oa.to ~he other day one of the stud.ents,.set down his lIJan ...
nyll on the fenoe of one. Ma'tl.o11ado by name , and a corn «net cafn] raiser by trade.
As a result somebody elses cows got thru the fenoe and a.te Maldonado's corn.oaus ...
l11g him great angn1sh as well as l.::!lIlet:it.f.f~.OBR •. Th;\.s sad state of a..ffairs coming
to Lt;. Haddon' a not.Io e , he took Lt. L..F. Young as intei.'preter and flew over to
sooth Jilaldonl3.doI s fU:~f.led.fee 11:,::'£;8 t .
tho 'building in tho ;''lea:- i'uh:.:"(3t, At 'the preaerit time working 'facilities are
eo haJldioaped in the old. b'u,Udj.ng that tl:.e section is not doing as good work as
it could undarothcr co:nd:i.tions. .
First Lt. Jaok Greer and Sergeant Goorge Bathey of the e6th service Squa1-
ron. were selected to I'epresent theScf\).:ldron and CampNichols in t:1G Pistol lIa,tehe
to be held at Fort ],(cKi.nley in tho near :fUture.. I'rlva:te DeBall wa.s vs e Lect ed ~s
the representati.ve of Headq,uaryers Detachmerrt , Lt. Greer gained hi.: s.hoo'tLng ':,T~
.....from sqUirrel hunting in :1vlissouri end ,30rgo,c,1 ..t Bathey by shootin.q' ('\t21.J'~thin~3 U-J
in Miohigan. Private DeBa1l is rather vaguo about his.
Tho bunch in BaguioJlwill return tomo:ruw,,' e.!ld the squadron hopsethey VQj.:l ,
feel SUfficiently recuperated to hit th~ ball. as they have lata of nioe hard.,or~
The la.te hot spell has tailed to dampen the spirits of the 42nd., and Pd,.
va.te Snead still takes groat delight in delivering the passionate pink passes in
person. '
We tried to get Private Hight!.ll 1nterested in fem but he begged off, de-
olaring that they olashed vd th the qUieter tone of his hair~
, We expeot to g~t this rush work on passes over soon and settle baok to tho
old routine of drawing'maps, (and oanteen ohecks).
~aadgua.rters. Philippine Dept •• MaDila.P. It. May 26th. .. •.-.... ,-A1'~"'. .f7o". ......
The Canp Niohols Teamwon thoir game from the Horsemen of stotsenburg, at
Nozaleda. Park on the 19th, by a score Of five to nothing, Thia was an unusJ4f"lly
good game and won favorable mention from the newapaper e and the M:J.niln.Fans.
Browning, tho Niohols tosser, pitched one of his brilll~t games, holding the :U:o:tso-
men to one hit,. The Niohols te:.1lU0.160 mde the only triple play of the season .
in this Department. In tho games with the gunners a.t correg!dor, they lost both
games. Thia ends this season's work_ It is hoped tha~ the team will make a goo,
showing during the next season. We have the mD.terial and with plenty of praotice
and cooperation. we should be ab.leto. aooomplish something.
Capta.in R. Boom, who has been 111 in Sternberg Hospital for sometime,' is
due to return to duty this 'Week.
The 66th Service Squadron Headqua.rters, the Supply and Engineering De-
partments will be very glad to get into their new offioes at the Hangar just oom-
p-leted. Muohooncern was felt by the Squadron, when the skies began to cloud over
and the wise ones predicted the rains had come. They fco.r that unleas the move is
"Dadeat once, the Q.uartermaster will be oompelled to issue them canoes to go about
their work, as the water comes through, the old roof just as 11 it wasn't there.
,- Lt. McCune. Squadron Supply Offioer, had a couple of da.ys of pleo.s'i.rG la.st
week when he made a. trip to Mindoro. He returned full of pep and is now trying
to oatoh up with the work that piled up Sin his basket while he was gone. Baskets
have a ~ wa.yabout them, they generally pilr"l? .,....
ut the time one least expects
it.
. ~;,'" Opera.tions the past week consisted of the following flights: On the 19t
1ffj'fSt. John and Dinger flew to Clark Field and return. . On the 22:od Lts. Ha.ck-
e" and MoCuneflew two DRs to Stm Jose, M1ndoJ'O,transporting 1l5r. Burns, an Insul[".
government official, on Official business. The officers returned the next day.
Mr. Kelly, Airplane Inspeotor in oharge of assembling tho ten Martin Bomb...
e~a, whioh arrived here on the February Tranaport, is oontemplating returning to
the States on the June transport. He is well pleased With the oo-operation,he 1'0-
oelved"at this IJ1eld. Five of the Bombers have been assembled. four of which arc
stored at Clark Field, unti~ our now hangars o.re oompleted. The first three Domb~,
ers were assembled and flmm in twenty eight days, whiCh, o.ccording to JlItr. Kelly,
1s a. record.
Ex.tra. A new ma.ladf has struok the 42nd. VIe don't know JUst what the
trOUble lS. but think it shOuld ce Classified as acute roligionitis.' The oompleta
OffiCe force, with the-eXception of Sergeant Wilkins, went to church last Sunday_
'1'here can be no doubt as to the ability of Chaplain Boyd. He 1m.s been here only
B'shol't time but has a.lready accomplished something no other Chaplain has ever dont:
Perhaps he can divert Private Snead's mind from his daily day dreaming.
More states mail oame in this morning <.mdPrivate snead has been going,.,>'; ,
around evar since with a fixed and glassy stare •
..21-
V-5242, A. S.
"I
Mrs. Geo .. E ...L. Reinburg, wife of the Ail:' Officer, r0turned recently on the "Empl"eSS
of As5.a" frrGlm2,. two months' ~ur of Chi~.. She was entertained by the American
Oonauj, in Sha:lghai, and while in Peking was- the guest of Mr. and Mrs. John W.. walk-
er of the Stn:'.d;\:t'd, Otl ::le. 'who haYE:,.o. b~ei.l~:t:i.fnl res~.deooe tnero , JI[;;rs. Rei ni:m-rg'
~ul'Chaseu. rQ3Jl r I~Ga.v:;;;~.ful
Cfl:,n0~e f.ur:rifsb.i:n.S3 for 1;'01'home , lJJD.jor RB:l:#:itu:";f: .i'0-
cently retUl'12ed f::.'om ,;, hlillt::.ngtrip ~o 'Sc~ri-..rose, Mi,ndol'o~ whor-e he flew ';)~y air,..
plan,e, .:lccompo.nied by I\'I;:JJor.RoHard. .&irl.th of'the Public Health. Servine. They Were
the house gU.0St~ of .i'1i.~ji0rS • .!. Jo:tmson, O.R.C .., who is rL'D.nage:' of the Mindoro sugar
EsJ~atG'I M:1.jCk' RJi.nr.P).:r.g :gas IlJ.C'l.!moi en ext.ended tr:i..p through Japa:>:1I."
ChinCl. and SJ6er-
~.a on Leave , He uX,fK:Ct,s to board C1f.roigh,ter at Ill::.nibJ visit HC:lg1mng, Shang,...
hait '?eking, M)~dken" E:c.xl'iz!p V:L<:l.d~vostolC, SeollJ., 'Rol"ea.,": Sf..imone3ka, Tokyo, KoJs., We-
goyo. and YOKch3.L.1a.. \';11110. in peking a.np. H<l:'bi:'l ~j or- Reinburg expec ts to ht::nt
deer and phec.sant. ' , .-
Lt. and )\l1rs. George A. MoHemy, who n.1WG, been sta.tioned a:t Comp:~s~o~;ens-
bu:~g for tho pf;.t3t two. Yo!1rs. are among those s2.il:!.ng for the Ubi'Iied states next
month. Lt. Y.0~0nry ~ill go to Brooks Fiold for dutYA
lIt. and ::i!rs• .L.A•.]. Waller. and ohi ld are lCC1vtng on tho Transport "Thomas"
for thE! Un:U;oi St~t~(j6 June 17th. L~. iJI-:.IIGl'was sta.t:lo:nod at Clnrk Field for the
past tr.'o. :>;eaI'Cls He will l'61;JOl't to the Mio.dletown Air I:atermeiiate Depot, Middle-
to\Vll, Ohio" ;."O:l:' d"').~y~ '" :
•. B::n:.jamin G. Weir, wife of 1\Ift1,jol'\1ei.r of Camp Nichola.
M:.'(,I left for Bagw.l!o.
She and the ch.Udren expce t: to remain there fOl. several weeks"
C<l};.t.and 1111's" Gi~'be:rt T. Collar, whd have been stattioned at Cump Stotena-
burg for the pa s t tv/o ye2...rs" S[~; lad on the tlZmpre.ss of RURSio.ll for a. t01.'!.r in China.
i'hey wUI make connoota o:n.~at Ghinwa:1gtno rd>th'the Transport' "Thoms" en its re-
turn trip to the Ulli tee. Sta::;es next menth.' .. ' .
Lt. j{.N. 1i:J..lke17p Hll0 w:ttll I\Jl:cs.'vlo.1ker. has been touring in China, re-
turned to the Post for duty on t~e 26th. .
. The return of O'L1!' CommaIldi.n.g Offic0r, Major Follett Bradley, from the ":St'atv8
where he had gone to compete for a place on tho Olympic Rifle team, was the occasion
'of an unusually successful d=~nner dance at the St:;,ungerst OJ.1.::.b. Everyone had"
wished lIilajor Bradley the .. bes't of. luck when he left for the competition,> and the Jf;;\.':'~
sonneI of tho post were '~it,~lhim heartily:.. HOFGV,Jr, the cordiali t;y exprcs aot .t{(i:m
;,
.... Ca'l?t. E.E. Adlor urrivod a/Ii FaLr:t.i.old on J'l'l.D.c6":ih from leavo at San An-
tonio Texas I and oxpeo t s to remaJ n haze iGl' an hid.cHell t.o porioo .•
I
Lt. R~H.:NJ.lls roturne1 frar:l. K2..:r332..G Clty 011 Ji.'..UC 6, ha~!j]1.gmade the trip
in a Martin Bomber , H0 cock with him Mossrs. J .11. Govvor, J.D. ntblet and G.-:;,oer
Had~dn pf this Dopot. .
Lt. F.R. Paul, Supply ([»f.fioor at Ohanube Field,. arrived at '\-lilbur \7right
Fiold on Juno 9 accompaniod. -:>y Ifl:T. r,i'. T• .:at:rnot~, i:n&cru'::ltcI' j,n c10(', tr:i.oaJ.o:ngi-
neoring a.t Chanuto FiGld. 'Ihcy 8.pont a do,~' hero, c'd,v'l,i.';ng thair t:L:nobe tween tho
SUpply DQpartmont and tho Fie.:.tlSoj~V':'co S0cti~m. Tho foUowing day Vias spent at
N.aCookFiold. aftor whioh t1.oy roturnodto thc.ir homo sta/;ic;:).. .
On June 10. J.t. Ed'win n. EDhz:lon CC;IllilDXlujYl3' 0ifice-r: of tho 5th Photo Sec-
j
tion at Ohanut.o Fiold, travo]J,cu b;y air to t~i s Skdi~.on and ccnsu.Lbod with l,t.
Dunlap rogarding photographlc ~'';:.PL'')B,08~ Ho r;0::,n'n.od to ht.e homo S'Gatdon on Jun.o
1'3. Lt. Bobzien was aocompan:i.eJ,.by liCe st. (Tcli;'), a studont offiool' at tho TeCh-
nical School at Chanute FioJ.a..
On Juno 16, Major G.R. B~ott and Lt. G.V. McPike flow to Scott Fiol~. Ill.
to oonsult With tho OfficGrs a.tt:hat 21acc:in regard. eo supply problems. ~hey,
returned tho following day.
Major Thoms G. Lanphier, Co:"m-.a;n1:1.ng Offi.cor of POf1t Fio'ld9 accompani.edby
sergeant Bothne. arrived here on .Tunt) lC'th La7ilv3' ",ra.veLled by air from Boll.i.ng
Field. They left for Selfridgo FiGJi i:.hG fo:.lcY:J~_ng day ..
Sergoant Pomcn:oy of S8 l:f'l'5,d.g'.) FJ.o Iii f Low to thJ.3 sta ti on J1IDO 17th. and
Z'oturnod in a fow hour a, car:ryi.:':lg' a 13,:.;'go8.nJl'ut 01 Sc1.f.pUoa, including :1.8 oil
tanks ,"whiohwere saf"ly stowed a'lI~"9 ir his DaT{Dv::. la.nd. :p'~.?.x.o.
On June 17th Lt. R.H. ~:ills mado af~-ing trip to Effingham,Ji~.l., and
return.
Six DOHa.viland planes and one NintiYl B~lmh:)r VJ~r'3 scheduled to pro."'oed
on Juno 28t'h to BowmanFiold, LouiSV1.1l0~ :~'.to t&:'co p9.rt l.n an a9daJ. d.oroonst:ra-
tion in connootion with tho KOlltucli"y HOli.t::cor:rLng.. On '::hat da.~r, an f::>rm'J!'rosi-
dents of Kontucky arc invi tod to v:i,sH th,~:!!' homo stato. It:is oxpec tod that
tho attcndance will be large and that many formor Kentuc ktans rrom all parts of
tho United Statos will return.
. :Lt. V.J. Meloy arrived by air from Nas;1vi11e, Tcnm. 011 Juuo 19th. Lt.
~1fred .Lind.eburgt of La~loy Fiel~9 arrivGd. t'.le came day; he oxpoc t s to ferry a
,Martin Bomber that has boon overhd.uliJd .i.n the Ropat r shops at tile Fairfield De-
~t.
, On June 17th, Lt. Ira L. KOGnig pi.loted the po!'.y .Blirnpover tho c1 ty of
,/ Da:rton.
The supply Departmont i::> propar mg to place 8,llsuppl:tos undor one roo r ,
With tho exception of pain1s, oi13, alid greascQ. which ~ill bc stored in a separat0
-za ...
building in complial'lOOwith existing rogu.lati.ons. Tho main olassos of prop-
art:;will be stored ~n aoparato aec t Lona, each ~ternbaing id.on-'jifled 'by st:)tJk
"
u'1.1m'Dor.ad s Lo numbe», and. sect ron....
nv.niocr, rmking a very ~i.mple system 'by wJ.lJ.c.h
any Hem loay be Located easily in filling requlsj.~ion8 f:fOm stock. Because of
tho Bhortago in personnel tho transfer of this property has boen gcing rathor
slowly, but once tho syatom is in off'3Ct, the RoclcwelJ. At!. lntermodiato Depot
will have as. fino a stock koeping system as any in tne A5.r Servioe.
A Shipment of sevonty Liborty anginas is being recoived from the Hawaiian
Islands for overhaul at this repair depot. Those engines 'Vlillbo aent through
tho Enginoering Departmont and. ,raooiv» tho general overhaul that has m9.de the
R.A.I.D~ engines famous. '
:in 4 1/2 days, ending at noon Saturday, Jl:L."1e 7th, this Dopot prepared for
shipment by Navy Transport to the Atlantic Airc~aft Corporation, Now Jersoy, 94
boxos of DH4B airplanes, totalling 207,500 ~ounds. Thia work alao necessitated
the pulling of 83 Liberty engines and, considering tho fact that a forco of un-
s..'dllodlaborers were employed Under the supervision of a fow trained men from
the Supply Department, it is thought that this record forspcoA.wil1 stand for
$ome time.
It is understood some ono approached Mr • .Butbhar, the ohief packer and ask-
ed if he had any newa, His reply was HYost for heavens Salce, tell bhom to cut
out the mllili and put in a raquisi tion for roller skatcsu•
With the joining of tho 91st Acro Squadron with tho forcos at Rookwell
Field, for tho purpose of suocessfully oompleting tho summer training camp as
provided by tho War Dopartmout, for the instruction of Reserve Officers, Organ-
ized Reserves and R.O.T.C. units of tho variOUS Co1legos, and extensivo ath1etio
program of a compctitivonature has boon dra\Y.nup between the offioers of RockWell
Field and tho officers of tho 91st Acro Squadron, To this end a lOVing cup haa
been put up for all tho events, div~dcd as follows: Individual and a team cup
for the Go!f Tournamont, a cup for tho team winning at Trap Shoo'ting, pistol and
rifle shooting, and one other for the allied events such as hand ball, tennis.
swimming, pi~ong, smelt fishing~ track meot, spitting at a crack or most any-
thing either side might think thoy aro rcal good at, The program consists Of
throe baseball games, eight golf games, throe tonnis matches, both single and doublc~
four trap shoots, ona rifle shoot over the regulation rango, three pistol shoots,
two hand ball games,' aquaplaning and swimming and a field moot, all of wh.i..ch arc to
be oontested for up to Se~tember 1st.
To date Rockwell Fiold has won one ba.ll game by a ecoro of ton to two,
b...eke 21 olay birds more than tho 9lst out of«';"llo~~;ll:.1& 500 and won three of tho
five two somes played at the golf oourse of tho Coronado Country ClUb, giving tho
local officers an edge that might be difficult to ovorcane ,
Eaoh of tho 29 ovents as Carded in tho abovo list have avaluo of ono
point oach to tho ~nning ~ido, tho organization winning tho most points at the
oloso of tho training poriod boing dubbed ~inner5 ...:..;i duitably ro\V!~dod with the
trophies as listed,
~cn oompotition is tho result! as each organization haa ton offioers
With about the same genoral qualifioations, tho 9lst believos they will not only
oven up tho soozo but \~1ll be s-o many polnta to tho good one:month from now that
the gamos for AUgust will not have to be playod., Rockwell Field offioors think
tho same.
Following is a list of tho Offioora in oach organization,
j
Rg"ckltJe1l
Fiold
LETTER No.14
________ J_u.ly.31, 1924
.. ' Th~ purpose of this letter is to keep the personnel of the Air Service both
in Washl.ngton and in the field, informed as to the acti vUies of the Air Se;vice
in general, and for release to the public press.
FORRELEAS.~
E ". 'st 4, 1924 ,/
;;::/ AROUND
THEWORLD
FLYERSPREPARE
TO CROSSATLANTIC
Only s~xteen flying hours separate the American around-the-world flyers who
?te ~t Brou~, England, at this writing, from the shores of North America _ that
l.S to say, 1.f they were to set out to equal the record made by Captain John .
Alcock and. Lieut. Arthur W. Brownin their non-stop trans-Atlantic flight from
st. Johns, Newfound~and, to Ireland, on June 14, 1919. But the American flyers
are not ben~ on makl.ng.any speed records in their aerial circumnavigation of the
globe. '.The1.r purpose l.S to demonstrate that the project can be carried through to.
co~platl.on. In the light of what they have accomplished thus far, no doubt shOUld
eXl.st as to the successful termination of the flight •
. Instead of the 193.6'miles which the British flyers, Alcock and Brown, . covered
before they landed at Clifden, Ireland, the American flyers according to their
itinerary, will have to traverse some 2816 miiesbefore the~ reach Indian Harbor,
Labrador. From this point to Washington, D.C., is a stretch of l665 miles, so
that the total distance which now separates them from Washington is 448l-'milea>o'
Whenwe pause to reflect over the accomplishments of the airplane we are
seized with a feeling' of wonderment. Crossing the Pacific Ocean is the .latest
aeronautical,achievement. Three years ago the Atlantic .Ocean was crossed in 15
hours, 57 minutes. Last month Lieut., Maughan crossed the United .States from New'
YOr~ Ci~ to San Fra~cisco in 21 hours, 4Bt minutes. The American around-the-
world flyers are now on their home stretch. TrulY,what next?
In our chronicles of the world flight, which have appeared regularly in the
NEWSLETTER,we left off where the American airmen had taken off for Bandar Abbas,
Persia. This place is situated at that point where .the Gulf of Omanand the
Persian Gulf join. The peninsula of the desert coast of Arabia, separating the
" Gulf of Omanand the Persian Gulf, can be distinguished from the Persian coast.
The flight landed .on the airdrome which had been prepared on the beach a,ast
of Bandar Abbas by the assistance of the British Consul there, after 4 hours and
5 minutes in the air. The airplanes had behaved so splendidly throughout. the two
flights on the 7th that very little work vias necessary for the next day's' flight.
The officers and men of the American Expedition were .entertained and quartered
with Mr. Richardson, the British Consul at Bandar Abbas.
On the morning of July 8th the airmen left Bandar Abbas for gushire; the
most important city of Persia, 400 miles to the west. After five hours in'the
Sir, during which no diff iculty'was experienced, they landed at Bushire g~, .an ex-
cellent airdrome which had been prepared by the Royal Air 1I"'orceas' one of the way
stations on the airway between Baghdad, Mesopotamia, and Karachi, India. A.f~er;a
short stay"in Bushire, Which was necessary for refueling and visiting with the ,
r officials of the British GO..vernment who ha.d been so k.ind to Lieut. Hal.v~r.s....
o.n
...,...the
"Advance Officer of the 4th Divsmn, and who had assisted him in making all the,
arrangements for the landing at this place, the flight took 0 ffthat afternoon .
. • for Baghdad, the City of the Arabian'N~ghts, 475 miles to the west.. .
Qtj'" . When the 'flight landed on the afterno on 0 t July 8th ~t had c()v~red ~?5 miles
/11 that day from Bandar Abbas, Persia,in ten hours and 30 mirurtes flYl.ng tl.me,
f/ having flown from I:1dia to Mesopotamia in two days, traver~.:.ng the entire south- .
ern border of Persia.
Upon their landing at the airdrome, the American flyers were cordially re-:.
ceived by the Royal A~r Force, the officials of the British Government.and the
American Consul. During their stay at Baghdad the Arr.ericans were the guests of
the Royal Air' Force Squadron No.8, but in spite of their splendid treatment.
could not be persuaded to remain long with them, and the dawn of July 9th foun~
the three planes of the American Expedition cd.rc-l.Lngthe Airdrome pr epqr at or'y to
..""' the flight of 480 m:l.les to Aleppo, Syria .. Theco\1rse followed was generally up
the valley of the Euphrates of the old city of Ramadi to Dier-Ez-Zor to the .
MuslimiehAirdrome north of. Aleppo. The distance was covered in 6 hI's.' arid.5
minut~s. V-5251,A.S.
. .I.
~ihen the world flyers landed they were met by General Bil10tte and a group of
French aviation officers. Muslimieh is one of the most important stations of the
French Air Service in the levant. The Americans remained over night at Aleppo and
the morning of July lOth again saw them' on their way toward Constantinop1e,Turkey.
It was originally planned for the flight to stop at Kania, but at the last minute
it was decided to elimin~ce Konia and proceed without stopping to Constantinople,
if the weather. remained good. So with goed fortune favoring them the flight flew
direct from Aleppo to Conotantinople on the Bosphcr-cue without stop in 7 hours and
40 minutes. With the landing 0 f the flyer's at San Stefano airdrome. ten miles west
of the city of Constanti.nuple. the route th:roughout tbe 4th Division had been
completed. .
Notwithstanding the fact that they had been in the air pi."acticallY eilght
hours during the flight from Aleppo to Constantinople. they worked upon their
planes getting them in readiness to leave Constantinople as soon as possible for
Bucharest, the first stop in Europe. They were prevail ed upon, however, to rest
over Friday as the gveet s of the Turkish aviation officials and the day was spent
making small adjustments on the world cruisers and explaining their airplanes with
.their specia~ equipment to the Turkish airmen.
Early on the morning of. the 12th the flyers left Constantinople for Bucharest.
!lying over the route Which was originally established in 1921 by the Franco-
Roumanian Air Lines as a nart of the route from Paris to Constantinople, which had
to be abandoned on account of political conditions in Turkey. The flyers landed
at the airdrome of the Franco-Roumanian Air Lines at. Baneasa , a few miles north of'
the City of BuchaTest. They covered the 290 miles in 4 hours and 40 minutes. They
were welcomed by officials of the Roumanian Government and members of the A~~rican
Legation. At the commercial airdrome eve~y assistance was given them. and the
planes were quickly prepared for the next day's flight. It was while the flyers
were yet in Bucharest that the plan to reach Paris on the 14th of July, the French
Independence Day, was decided upon, and the 1400 miles between Bucharest and Paris
was covered in two days.
At 5:40 in the morning the American !light was circling over the city of
Bucharest preparatory to. their long flight to Vienna. which they hoped to make in
one day. After a trip against head winds for 7 hours and 50 minutes they landed
at Matyasfo1d Airdrome, Budapest. havi.ng covered 510 miles. All arrangements had
been made for the flight to land at Belgrade. The officials of the Serbian Army
and members of the American colony were e.waiting them at the Panchevo Airdrome I but
the flyers, wishing to take advantage d the good weather which prevailed in spite
of the head winds, decided not to land but to proceed through to Budapest. where
they landed shortly before noon and after a stay of about three hours. during Which
the planes were refueled, they procee~ed the remaining 140 miles to Vienna, the
capital of Austria, landing at the Aspern Airdrome northeast of the city. Althou8n
it was an exceedingly hot day, a great crowd of At~ericans and Austrians were on
the field to greet them. They had completed the flight of 650 miles. against head
winds in 11 hours flying time, and immediately made ready, in spite of their many
invitations to remain ~ver. to proceed to Paris on the next day.
On the morning of the 14th they left Vienna at 5:40 and landed at Strassbourg,
France. 6 houns and 30 minutes ~ater. At Strassbourg elaborate arrangements had
been made for their entertainment, but after lunch for .themselves and gas for
their planes they took off for Par-LsI arl>iving over the c1'Cyafter four hours from
Strassbourg. One hundred miles east of Paris the Am~rican flight was met by two
flights of airplanes of the French Army. These planes escorted the Americans over
the city, where they ci.rcled over the Al"dd'Triomppe out of respect to the mil!-
.tary heroes of France. both known and unknown. before proceeding to Le Bourget.the
great commercial F,airdrome of Paris. 'At LeBourget they were met by a most enthusi-
astio throng of spectato~s. estimated at about 5,000. .
On July 16th the flyers circled over Paris, took off from the La Bourget Air-
drome at 110 t clock and landed at the Croyd\m Airdrome. south of .London, three
hours later. Here they again met with an enthusiastio welcome by members of the
British Government, officers of the Royal Air Farce and Americans in London. It
haa been said that never before in the history of aviation had there been a more
representative gathering 01 aviation enthusiasts than the one which met the world
flight upon its arrival in London. One of the first to greet Lieut. Smith. the
CommandingOffioer of the- Flight, was Nirs. st,uart MacLaren, the wife of the g19J,-
land Englishman who is also attempting the flight a1tound the world. She than~i:ad
Lieut. Smith. for the assistance that the ArneJ:ican flyers and the U.S. Navy had
..
been able to give,the British flyer •
. ./
, . ~ ,~
..~f{er:.;~~ing for~ ~ne;.day: ~i~:"tondon, the flyers lef.t fQr Bro~gh,'~n the
Humber~,;~5Q;!~ilesnort~'i wtlel:e!;t~'-l;tinal touches will be .given t~elllanes;,prio.r
tothe~,At.~empt t'OflY, -,t!:l!'. ;~'q,a,r~.=?:~ •. The planes Landed at. the Ai~~ro{tle. of ';~he ~:.;u.
Bl~~Jt~r.~l~rplan~ 'a::~,¥~\~.~.p'Kt?0It.~t7:0~,.)BrO~ghj'whi~h ..has 'been ~ade t~e.~~~. ;.,1
J~e~~£ {~t\'\~~e .war-.I.d.:f~~gh1if.,;.~.1\;:~~g;J,.~~~;.:. '."'i;'O~~~h~s
.~lacehas .been sh~~ped SUPp'-.l1~S: ..~,;
. Q{}.ll~J.,t~R~~o.fmqto.rs ,lpont.o:Ql1rv~:~~f~S'v~5f''fIl~rnn-scella~eous matetJ.als. T1.l~. vyor~~
.,t'. c.r~~e.~rl~~':fJ.~,;.:un~€rgo}.~ C?P>P.~~'.~q~;tt~~~~t;,~~,~is.at:d when ready for, the Atl~t.ir .'.
"" fJ.i-pi: ...~;;J:l travenew mot.orf?,-~ew mAgs' ,.afld,"ch~ir lA.l:\di,ng ge:arswill have be en .,;:
"),-eba~geA,ro'f,.~.~e"pont~ons ~.o~:water landifig~1: :T,l1,e;~l:1:ght comqand;erts ~h~P!' ~~~. "J;':
',. CHIvAGO, mIl be equt ppe d wi'th radio for sending and reoo.iving.. Capt •. H.!;\ •. , .....
McClelland, who is now on leave in Engl.and; has be~n or dor-ed toBrou~h' to mak~ ~" ,1
this installation. .
The United stf:Jj;~fI Navy have placed the' scouting fleet, in command of Admiral
.M~~er, .~t ,the ..dM'AA~~l ,~,f ,t}1:e~rmy Ai~ Sl7rvice, while .tl';? ~lye~S ar'e cro,!3~ing
,~t1'1f"J.'lo.r~l:li;~:tlantJ.c:1f14.''the p~es~.~t .p~~n'1Q~:...(lClOpGrati~n Pz:'o.!).~es that there ~~ll :.'
-:be ~1;, least, four ~av,.&l vessels p.n~ver'y flig..1olt over t~e wa't!3~", wh~le on the J.on.:";
:,,:' ~st tli:gh~.', ..'tro!!1 r<figtut to Inafan'Harbor. 'tabr.oa.dor,.a distance of 572 miles: ',a~"
f. :).eafl~ sev'eJ::1vesselswill be: spaced at int'EJ"rvals a01'OS8 the ~av'is Straits.' With"
1:he,radio, ip~the fligh:t; commander' 6 pI'ana ':~leut. Sr:ti:th will, be able t6 comfndtjil'
:eat'e. W,ith-th'e:yesB'~ls', o,r tpe Navy bepartm'6~t.throu:gh':mt the en'tire 'ro~ie. .~";., . '.
. ~!ter.a co,nil?f~:~e,l."est in' Engla.nd ~Hi.:rt:ii'ght.will be ready to le~v:e ~l5qU:trthe,
Ist'of i\U:gUS~, .EU!'si: unle.ss an una.cco':l~te;t,le:~ deTay is exper-Lerice'd .shoukd lJiO:~";D.eaeh ;',
the Atnerican continent... ':; ; ,'" , ..~ ' ::1--0..:
. ".\'": ,' SERGEAfff'kELLY SURPASSESLT. McCORMICK'SRECORD ,~;: ; .~ . r.
• ':.:' '~ . .. - .~' ~ ~i. ~ .
FORTIETH SCHOOLSQUADRON'ANWIVERcAnY
CELE$RATIO~
~ An elaborate ce Lebr-atd on was he+d at "Kell'y Field, Te~{a('l,' on .June 21st when J
the Fortieth School Squadrdn of the Tenth School Group, celebrated its Second u.n-
. -3.. V-5251, A,S.
dYer .... ' •. The program opened with the making of ,.veral
"OR,
pictures of tlte Sq....
Major H~M. Hickam, C.O. of the loth School Group, and Capt. Albert M.
e.o. ot the .otb Squadron, be,lng present. Major Hickam'maeSe an addr ••• _d lJre •
~"r.,
• en'hd'medals to the members at the ba.ketball team, champion. ot Kelly field. At'
no.n the .quadron met in the .asball where a chicken dinner with all tbe tria-
ming•• a. ,.rved. ' In the att.rnoon a ba.eball game b.tween the married an•• i~l1e
.n ot .he Squadron was played, the married men winning by a 800re often to •••• n.
~her .vent. 01 the day included n\lmerou. race. as follows: Egg and 'POOA raoe,
which was won by Private Albert Euqan.k; 51'108 Race. won by let 51ft. ThOma. Danie;
Sack race, won by Private Alredge. The last ev.nt, a potato race, " •• "Oft by 'Pvt.
lat 01. wm.1 L. Snowden. The celebration elo.ed with .. Dut ch lunCh, which wa•
•• r'l.d in the Squadron Me.. Hall at 5: 00 p. m.
The 221\4 Photo Sect10n reports that tar 8eve..al month. it ha. tried to cat.
the person who was 1;hrow1ft&mud and othe .. retu •• in the hypo bath and that it ..
not until one morning this week when the night shitt came on to begin operatieD.
tor the night that the myotery was solved. Upon turning on the light in the de-
veloping room the men were 8urpriledto •••• small white OppOISDmsitting 1ft the
IIiddle • t the hypo tray, calmly taking a .aU sea bath and killing a flea 01" two.
The IIIn immediately gave chase and captured the miscreant ,who had made his eft-
trance into the hut through a hole in the tloor~ Mr. Oppos.um subsequently made
hi. e.cape while ona o~ the men was playing with him and it became necessary to
board up the hole 80 the:.t he ,cannot oontinue his summer bathing.
. Another bed-time story is reported trom the 4o-~h Sehool Squadron concerning
a stray cat and her kittens. While working on the tail skid of one of the De
Haviland planes the crew chief was Burprised by the appearance of a large cat.
'Upon investigation he found three kittens, only a lew day. old, housed in the tu.e-
lage. The .hip hal been t~own several times since the arrival ot the kitten, and
it has been decided that they are entitled .to~he J .A.P. TEl-ting.
Flying from Rockwell Field, San piego, Calif •• to San Francisco, Calif., to
greet, General Wm~Mit9be!~. ,Major H.H. Arnold, on Jul¥ 6th, broke all .peed
recorda fo.. the trip between theee two point.~, With Captain W.G. Christi., Royal
Air Force, a. pas.enger, 1I&jor Arnold took ~ff at 10:50 a.m. and landed at Cri •• y
,Fi.ld. San F,anebeo, at '3:-15 p.m., completing the trip in 4 hour., 25 miftUt•••
. While in SaD Francisco Major Arnold conterred with General Mitchell, who had
J1I8t r.tvned t. the United State. from a three month8' to\lr of the Philippine
I.land., India and China. General Mitchell told Major Arnold that he IIl8t the
.... ric&Il rQwd-tbe-world flyers in Japan and perlonelly congratulated them on tbeir
,.ucc ••• lul p•• las. acro.s the Pacitic.
M.jor 4J'aolcl lett San Franci.co ,hort1y before noon the follOWing day. anel
,.achecl f\ockwll Field late in the alternoon, atterbuckiftg.outh wind. lIO.t ot the
..,. The Majo,' •• peedy trip to San FrancilCo glY•• the big plane he u.ed another
.. fr. ,It already hold. the world'. record for endul"ance and distance mark. ma4e
'ri.~h Li.ut •• lAwell H, Smith and John P. Richter in the control .eata.
The phot .... phic p.rlonnel of Kelly Field, San Antonio, Texa., ve conducti.ag ,
the largest ae,ial pbot08taphic mapping project eyer undertaken. The exposures
&l'e Mete by Captain Giffin end Lieut. Lynch, and the developing and printing by
the 22nd Photo Settion. The entire project i. unde .. the supe ..vision of Captain
Gltfin and is be1ng done for the U.S. Geological Survey and the Water Board of tbe
state of Texa.. '
The purp'es of thil project 1, to leoure topographic map. of probable datD
.1t.1 in 'the state 01 Texa.. Followiag the oomplet1on of the mapa, a etu4ly will 'be
_de to deter min. the propel' locatie. to oon.tnact GUll to oatch the fl.od water
IUlcl 8t'~J"e it to prevent the 0'f8I'UOY of ill. lower .treiche. ot atreams dur1Dg
flood. The water thU8 't .... d will then be uled to lr ..lgate the far. lane! in tbe
vicinity 01 the 4ama dur~~lth. dry lea.on.
-4- V~5a51,A.S.
The entire mapping project when completed will cover about 10 000 square
~les. Each ma~ will embrace ~ section of terrain 7t minutes of l~titude by 7t
nnnute~ of lon?l.tude or approxl.mate1y 70 square miles. The 10,000 square mile
area wl.ll conSl-st of 130 of the 70 square mile quadrangles and severa) strips fol-
lowing the important rivers.
To date thirteen days have been spent in the air and 5665 square miles have
been covered, or 6r/ quadrangles with an average of 436 square miles covered per
day. The greatest area covered in anyone day was 1591 square miles which requir-
ed 5 hours and 50 minutes flying time. The longest time spent in the air on any
one day was 7 hours and 20 minutes ..
The photographs are being made with a tri-Iens camera which has a focal
length otapproxi~atelY &t inches which. from an altitude of about 12,000 feet
above the terrain being mapped, gives a scale of approximately 1/23,000. The
photographs are being made with a 60% overlap between exposures and a 5O;~overlap
of consecutive flights. The camera carries one roll of film 400 feet long and 6
inches wide, which gives from 190 'to 195 exposures to the roll. A specially equip-
ped photographic plane,the DH4B-Pl with a 96 gal. gas capacity ~s being used.
Kelly Field is used as the base of operations, the territory to be mapped
being from 60 to 350 miles distant. The work has been greatly handicapped by lack
of gas capacity of the plane. Ha.d a plane with a ce.paci"ty of 110 gallons been
available, at least 2, aoo square miles rror-e would have been covered in the 13
days' flying. In tl'j.ing to stretch the gas, fI dead stick landings" have been
necessary.
Captain Giffin' and Lt. Lynch are strong in their assertion that the wearing of
the reliable seat pack parachute is one of the most comforting things mentally t if
not physically, that they have ; especially over- such country as the Devils River,
Pecos River, and the mesquite country of which there is an abundance in Texas.
For an aid in flying the missions, an Intervelometer box, part of the equip-
ment of the K-3 Camera, has been installed, the view-finder camera placed in the
!loor and a "bank and turn" indicator placed in the pilot's cockpi.t. When the alti-
'tude has -been reached. the pilot indicates that he ts. f1ying at the desired altitude
.and speed. By means of the view finding camera the observ~r determines the number
of ,seconds between exposures and sets this ti,me on the IntervEllcmeter. There is a
small light over the came~a and another on the pilot's instrument board. Five
seconds before time to make an exposure these lights coma on. The pilot looks at
the bank and tum- inuicat~H. and gets the plane levdl, and flying straight the ob-
server levels the camera. \Vhen the light goes out the observer makes the exposure
and the pilot can then kick his plane to get it orrt o the proper course if he is off'
a little. The average t:i.me between exposures is abcut 30 seconds.
The prints when completed and checked are sent to the U. S. Geol~gical Survey
at Washington, Where tho map is made by using individual photographs as though it
was a traverse, or page of notes t~~en in the field. These traverses, or notes,
are then compiled irrGo a plain map on the field scale used by the U.S.G.S. This
map when complete is sent to the field and contours and names are added. The map
is then complete, ready for reproduction as soon as the inking of it is completed.
Of the work done to date ~ne project, known as Cotulla, has been photographed,
map made, contours P\lt on in the field, and the results are now being inked or, in
other words, the map is comp10te.
Cotulla is approximately 80 ~les southwest of Kelly Fie1d~ It took two ho~
and 30 minutes. to go from Kelly Field to Cotulla. photograph 250 square miles and
return to K~lly Field.. It took 40" min'.1tes to do 'the actual photography at a cost
of 50~ per square mile. Mr. Cha~les Cook of the U.S. Geological Survey made the
following statement of. comparisons:
"It took two men with a camera and plane 40 minutes to do what six men on
the ground would take 4 morrtns to do, and the results from the air were proba-
bly better 25}00 It ,cos.t 50~ per square mile to get the photographs from the
air, while the cost on the ground would have been nearly $50 per square mile.
The map is ~ow complete, where if it hed ceen necessary to do the work by the
regular topographic method, the work would pr obab.l.y net have been completed be-
fore September. Due to the great amount of water caused by the r'ains, the
ground !Pen would not have been able to get into the cqunt ry ,
It may be of interest to know that the entire United states could be mapped
..by aerial photo graphs in eight years if a flight of eight ships were used.
"lJ"
-5- V-5251. A.S.
THEAIR HAILATOMAHA. NEBRASKA
By Majo~ Lawrence S. Churchill, A. S.
With :a,OOO people at Offutt Field, 'Fort Crook, Neb•• to groeet them, two p1101o.
of the Air Mail ~ervice glided in to thetield at 11:40 ps m, July 1st carrying the
~ail that had left NewYork the same evening at 10:30. Guided by lights at g.mile
J.ntervals, by beacon lights on the emergency fields and by the power!ullight, at
. Offutt Field. which was visible at a distance of 115 miles the pilots had no
trouble in keeping on the course. At 12:20 a.m., July 2nd; two other pilots took
off for Cheyenne where they arrived at 5:25. Forty minutes after these pilots had
le:t.the sO~d of a Liberty announced the approach of the ship from Cheyenne, car-
rYJ.ng the rnaJ.l from san Francisco and a bucket, of fish for Mr. Egge, Superintendent
of the Air Mail. At 2:05 a. m•. themail was sent on its way to Chicago and NewYork.
Thus was the thrOUgh Air Mail Service inaugurated at Omaha. Everything ran
smoothly as evidence of the efficient preparations made by Mr.. Egge and lAr. Colyer.
Superintendent of the OmahaDivision. But those who Witnessed this inspiring
spectacle perhaps did not realize the amount of work that had been done during the
past ten days; did not know the difficulties that had been placed in "the way. . On
Sunday, June 22nd, Omahahad been visi"ted by- a terrific windstorm tha"t wrecked the
Air Mail hangar' at Ak-Sar-Ben Field. The airplanes were dragged out of thtr wreck-
age and "those no"t past repair were assembled, rigged and staked out on the field.
Mondaynight another heavy Wind tore these ships loose, completely wrecking two
and seriously damaging the others. Thus, the Air Mall lost i"ts hangar, ships bnd
office With one week left in which to repair the ships and make them ready for nigh'
flying ..
The Air Service hangar at offutt Field was immediately turned over to the Air
Mail by the Corps Area Air Officer, and such faoilities as it offered were made
available. The damaged ships were taken to Offutt Field and two carloads of PaJ"ts
were shipped "to Omahafrom Chicago by rail. Then started a period of activity euch
as has not been witnessed since the war. 'i'wenty-four hours each day the mechanics
worked on the ships and by July 1st there were seven ships ready to carry the mail,
a real tribute to the energy, efficiency and enthusiasm of the personnel of the Air
Mail Service. And then at 3:30 p.m.. July 1st, aln:ost without warning came another
strong wind that threatened to undo all this work. Mechanics jumped for the ships
and managed, With the aid of spectators and Visitors, to get them under. covel'.
The mail service that night stands out as ample tJ"ibute to the manner in which
the work of the personnel had been performed during the strenuous seven days Just
pasaed; Everythin/g went according to schedule. What more eould be asked!
AIRPLANE
PILOTS- A T TEN T ION :
Army Airplane pilots who desire to become Airship Pilots, are informed that the
Chief of Air Service will approve a limited n~ber of applications to enter with
the next class at Scott Field, which will commenceabout September 15, 1924, and
end about June 20, 1925.
The usual exemptions in the ground course are permitted where s"tudents shoW
satisfactory knQwledge of a subject.
Applications should be made at once to the Chief of Air Service through. propel'
channels. In forwarding applications for "this training, CommandingOfficers Will .:
state:
(a) vVhether'approval or disapproval is recommended; (b) If disapproved, J"easen
therefor; (c) What, if any, duty the officer may be performing for which no aui~abll
replacement is on duty at station; (d) Length of time at present s"tation.
MILEAGE
COVERED
BYLANGLEY
FIELDPILOTS
ENCOURAGING
ADVANCE?,1ENT
OF AERONAUTICAL
SCIENCE(
was flown on the Night Airways Line from McCook Field, Dayton, Ohi~, to Norton
Field, Columbus, Ohio. and return. The City of Dayton was approached from the
southeast on the return flight at an altitude of approximately 5,000 feet in order
that the pilot might observe the lights of the city from above before gliding into
the field for a landing.
When over the lights of the city and at a few minutes after ten O'clock, the
engine died. The pilot immediately switched to the grawity tank and at the same
time turned the nose of the plane toward McCook Field. The by-pass gasoline valve
was outside of the cockpit and was in total darkness, causing uncertainty in the
pilot's mind as to whether the valve had been turned to the correct position. and
a second or two was lost in finding a fl:i\shlightin order that the pilot might see
that it.was correct, .
The engine did not start. The nose was pointed toward the revolving beacon
at Mc\look Field. but after gliding for a short time it was seen that the glide
wOl,l1dfall considerably s~ort of the field ....
This glide toward McCook F.ield had
-7- V-525l, A.S.
brought the plane much nearer the center of the city. The strongest thought w.as
to get the plane away from ove!' the buildings and people. The' pilotlooke4 over
the surroundings below and around,. and pointed the nose in the direction of" the
la:ges~ and, closest area without lights or sign of, life. The plane was glided in
thJ.s due"ctJ.on, which was in the general direction of the Dayton Wright and South
Fields and the CommunityCountry Club~,
. Some time shortly before this the pilot was surprised to: 'dimly see in the
darkness that the propeller was not revolving and'it was thought that possibly it'
had stopped in the short inter.val while changing from the main tank to the gravity
tank. The nose ,of the plane was pointed downwardin a dive with the idea in mind
of st'arting the pro.peller to revolving in this. manner with the possibility of the
engine starting when the. ignition system had again commencedoperating, as it was
thought that possibly a defective gasoline pump or a failure of the main tank 'gas-
oline supply had caused the stoppage. One hundred and five gallons were in the
tanks when the plane 'left 'McCook 'Field. .
The dive was discontinued almost 'immediately as it seemed foolish to lose so
much valuable altitude when there was no certainty that the discontinuance 'of the
engine was caused by lack of gasoline from the main tank~ The plane was glided
in a normal glide of approximately 70 m.p,h. in the general direction of the open
country in the vicinity of the, CommunityGolf Course or the General Motors' 'Co'•.
Field -at. an altitude of approximately 3800 feet. Whenit appeared that the build-
ings below had thinned out considerably the first flare handle was pulled without
result and was jerked with all the strength of the pilot, but no flare appeared;
then the $econd flare handle was jerked,andmany seconds elapsed during which'
the pilot looked below and around to see signs of the' flare, but no lighte-d flare
was seen.
The pilot peered below and ahead into the darkness but nothing could be 'dis-
tinguished on the ground. The moon was 'just appearing above the horizon as a dark
red ball emitting practically no light. It was generally known because of the
direction from the city that the :1plane was over or approaching the vicinityo! the
country beyond hills and dales. This country was klllOwn'tobe" very r-ough, hilly.
and much forested, with no fields in whieh a plane could land even in daylight.
It was decided that the best policy would, be to juInp out when an altitude of
approximately 1200 feet had been reached and the plane was over a sparsely popu-
lated section. The belt was unbuckled and the pilot stood up in the cockpit to,
see that he was free, then sat down and waited for an interval of time while the
plane was gliding away from the city. ,
Final preparations to leave were begun at about 2,000 feet. The flash light
was found and put in the pilot 1 S pock~'~, i;henthe pilot slowly rose in the cockpit
to test out his ability to control the plane \I;~'rUestanding, and then li'ted one
leg over the side of the plane. It was foundrr.that the seat pack caused interfer-
ence in getting the second leg over the side and it was necessary to again return
to a sitting position within the plane and on the second trial lef,t the seat' pack
over the back and side of the plane before the other leg e6uldbe.lifted out of
the cockpi t •
While getting out of the cockpit the plane was guided with the right hand on
the stick and an attempt was still made to guide the plane after the pilot had
climbed out and onto the wing, but while l.:i.f"l:.:tngthe second leg over the side it
was necessary to let the body lean very much forward and with it the nose of the
plane dropped down in a dive. While standing un the trailing edge of the wing and
holding on to the wires with one hand 'the pilot attempted to pull the nose up to a,
stalling position in order that he might leave the plane without too much speedf
but the pull was too great and it was decided to leave the wing while the plane
was diving at great speed. . '
, Realizing that haste was now necessary the pilot.reached to ~ull the parachue
release ring while still standing on the Wing, but qUJ.ckly apprecJ.ated that if,
this were done the parachute would probably 'become entangled in the tail surfaces
and cause disaster., It was decided to count two seconds after letting go, of the
wing before jerking the ring that would release, the par~eh~te~
After casting a glance toward the harness to get the relative position of
the r~ng the hold on the wires was released and the pil~t s~ddenly left th~plane
in avery confused manr.er. From the rapid changing of the lights of the cJ.tY,from
one place to another, above and below, it appeared that the pilot was turni.ng head
over heels and sorr.ersaulting through the air.
The two secon;s were counted very quickly' and the ring pUll~d. Although but
. ,-8~- 1, V:o:-525l, A.S.
a short time probably elapsed between the jerking of the ring and the opening of
the parachute, the time seemed very long to the pilot. The parachute finally
opened with a jerk on the shoulders. The pilot's head must have been p~inted to.
ward the ground when this took place, as the jer!c was ert5,:'e"~' 0:1 ~'1s'!'"o"1~~:'~
The swing was great but the pilot was faced in the direct'ion that the plane hit
the ground. As soon as the parachute opened there was no sound .until the almost
immediate erash of the falling plane was heard like a bunch ot freight cars crash.
ing together.. 'I'her-e was an explosion and burst of flames with the crash and the
burning plane. could be seen below for a second or two sending up flames of 25 or
30 teet tromthe blazing gasoline.
,All was intense stillness again and the falling man began to yell as loud as
possJ.ble. He expected to be injured in landing and wished assistance and aid it
he was hurt.. He. did not wish to land in some forest or isolated spot in the
cou.ntry and lie by lfimselt in the d.ark in an injured condition for a long time.
... '.'Hello below~" .and "Hey, beloW:" he called as loud as possible. In a few sec.
onds an answering voice came up from the darkness underneath .. "Wh!=lreare you!" it
asked. "Up here in a parachute", was the answer. Then the roofs of buildings
could be dimly and indistinctly seen below, and it was thoug.\tt that the landing
w~uld be made on the roofs of these buildings. Then a forest of trees and a ra-
vane was seen to the side and it appeared that the parachute would be drifted ever
into this forest and ravine.
The pilot came d~wn amongst thetreea, crashing into the limbs ~nd branches,
and grabbing and breaking off the branches as he carne through, hoping to grab one
that would be strong enough to hold his weight. He had expected a very hard impaet
when his feet hit the ground and was all set to receive this hard jolt, but. the
jolt. never came. He was bumped against the side of an embankment or a cliff with-
out his teet striking the ground, the parachute having caught in the branches of
the trees through which he fell. The ravine was over 90 feet deep. The pilot I s
fall was stopped and he was left hanging against one of its banks.
The landing was made 011 the estate of Mr. Ainsworth.. The Ainsworth 1 s had been
having a dinner party that evening 'and had several ~ests. Some had already de-
parted, but r~. and Mrs. Ed Wuichet were sitting on the back lawn in the darkness
;with the Ainsworth 1 s when they heard the strange 'Voice yelling, but from that direc-
tion they could not tell whe~e it came trom. They answered but could not see the
descending parachute until it was almost on them. They came crashing through the
brush and trees to the top of the embankment and called out to find out if the
jumper, was injured. Th.eanawer was that he was not hurt, and they pUlled him up
from below by means of the parachute cords •
. The first act vias totelep~.one McCook Field and tell the Guard what had hap-
pened. After this a search was made in the darkness along the nearby roads to try
and find the plane and ascertain if anyone had been injured through its fall.
People were encountered on the country roads who had heard a plane had fallen, but
.did not know where. Finally a lig.l:lt was seen in the sky and on driving in this
direction the plane was found near a ravine in a rolling Wheat field and about 100
feet from the Lebanon pike, a well traveled highway. .
The airplane was still blazing" There was a large crowd of people surround-
ing the plane, and a large number of automobiles parked along the road. These
people all thought that some one was burning up in the flaming plane. but they
were powerless to render assistance and stood around horror stricken watching what
they thought was the cremation. Mr.. Wuichet and the pilot .pushed through the
crowd. Mr. \iuichet called out that the pilot had jumped, was unhurt. and that he
was then present. The crowd was much relielfed.
The plane was viewed for a few seconds and a return made to McCook Field to
render a report to the Commanding oUieer."
. ~. TYPINGA NEWS~APER
STORY DURINGAN AIRPLANEFLIGHT~
Our Wilbur Wr'ght Fiel~ Corresponde~t st~tes that the first compl~te news-
paper story ever itten on an airplane ~n fl~ght was prepared by MaurJ.ce C.
Hutton, Aviation Editor of the Dayton Journal, on June. 21st last. Mr. Hutton
carried a typewriter ~~th him in the plane and wrot~ a graphic account of his ex-
periences while traveling by air from Dayton to Lou.isville. His interestin3
story was printed in full on the first page of the Dayton Journal the fol~owing
day. The flight was in ,connection with the Kentucky Homecoming Celebratil)r~.
-9- V-5251, A.S.
I
CRAPHOb' X-GO-7 NOTDUE.'TO,FAILUREOF STEELTUBE,FUSELAGE
/
w The Chief. of ~h? ~ngineering D~vision. M~CookField •.,Dayton, 0 •• states that
, ord reached h1Sd1v1S10n that the 1dea has W1delyspread throughout the service
that the eras? of Lt. Barksdale nearFairfield,O •• in .the CO-7 on May 13th last
w~s,due to. taJ.lur'e of the new steel .tube fuselage. This is not in accordance
~1th t~e fac:s in the case for.,as shown in the findings of the Board investigat-
ang th1s acc1dent ,the failure causing the crash was in the stabilizer.
JUNEA RECORD
MONTH
FORPHILLIPS FIELD
The month of June was one of the record months for flying time at Phillips
Field, Aberdee,n PrOVing Grounds,' Md. A total of 255 aircraft hours and 583 ,man
hours was flown. Of this time 207 hours was flown by .officers and 63 hours by
enlisted pilots. During the month 23 bombs were dropped, "a total weight of 9,000
pounds, three being 200-lb. bombs.
STRENGTHOF THIRDATTACK
GB,OUJ:>
REDUCED
Orders have been received reducing the strength of the Third Attack Group,
Kelly Field, Texas, to 357 enlisted men and rendering~he 13th and 26th Attack
'Squadrons inactive, with th~ 8th and 90th Attack Squadrons as their active asso-
ciates. The 'strength of the Attack Group by organizations is as folloWS: Head-
quarters, 35 men; 8th Attack Squadron. 90 men; 90th Attack Squadron, 90 men; and
60th Service squad:-on,142 men. Orders are expected reducing the strength of the
commissioned Personnel to ten officers. ,)
GERHAN
SCHOOL
TEACHER
BREAKS
WORLD'SGLIDINGRECORD
The second German glider meeting at Rossitten. near Koen.erg, held recent ..
ly, was chiefly remarkable for the tact that the world's duration record for
gliders was beaten by the German school teacher SchulZ. who succeeded in remain-
ing up for 8 hours, 42 minutes. 9 seconds. A correspondent states that Schulz's
greatest difficulty was that of keeping warm, as he had ascended without special
clothing, and had not even got on a pair of gloves. From this it appears that he
did not, when starting, contemplate any attempt on the world' S .r-eeer-d, As far as
can be gathered, the machine used was last year's type, a somewhat crude affair
built by Schulz himself and condemned at last year's Rhon meeting as being
structurally weak. Neyertheless,the machine appears to have held together and
won Sehul.~ the first, prize and several other prizes. A new machine had been
built for:lhim for this Year''scompetition, but it is believed that the One used
in the -record flight was the old model ..", FLIGHT.
-IQ- V-5251.A.S.
THE FIRST AID GUN/
By our McCookField Correspondent
A new first-aid fire extinguisher with a pis~ol grip, which becIDlse of its
efficiency and simplicity of operation promises to supplant all other types for-
Air Service use, has recently been designed and developed at M:Cook Field by Mr,
G.W. Burke of the Eqtdpn:ant Secti.on. In a.ppearance U resembles nothing so much
as an oversizo revolver with a swollen barrel. One's first impulse is to pick it
up and pull the trigg~rt and since this is exactly what one is supposed to do in
case of emergency, w.vhou» having to stop and read direct.ions or puzzle one's
h:ad over rememberi.ng; Lnst.ruct.Lona , the advantage of immediate relief, important
t ame saved, and ease of operation is apparent.
The same fire extinguii:<d.,jg fluid. used in other fire e;,."tinguishers, carbon
tetrachloride, is used in thj"s one. 'I'his fluid is if'hesafest and most satisfactory
tor Air Service use, where fires on airplanes are oft;en caused by gasoline, oil or
electric short circuits, upon the blaze of which water has little effect.
A one quart size brass cylinder fo~ms the container for this fluid and like.
wise the barrel of the gun. Brass is the essential me~al because of the highly
corosive int:.i..uence of carbon tetrachlo~'ide on :>ther metals. A small cartridge
into which carbon dioxide gas unde~ high pT8ssure has been compressed, is inserted.
One pull of the trigger causes a firi~g pin to puncture the cartr~dge which releas.
es the gas into the main cc:(r~ainer. with a comps}.lirig force of 160 pounds. This
torces the fluid t},rough the naz zLe , opened simultaneously with the pulling of the
trigger. It is jl,;..st that simple.
The trigger grip is placed well to the center of the cylinder. balancing the
load and making it possible to hold and operate the gun with one hand. Since the
Underwriter's Laboratory cons tder-a u quar-t site of this extinguisher one-half a
unit of fire protection. a full unit can be Auppliad by one person using an ex-
tinguisher in each ha~1o So great is the compol1ing for~e supplied by puncturing
the carbon dioxide cazxr Ldge that t40 pounds pr e asuz-e remains in the ccrrt ai ner- after
the last drop of carbon tetrachloride has been expolled" The extra cartridges are
carried in the lower part of the grip and in ease of emergGncy. if all available
.carbon tetrachloride has been used. the cylinder may be tD,led with water, which
when charged with the released carbon dioxide has tire extinguishing qualities in
itself •
A feature which adds to the efficiency and durability of the Burke extinguish-
er is the fact that while the usual extinguishers have mos't of the working parts
submerged in the carbon tetrachloride. causing corrcsion and often failure of
parts, the Burke exc.; ~g.dsr-.eI' has an the wor-k i.ng p'::.rta o\.'.tside the fluid.
A handy br-acket tor carrying the extinguisher. on ai~C1"a.tt has been so design-
ed that the ext Lnguf sher- can be r-eLease d by one lto'Cion 01. the person seizing it. but
it cannot be forced out by shi.king or j arr-Lng or any motic~'l of the p Lane , A safe-
tystop prevents the t:.~.igge!' fr.~m being set off uniY1tentionli!.ly in "',he bracket.
When used as a pr'e asur-e system for de1ive:ring the fluid at a Torr.ote point thrOUgh
tubing, a small device hoLds the tr:.gger open, so t21at the pi) (rc may have the use
of both hands for managing his plane wrJi.le the extinguisher continues to send the
spray. The extinguisher has suc,~essful1y me't all mechanical tests and is at pres-
ent undergoing riding 'tests. Four airplanes have al~eady been equipped with it
for this purpose.
The following officers from the Fairfi.eld A5.r Intermediate Depot, Wilb'J.r
Wright Field, Fairfield, Ohio, have been aas Lgned to c.~rty fo!' the IntArnational
. Air Races: Lieut. Samuel C. E9.ton, Jr., Comrnunicaticris Offi.cer; Li3ut. H.A, Ba.rtron
Officer in Charge of Proper-ty Checkil1g; Major Geo1'ge H. Brot-;;, Officer in Char-ge of
Reception, Entertainme~'r~ and Houa i.ng; Major .:1.J. Kner-r , Officer in Char.ge of Air.
plane Messenger Servlce, Ferrying, Exhibition Flyi.ng and Incic:ental Flights; Lt.
W.J. Hanlon, Mess Officer; Lied .. Leon E. Sharon, Of'.U~er in Charge ot Publicity
and Press Relations; Major J .H. Rudo Lph, Engineer Officer and Operations Officer;
and Lieut. C.E. Thomas, 5upply Offi~er.
latter
FLIGHT
portion of the
,/
round-the-world f1:.ght
-11- V-525l, A.S.
was changed so that instead of flying thru the provinces of Labrador and Quebec
and the State of New York, the round-the-world flight will proceed along the coast
of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and the New England states to Long Island where three
new Liberty engines will be awaiting them ,in case it is necessary to install new
ones.
The following par-agr-aphs are quoted from a letter just received by the Field
Service Section, Fairfield. Ohio, from Lieut. st. Clair streett. the acting chair-
man of the World Flight Co~~itiee:
"Ivigtut, Greonland, is the last stop in the North Atlantic at which any sup-
plies. either for plane, or motor replacements have been shipped and in view of
the fact that there are no supplies alloc.ated to any new stops along the coasts of
Labrador, Newfoundland and Nova S.cotia, it has been aecided to establish a floating
base on one of the Navy ve sse l e which is to he used by the expedition for the es-
tablishment of the communication needed in this portion of the Atlantic. The Navy
have been very gener-ous in the number of ships which they are turning over to the
Army to assist in the crossing of the Atlant1.c. In fe,c'G, the entire scouting fleet
consisting of 36 6h::.:;)8will modify their maneuvers scheduled for this summer to
take part in the assistance to be gi~en the Army fli~!t in these waters.
Lieut. Bissell and the meteorological officer assigned to the flight will take
passage on one of t.'1ese ves se l s and it is considered a.dvisable to make this ship
also the floating base for the expedition. The staius of this floating base will
be the same as that of ine main bases which have been established throughout the
route of the flight. This decision will obviate the necessity of shipping material
to points from which H wou Ld he impossible 'to return the unused spares, etc.,with-
out a great deal of expense to the gove r nmerrt and a gre at loss of time,.
In view of the fact that 'the specially pr epaz-e d motors unused at Seattle, which
had been contemplated us.Ing fot' this por-r.a cn of the rcund-the-world flight, have
been robbed to the ()xtell~ that thay are no t now co naLder-e d in proper condition to
be shipped torrany Feint for the use of the !li~lt, three standard motors from stock
at Fairfield can be substituted a~d shipped with the supplies considered necessary
for the floating bfise~ The reinforced cyliwde~ head3 dGsigned to take care of ex-
pansion when motors are operating in exCeSS1:7'6 heat conditions in the tropics will
not be necessary for this portion of t.he ro:.\te/
Representatives of 'ljhe WorJ.d flight Co:nmHtee and the advance officer , Lieut.
Bissell, of the last pcrtion of the Sixth Di.virflon, will confer with Admiral '
MagrUder. Co~nanding Offi~er of the U.S. Scouting Fleet at Newport, R.I., on July
11th to work out the details of the employmed of those ve s se Ls of the U.S. Navy
Which are to be used in ,:,c)ope:ration wi.~,h the Army i'lig."'l'~. This CO,mmittee will ob-
tain information on the poin"'~ or p(jint.l; -1:.<.. w[lich the Na-;y desires the supplies for
the floating base shipped and the dat o ahLpmerrt will be necessary.
SADILECOINTE
GOESONANOTHER
RAMP
AGE/'
Sadi Lecointe, the famous French aviator. reminds us of the popular expres5ion-
'."You can't keep a good man down.It He has been a veritable tharn in the side of
Army Air Service pilots holding laurels fol' world's records in airplane perfotmlanoes.
Not content with wre3ting from our own Lieut .. i. A" Macready the world I s altitude
record. he attacked the record held by Lieut.. Alexander Pearson for speed over 500
kilometers - 270 k.p ..h, Hewwell he succeeded may be deduced f~om the fact that
he covered the distance in one hour, 37 minuies and 49 seconqs, ~r $06 kilometers
per hour.
The ocoasion on which this record was made was the Beaumont Cup Race held at
Istres, France. Under the rules of this coutest, a minimum.speed of 290 k.p.h. mst
be att'ained over a course of 300 kilometers. made up of six :Lapsof 50 kilometers
each. Of the four entrants, Sadi Leco.lnte was the only one to finlsh .. L. Carter,
on the Gloucestershire Racer (the only British entrant) having withdrawn; M. Lasne,
on a 300 hs p, Nieuport-Delage, also witharew at the laat moment, and Lieut.Ferigoule
on a 500 h s p, Salmson-Beehereau, had to retire owing to radiator trouble. Sadi was
flying a Nieuport-Delage mcncp Lane (450h.p. Hispano-~uiza), and "lapped" as fol-
lows: 1st, 322 k.p.h.; 2nd, 317 k.p.h.; ~th, 313.85 k.p.h.; 6th. 311,,239 k.p.h. His
time for the 300 kms.was 57 minutes 50 seconds, tir 311 k.p.h. He did not land at
the end of the 300 kms; , but continu~d on another . four laps, making a total of 500
,
kilometers.
In addition to V!i nnf ng the 75,000 francs prize and the Beaumont Cup, Sadi
also won the supplemedary prize offered by M. Laurent-Eynac, Commissioner of
Aeronautics, France. /
PROGRESS
OF THEAEROMARINE
AIRWAYS.
INC.
PILOTSDESIGNATED
FORINtERNATIONAL J
AIR RACES
The Chief of Air Service has desianated Captain Burt E. Skeel and Lieuts ••
o d
Alexander Pearson t' Jr. and Wendell H. BroCJkley as the pi10ts to fly ul t roa spee
planes in the Pulitzer Race which will take place on october 4th next at Da.yton,.
Ohio. Lieut. Pearson wHIny a Navy curtiss Racer and the other two officers w711
pilot Army curtiss Racer-a, Lieut .. H.H. fAills has been selected as an alternate J.n
this classic.
For the Liberty Engine Builders Trophy on october 2nd, when DeHavilland and
Corps Observation types or planes will be flown by Al~my pilots, ten principals and
two alternates have been de6igna:l~ed, viz: Major C.:.. Tin:,er, Lieuts. R.J. Brown,.Tr..
L.V. Beau, Jr ... C.W. steinmett, E.B. Bobzien, J.B .. Haddon, R.D. Knapp, C.A. Co~'er,
A.E. Simonin, D.G. Duke, Rex K.. stoner and L.A. Walthall. The last two named
pilots are alternates. "
For the Dayton Chamberof Con~eroe Trophy on October 3rd, Which event is
limited to large capacity aii"plaaes capable (if car~>yirlguse!ul loads of 2,000
pounds or over, and in which the ATmy is entering six Martiu Bombers and one Curt~
NBS4, the pilots selected are: Lieuts. H.D.SrriCh, G.C. Kenney, J.D. Barker, L.P.
Hudson (Reserve Corps) C.F.Wool!:~(.y, Hez jv!cClellan and D.M.. Myers. Lieut .. D.J.
Canfield will act as alternate for this event.
No selection has as yet been made of pilots to contend for the ~ohn L.
Mitchell Trophy, limited tp pursuit type planes from the First pursuJ..t G~o~Psta-
tioned at selfridge Field, Mt. Clemens, Mich. Nomination of pilots for ~hJ..s
event, which takes pbace on the same day as the Pu~itzer Race, will be made by the
CommandingOfficer of selfridge Field ..
According to' reports received, Dayton is extending herself to mak~.tl1e. Inter.
national Air Races this ye~ the most successful of any thus far held 1n thJ.s
country.
-14.. V-525l,A.S.
NOTESFROMAIR SERVICEFIELDS
I
Major W.B. Duty. 10th School Group~ Airway Control officer. returne~ from a
~ross-cQuntry to Iowa; reporting a few forced lan~ings. but no, serious trouble ..
. : The 4Qt~ Squadron is equipping a Martin Bomber "lith 'a reel 5~000 feet of cable
.and a tow target. When completed) this equipreent will go to Ft. Sill,Okla •• for
the use of the National .Quard in Field Artillery anti-aircraft practiee~ Applicants.
for detail as pilot and crew for this work are scarce. .
. PVt. 1st' C~a:ss Womack,Career.-amen (5!f the 22d' PhotoSectio,n, tookmoviee from the
,air' ot the 3rd. Attack G~oupformation and problem f~y;ng during the week.
An Aerial \wing Review was held on June. 7th. The loth school Group turned out
.abo.ut forty planes. ' .
..~ ..'Lieut. Rice w~th Capt. Wagner. Medical Dept., . E),S passenger, made'a cross-
•'country night to Eagle pass on June lOth. Mo'tor;tl'Ouble. qe~y~d their return until
the 12th. . .' .' .'
, AMUSEMENT ANDRECREATION:Ten 'enl'isted men or. t'he 41st ,S~hO'ol,Squadron spent last
week end at their squadron SUIIllOOr Rest CElmP at Rio Medina~.Texas. A few days of
camping and fishing during the hot summermonths make a, delightfUl and beneficial
change from the routine duties of post lHe.' . .
ACCIDENTS~ 'No serious accidents' occurred duringrthe week, althOUgh ther~ were a
few forced landings during routine training.. ..; . ,;,:. .
..Second Lieut •. J .H.. 'Hicks, while taking ,-of! frome. strange' .'fieid,.h,ad his plane
str\lck. by a~ree. The ship was a tptal was,hout. but" Li'eut. Hicks e.se~ped with minor
b,ruisesabout the face. Witnesses state the tree acted in. liJelf def.ense.
Lieut. orval Cook, on cross-country to Washington, sent the !Qllowing.telegrsm
from Valparaiso, Ind. ~ "Dodge.dcow.. hit fence- in l.anding;::~'.one' hurt~"'._. This is all
the information we have to date on Lieut .. Cook's first crack ..up. Wehope he will be
able to get another ship and continue his trip to completion.
PERSONALS:Li~ut. M.~. Voedisch, A.S., .was 'attached to . -t~e ~lst Squadron for duty.
On June loth Lieut .. MaxF.. Schneider, A.S~, an:dMrs., Marj~r~e Cameron Davis of
San ~tonio ,were quietly married at the home of the bride"" Chaplain Crosby of Kelly
Field officiated. .Lieut.Schneider is on leave of absence until about July loth,
Whenhe 'and .the bride will "leave for station in the Canal z'one. . ,
On June. lath Lieut. Hugo P. Rush and Miss Anna K. Bail of. "San Ap'tonio were
married at st. Mark's Episcopal Church at San Antonio; A V'ery prettyi!1ilitary
wedding ceremony was witnessed by the many friends of the bride. and grooJn. .Lieut.
and Mrs. Rush left for a brief honeymoo~,in the states prior to deParture for the
Philippines on the July transport •.
. . TENTHSCHOOL :GROUP
FLY1NG: The weekly Model Airways trip was made this time by Lieut~ Woolsey of
Brooks Field, Whoused a Martin Bomber furnished by the 40th Sehool Squadron.
Slight motor trouble developed several miles north of Dallas on the outward trip,but
the ingenuity and skill of the pilot in "shd-oting" the motor trouble and repairing
-15- V-5251,A.S.
., ~.'" '.' ... ' .
~h!propeller enabled him to continue his journey to completion. Stops were made
at D~llaf.t, Musko,gee and s~ot.t Field. He carried ,approximat'ely l,600pounds,'j.n-
cludJ.ng one passenger Lt •. Davidson. two J'.llElchanics, ~ Lil?erty.motor
I and other inci
\ dental parts, freight and mail. ,. . ,.-
It is reported tl).atthe new experi~ntal TW5' 6 are waging a hard fight .with
the Sp~rry Me6~en~ere ~nd SES' s :.tor ~irst place tor recreatio,nal tlying... .
N1ght flYJ.ngwas Qio,nduc.ted/throughQutthe week 'and Eliconsiderable. nu.rnber ot
stu.dentswer~gi3!'~'n thli.:s;:phase of 'their training.: ";
The smoke screen DeH of the 68th serv:ice Squadron was taken by Capt. McDaniel
and ~~. Clev~tley o~ .St e:o;-sj3-co~ntry .flight to Louisville, Ky•• to give a demon-
strat.1onf.orthe Air, .carn~YB~ there.. ., . .. . . ' . , .
.l\9CIPMS: . :'Lieut. H. W. Lo.ng, in landing at Brownsville, r.Qll~d.a lit'tle too far,
hJ.t" ',a telegraph p,ole,s stpre and a few other obstaoles. Although the plane was
damaged "to such an extent that it had to, be sent back to Kelly Field by rail, the
pilot W~ll. uninjured and:w&s' 'brOUght back in another plane.
THIRDATTACKGROUP
... With .t.he,transfer '~t"Major L.H. Brereto~ to Langley Field. Va. , July lst,the
GroUp is losing avery popular Group Commander•.. Siiioe "join'ing~'theGroup Feb',' 5~
1923, Major Brereton has gained the admiration as we'll as i-1;fipitct' 'of all ntembers or
his command. It is with regret 'that we see him 'leave. Major Brereton will 'take
advf'.ntage of leave far- ~wpmonths and 20 days before reporting:'~o his new station.
Major H.S .Burwel1'J~p,o :~"s been in charge,' '61":\he' First Wing Operatio~st will as ..
,urne 'command of the 'Gro\lp on June 25th~r' . j r. ",''' ..' : '''; ,
TWENTY"SIXTH ATTACKSQUADRON::Thi.s squaa'ron'tral1s'1'erred to 'the 42nd School Squl\d-
ron DH4B-pJ,ane, .23-664, -,equ;;.p.ped for ni.8.bt flying,~nd to be used for that purpose.
During the' past 'week another, plane waS'. !slil:ppedt'o5an Arit'oh'io Air 'Intermediate .
,Dep~.t.lor general overhaul and, repa.i;t .•. ' The 2'6th has a total"ot 5 i>l~neson han~,
. StXTIETH SERVICE'SQUADRON: ..Lieut ;:'l,Otha A. smith with 'Mie,u1t,.Mervin 'E~ Gross as .
passenger.took ott i,.n Airways Plane No.3 on the regular route to Soott Field at
8:00 a.m. June 16th. Lieut. Gross, who was transferred to the ~hi,.lippinesJ was
granted 45 day.s leave, ot absence and'is scheduled to sail for Manila August, 1st. Lt.
James A. Woodruff is in. temporary oommand of the squadron in absence of Lt •. Smith,
C01. Cu1yer, 8th Corps Area Air Offioer, accompanied by pvt, Wallace ot this
.quadron as me,chanic. lett at 2:3q ..p.m. June 17t,h on cross-country to Brownsville ..
Sgt, Frederiok, pilot, and Sgt. Gleason, mechanic, of 'Post Field. Okla., who'
were v1'~ting thistield, left 11:00 a,m. June 17th in DH4B for their home, station.
EIGHTHATTACKS~UADRON:Lt. WilliazllSon returned trom Logansport, Ind. June lst'h,
atter a. successful trip, with exception ot short delay caused by landing in a soft
field at IJ.welve Mile, Indiana. '
. A device has been oQnstructed in the Engineering Dept. ,wnieh will make it
easier to wind and weave Wire splices. It is rno'un~;..-d on a .teel plate-. which can be
clamped in any ,vise. Upon this plate two. jaws,Whi.ch hold'tpe wire around th~ .
thimble securely, slide in grooves and ca.n be oJ;e,-ated thJ;'ough tw.o,small levers by
a 16-1nch lever. With the aid ot this device a saving of time is affected and the.
quality of the'wonk is improved. . .
TENTH SCHOOLGROUP
J'LYING: Lt. D.J. Cantield, El)gineering Offioer of the 40th squadron, made a cr~8S-
QO\lntry t11ghtto Pallas and, ret\.1rnonJune 20th. .' .
The first section of the present student class commenced pursuit train1ng this
week, Six officers and seveneadets put in 63 hours in single seater planes.
Lt.J.S, Griffith and mechanic are on eross-country to seatt1.e and return •
. On June 27th over 75 cross-country flights were made. There ,were, 51 ships out
onero •• -oountry flights at one time. Eighteen of these 51 t.~ips were to Kansas
City tor the purpose of transferring a detachment ot oneoft'icerand 20 enUs"l;ed
men to the General service school at Fort Leavenworth. All o~ these p1f\nes got
through on echedule time. Only one of them was delayed by mOtor trouble.. J-
AMUSEMENT AND RECREATION:Ten enlisted. men of the 41st School Squadron spent ~h~
past week end at the squadron's SUDll'l1er Rest Camp at Rio Medin8:' Texas, Ab',)ll'~ flJ.:t
1n~e. otJ'a:Ln tell 'during the1rvaca~ i0!1o .. . -; .' "~ '"" .", ,,;,
Pj:RSONAJ,.S: L1;.•' orva1 R. Coolcreturned by airways tro~ his cross-country, f,~,Jt;n, .. ~~('
llldiana. ~1-5"A s' ..
"",16... V..<)w ...., r..,. •
.-" -'I'
" .
, ' 'Lt, Auby G. g~rickle.nd, Engr, Offioer ~of the 43d schoolsqdn. t is making pr-s-
:parat ions to go on 1aave, M:lssMary McGamant, post sunahf.ne ddspender, is not com
ang back to the Quartermaster from' lea,ve but, fortunately the post is not going!
to lose her. Altho\igh not;ime has 'been announced for the "/{sdding, we venture to
offer the happy pair our heartiest good wishes"
Lt. J. A, .Woodruff has been transferred from the 3rd Attack Group tot~e .s choe
Group and aeaa gned to duty with the 43rd school Squadron. " '
",Al~of' Kelly Field was thrilled at L~• Maughan'a"daw~to .dusk flight fr~~" Nev
York',to S,anFrancisco dur Lng the week. The news of this event has been broadly
distribut~d thr.ough 'the press, of course, bt;Jt,.'there stiil'remains thej oyf'ul, task
o~ :~~~comi ng our her,o home. ' ... "J
Lt •. paul H. Prentiss and ,Sgt. Harry'W; Condo are due fo'';'' some fun,~ They are
taking one of our new "aerial r-oadst.er-a" otherwise and more technic'ally kno.wnae a
TW-3, off to an Air Carnival at 'Nashvill~, Tenn,The ,TW,is be'i~ngspeciall.Y, ~i,gged
with a gas tank that will pe,rmit, a cruising raMus .of, 5t'hours;~' " .::'
Lt. James H. Douglas of the Tennessee N,G',contingent (Nc"/N~G. ~tandsJor .'
National Guard, and not No Good, as you thot; Ho:cacl?)figured'in 'ar('in:ter.es,t,i.-ng.:.'
"
little incident Friday when his carburetor caught fire at about 2000 feet. ~e,eut,
his switches and his gas and released his ~ir pre!3sure, landing with a, ~~ad stick,
all of which discouraged the" f,ire so much tha.t it, went out by itself. ,
Every now and 'the~ someone does someth.;ng really O'ood. Lt. "Pinky" Grif'fiss,
one of the Post's most ,dashing and dad.ng young ;'viators, is the latest entrant- to ,
the Brooks Field Hall of Fame. He went out the other day with the special mission "
of marking ~ new landing field. ftnd boy, how he did it: - he both landed and
marked it toa fare ye well by distributing his DHall over the field in a thin,
even layer. He is receiving the congr atukat i.ons of his numerous friends.
Baseball - that'S what we play nothing else but. Kelly Field got fresh with
us and took a 3 • 2 gamefrom us a week ago" but this time, just to show that
flukes don't count, we wallopt them 9 to 4.
The Third Lnf, Brigade that they had a team, too, and came over to try their
fortunes. They had lots of luck - most, of ;it'bad,' and when the smoke of battle
cleared the score was 17 _ 2 in our favor. One of the big features of our last
games has been the snappy ball playing of Major Royce. The "Kay 0" holds, down the
outer left garden and it is very seldom he fails to ,hit out of a trip to the bat.
We heard a good one out on the line the other day. A bunch of the,students
were standing around a starting block when one glanced up and said 110 migosh1
who's doing those acrobatics?" Everybody looked and then Major Jouett dr awl.ed
out "Acrobatics, my eyel That's Bell flying "straight and level'. .
(P.S. You have to have had instruction here to fully appreciate that).
It's a wonderful thing to be blessed with an inquisitive and experimental
turn of mind. But it 's '''not so good" to expetiment 'at somebody else' s expense. .
For example, we don't hand the bird who filled up the gas truck with water in:stea~L
of gasoline a darned thing. Of course, it might be claimed that it would have
been handy if the pilot had wanted a 4rink or to wash his face. but theimpol'tancf,
of a man's thirst isn't in it with the thirst of his "lennie" at a coupLe of hund
red feet over the mesquite. -17- V-5251,A.S.
.. Amongthe notable visitors last week were capt. W.D. Wheeler and Lt. JC1e
Dawson, who blew in from the Photographic School. Chanute Field, on a scout1ng'
trip to d~seo~er young and ambitious photographers from the graduating class at"
Kelly. ' L1~ut. Dawson can hardly be considered as a stranger. for until recently
he wae an 1nstructor here at the vought stage. '
A landing field has been established at Santa Cruz by the Chamber of Commerce
at the suggestion of Mr. Bob Hausler.
For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1924, the Receiving Department wrote up
1427 re~eiving reports against 1000 tor the year ending June 30, 1923, showing a
gain in the receiving activities of 42 percent. The shipping department' shipped a
total of 3738 packages during the year ending June 30, 1924. against 1770 packages
during the preoeding year I al)owinga gain of 110 percent in that activity. The
above only goes to show that we are still doing business at the same old stand, re-
gardless of the fact that the personnel of the depot has been cut to the minimum.
Major H,H. Arnold made a flying trip to Crissy Field Sunday for the purpose
of meeting Brigadier General Wm.Mitchell, who arrived at San Francisco from the
Orient enroute to Washington, D.C.- Major Arnold was accompanied on his trip north
by Captain Christie, British Attache' of Washington, D.C.
One otthe smart parties among.the Army .. et was given Friday. July 4th, by
the officers and their wives of Rockwell Field to visiting officers and their
wives of the 91s.t Aero Squadron, crissy Field, San J'rtmcisco. The visiting guest.
will remain here for several mont.hs and many affairs are being planned for their
entertainment. The aflair was in the nature of ajsupper-edance given at the
Officers' Club a~ Rockwell Field, Music and mah jong were also featured. Those
vmo acted as hosts and .hostesses were Major H.H. Arnold, Capt. and Mrs. R.G.Ervin,
Capt. and Mrs. L.M. Field, Lieut. and Mrs, Virgil Hine and Lt. and Mrs.F.W.Seifert.
Amongthe invited ~ests were Com. and Mrs. Spencer Dickenson, capt. and Mrs.
Peabody, Capt. and Mrs. Hanley and their house guests, capt. and Mrs. Signer; capt.
, and Mrs. Beeson, Lieut. and Mrs. Harris, Lieut .. and MrS. Marriner, Lieut. and Mrs.
Walter Miller, Lieut. and Mrs. John Benton, Lieut. and Mrs. C.C. Moseley of ,
Clover Field, Mr., and Mrs. Walter Poor, Mrs. sari Williams, Miss Marie Right 'of
Pasadena and Tbdd Bates.
The athletic program completed between the 91st Squadron and Rockwell Field
for the week ending June 28th showed Rockwell Field out in front by another two
points, the 91n losing in the handball competition in both the singles and the
doubles on Wednesday afternoon and losing the Ristol shoot over the regulation
course by ~50 points to the Rockwell Field shooters on Thursday morning. The 91st
was probably not up to their standard in the shooting events because of the tact
that the Range Officer, Lieut. F. W. seifert, had -+ hen! vl.1t there at daybreak at the
little old ten spot about the time the sun usually takes a peek over the Cuyamaca
mountains.
A handball tourney was held rec&ntlybetween the R.A.I.D. and the 91st teams,
with the following results:
ROCKWELL Doubles • two out of three 91st
Ervin 21. Taylor 9
Seitert 22 Bayley 4
Hine 21 ,Benton 5
Ervin 21 Marriner 15
Singles - two out ot three
Seitert 21 Taylor 9
Seifert 21 Taylor 1
Hine 21 Beeson 9
If 16 " 21
" 21
\I
15
Rockwell Field. Coronado, Calif., July 15.
Rockwell Field does not confine itself strictly to Air service activities but
eontributes its share to the various National Guard units in this vicinity. At
present there are 15 men of the various departments of this Depot away attend:i,ng
the National Guard Campat Fort MacArthur,' San Pedro Harbor. These men are m:::mMr
ot the Coast Artillery Corps, National Guard of California.
-~8- V-5251,A.S.
For a long time there has been something missing at Rockwell Field and nobody
seemed to know just. what it was until the 9lst Squadron wi"th the R.O.T.C. aotivity
moved in for the summer trail1ing, and with them came Chaplain Albert K. Mathews 01
Fort MacArthUl:'$ wi.th the rank of a Cap-te.~.Y.! a-id agcod WQ:-d fureverybo dy, and we
at once began to see the .light. NoW Rockwel~ Field has among its personnel some
of the best pilots in the Air Service but we were always one pilot. (a sky pilot)
short until Captain Mathews arrived, and it he can convert any of the old gang on
this field he will have tlJ go some but nevertheless he is a good fellow and we
will miss him upon his return to his h~me station. '
Lieut. J~hn P. Richter, vmo for the past six weeks was confined to his quar-
ters with pleurisy and pneumonia, is able to be out, and his complete recovery is
only a matter now of time,
Lieut. S .A. Blair I A. S., who has been on temporary duty at this Depot for the
pp.st month in connection with the Field Service Section, completed his tour of in-
spection here and expects to leave for San Francisco early this week •. Lt. Blair
has made a detailed inspection of the workings at this depot and has recommended a
few minor changes to comply mor.e strietly with Viar. Depar-trnerrt orders, showing de-
partment heads the simplicity o-r existing reguJ.ations as fa1' as the Air Service is
concerned. Altogether, Lt. Blair's visii here was of great value to the_ Depot and
his pleasant way of explainin.g 'che var i.ous aub j e c'c e which came up. from time to time
. made him very popul/:lr among those who came in corrt ac't with hdrn, While we regret
his departure to the Philippine Islands, it is hoped that his trip will be pleasant
tor both himself and family.
on very extensively by the School Group at Kelly Field and greatly add to the
comfort of pilots arriving on the field after dark •.
The General Inspector was on the post for a few days last month inspect~ng
the troops, barracks and f~ying field.
Lieut, Bleakley, who new to Mitchel Field in an NBS-l on June 15th, remainsc
for two weeks and carri'30. many member-s of the first class of cadets from the
Military Academy, who were t nsr-e at that time.
Lieut. Myers flew Cl'Oss-country to Langley Field June 15th, returning
June 16th.
On June 16th Sgt. Hudson flew to cambridge. Mass. , via Mitchel Field and Bosta;
Air Port in the cloud dispersing experimental DH,tor the purpose of having new
equipment installed.
During the latter part of June three 2,000-lb. b~m~s were dropped succeestul~
ly from an NBS-l at an altitucle of 8,000 feet, Lt. -ceol."ge carried the first. Lt.
Myers the second and Sg,-L DBv.t~ the thl.rc1o
Oapt s , stribling and H(j'o;.7, ord, Dept., were here June 17th for the purpose
of testing a new flare kl'~ONn as the Airway Parachute Flare, A new type of wing
tip flare was also tested.
Lieut. Hebert made a C?Oss-couniry to Middletown, pa •• June 21st, returning
the afternoon of' the 22!ld.
June 24th and 26th were two days of hard flying, there being 20 R.O.T.C's
ouit for rides on the 24th and Ell on the 26",~h.
Lieut. Barker made a b(ln;r)~_!ig trip to ~tOOO feet on June ;G5th, carry-tng five
aOO-lb. bombs. Late in the afc er-nc cn a bad win.d and r ad n si;orm damaged the owl but
not seriously. Repairs had to bo r-ushed as it was to be flown to 111itchel Field
where it will be stationed indefinite)'!.
On June 28th Major Lehman, Lie~.;ts': Bond. Ea~dr.er, George, Hebert and Private
Markle, piloting DH's, and Sgt .. Davis, piJoti~)g an NBS....L, flew to M5.Uer Field,
N.Y. to participate in the First Annual Air Ey.hihit~Dn at th~t station. Lieuts.
Bond, Barker, George, Heher-t and SgL DaviE:. in five DI!' s won the cup atfered for
first place in the formati(m oorrce st , Lieut. Hebert, wo n the cup oUer-ed for first
place in the bombingcontesi:., Private Ghas. E. S\.l;:'uammade a par-achut-e jump. The
flightremained overnight, J
::-e liul'ning the next day.
The Second Division Air service now have two new Vought planes which were
flown to this station July 5th.
Lieut. Gale and Sgt. Jensen made a cross-country flight to Douglas, Ariz. and
return July 7th.
Lieut. Clark with Private Donnelly as observer, {leVI to Denver, Colo,. July
6th, tor the purpose of cross-country flight train3.ng, returning JulY' 8th.
Lieut. Weddington and Privute JiJJarkel made a photo gra.phic flight of ar ea pre .•
scribed by Q002, First Cavalry Division, July 7'l;h.
Lieut. Douglas and Col. Gauj:Jt mads 8. cr-oas.-oourrt ry flight to Doug:.f.U3,
Nogales and Tucson, Ariz., and r erurn July 8th for the purpose of in::p(J';t.V:~: o!.~ho
landing fields at those stations~
Major Heft'ernan. Captain Bender. Lieuts. O'connell, Gale, weddingt,o~~ r.luj;"'~
-20- V-52~1, A.S.
and Douglas made- a machine gun flight July 9th. firing with flexihle guns on !'urgf
just east of camp 'Biernie.
Lieut. Weddington and Sgt. Rhodes made a photographic flight July 9th tv t.C:3'T
installation ot oblique camera.
The Air Service otrice~s whoa:rrivod on the Transpol*t THOMAS r.~ay31st were .
assigned to their new duties ar.d seem tobs taking their first rainy season with a
smile. Lieuts. st. John,'Gla~ce~k and Hackett, from this station, le~t Saturday
for the United states, having ccm~l~ted their tour of fo~eign service. They all
seemed to be happy and not a bit so~-:"ryto leave this department. We shall miss.
these officers and we wish thvm a plea3£1.n~ trip and a gcod ste:tion in the States.
Headquarters is beginuing to lock Jik:e '~:r"e:eE..d office of a large business
concern; atter the cost sy~'i:am is inE'ta11'nd we wil.l all be fairly good business me
We are already figuring out a way to beE..t the "l~:ttJ.e time car-ds" but the plan is
still in the making. I! it wor-ks Wt) propose to paterrt it. - the sergeant-Major is
very discouraging, however. He says It It can 't be d.Ld;" We have suggested to ~he
Commanding Orticer that he get a time clock. He is considering the matter eer a.ous,
ly enough. .
Lieut. E.G. Harper, 28th Bomb. sqdn.•, was assigned to the Air. Office for duty.
as Assistant Air' Officer, during IviajCil'F..einburgts absence in China ..
In the f ormabd.on flight 31~:l;11~d'W eve"ling that escorted the THOlflAB on its home.
ward way, there was one .pleii~ 'that was always like a lit.tle dog's tail. We are al:
wondering if Lieut. Greer WI.3.S just. wet oring chat boat pullout and hopdng ~hat it
Would return soon so that he C01J.!.d see the old home in Missouri one more t:Lme.
The Air Service Station S\.pply Office~ me-de a trip to Mindoro last Thursday a
on his return next evening he came ir..t~ tho o!fir,;e with a r ed nose that in the :.
States would have cost him a considerable sum of money. However. his only excuse
was the sun; that will do 'GO tell some peopke ,
The 1st Sergeant of the 66th Se!,.;i(~e Squadr-on has been giving some of the men
of his organization a little e:.dra ey.e!"'~ise in the past few days in the form ot
"double-timing" around the flying field.. The ntlmberseems to be growing every day;
and maybe the tew that try sleeping late wi31 try to be the first in lina; if not
they will be in good shape to enb ez any t:rllck m<:letand come in on the money. "
Operations this week consisted of t.he fallowing flights: On the 2nd ?apta~n
Berman and Lieuts. Harper and Vialker. pilo',~s; and Lieuts. DeFord and Flan;J.gan, 00-
" -Z2':' V...52;.J1 tAo S.
servers, flew to Clark Jtie1d and return in order that the latter tw<?,.wh') !":':'TivE;d
on the THOMAS ~ rrdght; familiarize thenselves with th~'Jl"-oute; on the 3rd U.f:ln:;.
DaFord flew to Clark Field, ferrying a DH4Bwhich had ceen transferred to thd
r:.~ld; on the 5th Lieut. Maxwell, pilot. and cepte.in Fittz and Lieut. Read,' Jr.,
Lnt arrt.ry , passengers, flew to clark Field in a Martin Bomber returning
t same date;
on the 5th Lieut. t>kanse, pilot, and Col. Johnson and Mr. Hunter, passengers, Cew
to San Jose. Nlindoro, in a Martin Bomber. Lieut. McCune in a DH4Bescorted the
Bomber to Mindoro. On the 6th, Lieut. Bogert one of the officers who arrived on
t'neTHOMAS, made a reconnaissance •
and cross-country fligh-t for the purpose of fa-
miliarizing himself with the landmarks; on the 6th. Lieut. Skanee, piloting a
Martin Bomber. escorted by Liaut. McCune in a DH4B. returned from Mindoro; on the
7th. Lieuts. Harper, McCune, Skanse. Greer and carter flew in formation escorting
the U.S.A. T. T'rlOMAS out of the harbor.
Lieut. J.R. Glascock was relieved from commandof the 42nd Air Intelligence
Section by Lieut. GUyKirksey, and sailed for the states on va.turday. Frantic last
minute efforts of the office force to ball up his clearance and thus keep him with
us a little lon~r were of no avail. A pathetic scene was enacted during the turn-
ing over . of .,property at the office when Lieut. Glascock sorrowfully took off
. and
polished the shoes that walk backward and dusted the linen duster. We all unite in
wishing him a goad trip and a goq:d-station in the states. The section valued him
as a friend and re~pect him as an officer.
Lieut. and Mrs. E.L. Searl, Air service, left Saturday on the Transport THOMAS
for the United states. Lieut. Searl completed his two years' service at Clark
Field, Camp stotsenburg. Lieut. and Mrs. Searl were guests at the Army and Navy
Annex until their departure.
Amongthe Air service officers from this station who will board the transport
at Chinwangtao are Lieut. and l'!1TS. :iarry Weddington and Lieut. A. J. Clayton.
On June 21st a Homecoming Celebration was held at Louisville, Ky. All former
residents of Kentucky were invited wld it was the occasion of many fa~ly reunions.
In honor of the day, about 17 airplanes from Wilbur Wright Field took part in the
demonstration. A f'cr'mati.on of five De:iavillands from the 88th Squadron was led by
Captain Henry Pascale, the other pilots being Lieu'cs. C.E. Thomas, G.V. McPike,
Sgts. O'Neil wld Bissior. Lieut. H.A. Bartron with Major A.W. Robins were also
present in another Del-Iavilland. Lieut. H.Ii. Mills was there in a Martin Bomber. car ..
rying with him .Captain Geo, Vi. Roge:-s, O.R. C., and two enlisted men, pvt;s. ~JIoore
and Dareese of the 88th Squadron. Six curti.ss planes! each carrying -,wo Reserve
Officers from the 464th and 465t~ Pursuit Squadrons (O.R.C.) were also present.
Major E.L. Hoffman flew down to Louisville in a rrw'3?C' """.eborrowed from McCook
Field. He carried Lieut. George:s. Bul!ord, a.R.C., as passenger.
Two officers from Bolling Field, Lieuts. C.V. Jteinrr.~tz and G.H. Burgess. ar-
rived at ~dlbur Wright Field on June 20, and on June 21st they also.' went to Louis-
ville. At the conclusion of the Homecoming exercises they proceeded by air to
Bolling Field.
On June 26th Lieut. Ira R. Koenig, together with Capt. Wm. B. Mayer of Mccook
Field. two student officers, and one enlisted man, made a f~ee balloon fligh~, start-
ing from Wilbur 'vvrignt Field and landing aoout nine mi}es nor'bhee.st of the ~~e1d.
The weather was hot and lifeless - the dead calm just before a storm - but the
flight,which lasted about two hours was brou&~t to a successful conclusion before
the storm broke. Captain Mayer was,i~ charge of the flight.
The flying time of the Reserve Officers for the month of June a~ Wilbur Wright
Field was 64 hours and 53 minutes.
Captain L. R. Knight, Air officer of the 1st Corps Area. visited Wilbur Wri~1t
Field on June 27th and 28th.
On June 28th Lieut. W.S. Hamlin and wife motored to seyrr.our, Ind. and Cincin-
nati to attend a. large family reunion over the week end.
Capt. Henry Pascale and Lieut. W.F. Hanlon traveled by air to Chicago on JU.16
30th, returning the following day.
Lieut. and Mrs. L.E. Sharon drove to Hoopeston. Ill •• on July 3rd. ret:l.r:::Lng
July 6th. Eugene S. Sharon, a brother of Lieut. Sharon, returned with 'chem, ;;;..j.1.-l,
he will be their ~est for the next two weeks.
Lieut. C.A. Cover returned to Wilbur Wright Field on July 6th. He has bcc.i a
Brooks Field and Kelly Field for the past se~eral weeks.
-23- V-525l,A.S.
., Lieut. J. E. Parker from Schoen Field, Indianapolis, Ind., took a Vought
plane with him to Louisville.
General Mason,~. ~atrick, Chief of Air service, and Major B.~. Jones spent
June 20th f.~t this field. They traveled by air to Chanute Field at the conclusion
of their visit he~e.
On J'une 4J.st Major John H. Pirie, C.O. of the Bombardment Group at Langley
Field, ,arrived at this field, and on the following day ferried a :tJlane back to hi;
home station.
lNord has been r-eceave d -that Lieut. carl F. Greene will soon be transferred
from ctissy Field, Calif., to Fajrfield.
On June, 2.5thLieut. Edwin B,,' Bobi:ien and Sgt. Hruza arrived from Chanute
Field. .The 'latter on the same dr::y ;il,ried a DH4B back to his home station. Lt.
Bobzien took another DH on the following day.
Lieut"Clatence F. Wl1t()n from Langley Field, who stopped at McCookField
while' 'awaiting repairs t'o his airways ship, came out to Wilbur Wright Field on
J'un-a25th and had dinner with Lieut .. and Mrs. L.E. Sharon.
The annual 'picni.c was held on June 28th at 'I'ecumseh Park, near Medway, O.AlI
officers, civilian's and enlisted men and -their families wereinvHed. The picnic
was a continuous performance f r om 10 a. m, uniil 9 p,mo, and nearly everyone con-
nected with the field sperr~ at least a portion of the day at the picnic. A large
variety of entertainment was provided"
V- 5 '2:,1, A ;-:
-24-
""~--~~~~~Y' '7;::~'~'-.~':.'~::~,~"~~"~
-.
-LIBRARY SECT I ON
1:
,,. ..
VOL. VIII A I R S E R V ICE NEW S LET TE R No. 15
Information Division Munitions Building
Air service August 13. 1924 Washington,D.C.
The purpose of this letter is to keep the personnel of the Air service, both
~n Washington and in the field, informed as to the activities of the Air Service
l.n general. and for release to the public press.
FORRELEASE
AUGUST 16. 1924
Sergeant Harvey had suffered no ill effects from the shock and I had the left
lense of my goggles broken~ a slight abrasion at the corner 'of my left eye ana my n09(
bleeding fromablow' at the br-Idge "of my nose. The ,:Fightpontoon had struck the' i~-
q~ine at a point where a steep rise of ItOOO feet ~ad suddenly changed to a more
gentle slope and the p.l aneTiad come to resti:l.bout200 feet up on this slope on the
snow. The fuselage was canted over to the right at an angle of about 45 degrees.
The right porrt.oon was under arid rt o the left o f the fuselage with the left pontoon
near by. The pontoon and pontoon struts were crushed and torn loose from the fuselagf
The right lower wing was completely demolished. The right upper wing pulled back a-
bQut half way between its original position and the tail of the plane. The left lower
wing was slightly damaged and the upper left wing intact. The propeller was broken
but the fuselage and tail surfaces were not darr.aO'ed. Further participation in the
Round-the-World-Flight was at an end. We thor~'ughly appreciated our plight as we
knew this part of the Western Peninsula to be uninhabited. excepting by a few people
at considerable distance apart along the shore lines.
We then selected from the equipment on board such supplies as were needed and
eould be carried comfortably and prepared our packs for hiking. We ate the few sand-
wiches which had been prepared for lunch by Mrs. Osmund, wife of the Superintendent
of the Cannery at Chignik, but found that the thermos bottle containing the coffee
had been broken. This alnrmed us. as the only "rood which we had. with the exception
of about a dozen malted milk tablets. was in liquid form in two thermos bottles. We
were much relieved to find these th~rmos bottles intact. This concentrated food had
been purchased by me at Los Angelee. Calif •• for just such an emergency. It contains
the essential pe.rts of raisinst figs, wal.nut e , peanuts, barley, wheat and celery.
Two quarts of thi9 concentrated food beverage was placed on each airplane, as the
Army emergency rations were too heavy and bulky to be carried on the airplanes where
it was so essential to li~it the weight to the minimum and as they would be bulky and
heavy if their use was to extend over any considerable period of time. At 2:00 p.m.
we started southward up the side of the mountain on which w~ had crashed~ We estima-
ted that we were about 10 miles from the coast line on the p~cific Coast of the Penin-
sula separated therefrom by a range o'f mountains. The small compass which I had was
broken. We would have been forced to use the compass on the airplane which was
heavy and inconvenient if it had not been due to the ~act that just prior to leaving
Chanute Field. Corporal Foster, a friend of Sergeant Harvey, had given him a small
card compass in a leather case. This we fastened to the strap of the field glasses
and departed.
The fog was very dense and was so white as to blend completely with the snow,
The snow was deep and smooth, Leav i.ng practically no obj ects visi!;Jle. This experience
was very peculiar as the vision was limited to a very few feet. It was found to be
impossible to walk in a straight line as our sense of balance seemed to be affected.
It was necessary to stop very frequently and check our course with the compass.
Invariably V1e found that we were v.ralkingother than :in the desired direction. The
slope of the mountain varied but probably was rising at an angle of about thirty de~
grees, The top surface of the ground was not broken and the ground was only gently
r.olling. After walking until 4 o.clock the same conditions prevailed. so we return-
~d to the airplane as it did not seem likely we would find a place ~here shelter and
wood could be found before darkness fell. We followed our footsteps in the snow.
~hey were visible for a hundred feet or more and as the trail was broken, walking
was less difficult. By walking rapidly we returned to the airplane in 17 minutes.
Here we prepared for the night by picking up broken parts of the airplane for fuel.
putting on our heavy flying suits which we vhad not been able to carry with us on
account of the weight and starting a small fire on the snow, waited for darkness.
With our flying suits, helmets.' fleece-lined moccasins and fur gl.ove s , we took shel-
ter in the baggage compartment of the fuselage. As this could not be righted from
the position in which it was laying. we were forced to sleep on the right side of the
4uselage which was laying at an angle of about 45 degrees. While there was sufficien~
length to this space, it was only about 2t feet wide. As we are both large men , our..
sleeping quarters were muchc~owded and the man on the lower side was forced to supporc
a part of the weight of the one above. We slept but little, as we were very cold.
~ramped and uncomfortable. We arose the next morning to find the fog as thick as
~t was the day before. We decided to remain until the fog lifted in order te, bet-
ter our location and be protected from walking over a precipice or a steep d3clivit~
in the mountains. This was May 1st.
As con1itions did not change, we remained with the airplane all thisdd.:" and
night. ,During the day we did what we could to make ourselves more comf or-t.abt e,
We dragged the top rl~t wing around to the left side of the plane and fasjLe~lC:d J r,
to the rear edge of the top left wing. Our fire had melted the snow which wile s0rt
-2- V-52~,5 A.S.
of a glacial formation of snow and ice until it had formed quite a pit. We
took the metal cowling from the sides of the plane to plae~ under the fira. With
a emall spade, a part of the equr.pment. of each plane, we cut out the snow and ice
in ohunks about one foot square an~with these bUilt a wall under thO wings.
This we. banked with loose snow to keep out the "lind. This made a great difference
in conserving the little heat which was given off fr9m our small fire and we were
~uch more comfortable. We had smoking tobacco. cigarettes and matches, but the
matches were conserved by using brands from the fire to light our pipes and cigar- .~
attest . .
On the morning of May 2nd, as the fog still existed. we decided to try to
make o~r way to the Pacific Coast shore line which we thought to be just across
the mountain range, a distance of about ten miles. Our hydrographic charts were
of.no value to us as they did not show the interior with s~ch a degree of accuracy
as to be useful. I was clothed in light weight woolen underwear, olive drab wool-
en shirt. the ordinary woolen service uniform, chamois gelling vest and cotton over-
alls i on my feet. heavy woolen socks. ordimary walking shoes and four buckle arctiec,
Sergeant Harvey was clothed in light weight, woolen underwear. woolen breeches,
olive dr~c Shirt, chamois vest,sweater and cotton overallsj on his feet. he had
heavy woolen socks and a pair of heavy high top shoes. By permitting the one break-
ing the trail through the snow to precede the one following by 100 feet, it was pos-
sible to guide the leader in more nearly .a straight line. In this way we succeeded
in passing over the mountain to the southward and down its sides to a small creek.
Pushing on southward, weclimhed to the top of a steep mountain the surface of .
which was not broken to any great extent. At thi-e time the fog lifted slightly,
just in time to save us from imminent danger. Directly in front of us and but
4 or 5 paces distant the mountain sloped down so abruptly that it would have been
impossible to have retained one's footing and which woul d have meant that we would
have slipped down into the canyon about 1500 feet. Realizing the futility of try-
ing to find a passage through the mountains .in the fog. we returned to the creek we
had just crossed, knovdng that thiawould eventually lead us to the shore line, if
followed.
We walked down the creek, although this ran in a northwesterly direction or
toward the Behring Sea. As we were not forced to climb m~ny hills. we made excel-
lent pr-o'gr-eaa over comparatively level ground. Sergeant a.arvey was experiencing
considerable difficulty vdth his eyes, which were badly inflamed. This was partly
due to smoke from the' fires, the remainder caused by snow blindness. We walked
down str~am from 11:00 a.m. to 4;30 p.m. This time we had emerged from a small.
canyon tprough which the stream flowed to be confronted',~.th a level marshy land,
The visi'Pility was so poor that it was impossible to see more than 4 or 5 miles, so
nothing Proch could be learned as to how far i'trl'S.S to the shore line. As it was nee .•
essary to make camp, get our supplies and f~el together b~fore darkness. we located
an alder thicket where a few dead alders could be obtained7f~91 and made camp on
the snow by cutting green branches. with our knives to keep us out of the snow and (
starting a fire around which 'we sat during the night. As our clothing was just \
enough to make us comfortable when exercising freely. it was far from being suffi- \
cient during the night as we gained but little heat from the small fire which we
coul d maintain. It was impossible to lie down and as it was necessary that one be
constantly vigilant to keep the fire burning, ~e rested but little. We had decided
that night that it would be unwise to attempt to reach the ~~ore line on the Behring
Sea as this would probably be 20 miles northward from our camp, and no doubt the
swampy land we had observed the night before would be dangerous, as the ice was not
sufficiently strong to hold our weight and it had started to thaw. Thsq,too, we
had been informed that but few inhabitants could be found on the Bering Sea shore~.
Should we succeed in reaching ~his shore, we would be confronted with a further
difficulty of obtaining fuel for fires as there is no drift wood on these shoree.
Consequently, at break of dwy on the morning of May 3rd, we retraced our
steps and returned to the airplane that afternoon, as no wood for a fire was avail-
able .vithin sevoral miles of the position of the plane. Sergeant Harvey.s eyes werc-
in a very aggravated condition. He could hardly see. although we TIere 1Nearing
amber colored goggles ~hich we had taken with us on leaving the airplane. With
boraci~ acid taken from the first.aid kit t the inflammation was reduced to nearly
normal by the folloDing morning.
At 7 o'clock the following morning. the fog lifted to an altitude of about
3.000 feet. To the southtr$st of our position, the mountain we had struck rose to
an altitude of about 2500 feet. We climbed in this direction until reaching its
summit. From this view point \76 could see no opening to the southward.
. V -5265 A.S.
-3-
The mountains were very rugged.rJ.sJ.ng as a sheer '{,1all of rock' well above the' fog
line." But l6 the 'southwest, with the aido! our 'Held glasses', we saw a lake.
Thinkirigthat there might be 'a belated trapper on this lake, we sfarted for it at
11:00 a sm, At 4:30 that afternoon, we were still 3 or 4 miles from the lake.
This made it necessary -for us to select an alder thicket and make camp for the'
night, During the day we succeeded in killing with' an Army pistol two ptarmi-
gans. a native bird of Alaska. much like our domestic. pigeon but about tvriceits
size. We prepared one of these that night fOr supper and cooked it in the meat
can of my mess out fit which I had with me. This was" a greatdslicacy) notwi thstand.
ing the fact that we had no fat or salt and used water to keep the meat from being
burned~ The other bird was prepared for breakfast. The instructions which we
hadreceived with our concentratd food beverage prescribed two teaspoonfuls per
person per meal. We had increased this to three teaspoonfuls.
Early the next morning, we started again for the lake, reaching ;j.t about
noon. We scanned the lake with the field glasses but could locate no cabin or
any indication of humanity. I was wearing the amber lens goggles. Even then I
could only see with difficulty. As our safety seemed to lay in finding, a pass
through the mountains to the southward and as there was a lake and streams indica-
ted on our maps which conformed very c.Lo oel y with those which we had crossed and .t h
those in the vicinity of the lake. we thought that by follo1;ung the stream at the
southernmost point of the lake we would arrive at Ivanof Bay. We expected to
find the stream flowiilg from the southernnlost point of the lake southward, emptying
into the bay, but much to our disappointment it WQS flowing the opposite direction.
Hoping to find a pass in the mountains at such ran elevation as would be possible
to climb, we followed thi8strearu. The val Ley between the mountains at this point
was about 3 mil es Wide, lOYT marshy land from which the Sl'10Vl had partly mel ted leav-
ing tufts of high grass sticking through. The ground around these hummocks of
grass was lo~er and covered with water; in places it was very soft. On account of
thecondition of my eyes, it TIas necessary for Sergeant Harvey to lead the way uhich
he did with the greateot determination, continuing to walk doggedly on, notwith ...
s-tanding the fact that we were very weak an d exhausted. At 2 a 'clock that after-
noon. finding a very desirable location and myself being practically exhausted on
account of the a%~rtion and extra handicap'of being partially snow blind together
with the weight of my heavy arOti68,we made camp in the dry bed of a small stream
coming down from the mountains. This was the first night we had had shelter, as
all the thickets were alvmys out on lovel, exposed grouild. Although the wind had
not as yet bl own with such a velocity 8S to exceed 10 miles an hour. it was very
cold and disagreeable. We had plenty of dead wood for fuel and with grass from.
the marsh made a bed on which each of us had about 4 hours of sleep, the first real
res.t we had experienced since our crash, Each night immediately after getting the
fire to burn nicely J it was ne ce ssar-y on account of our feet being wet to remove
our shoes, replace our socks with dry ones wh i.ch v,ecar:ried in our haversacks, dry
our shoes and dry the wet socks which were placed in our -haver-sacke for the next
night. This was a difficult task in th~ open. over a small fire and usually occu-
pied our time until about 9 o'clock, It took but little time for our meals which
consisted of placing our J.iquid f ood in a cup partly filled with water and drinking
it.
On the morning of May 5th we continued our march -through the swamp. After
going about 3 miles, our progress was less difficult. A number of.dry stream beds
were found ~hich no doubt were filled ~ith water from the mountains during the
summer when the snow was melting and which we followed until 7e reached the point
TIhere the stream passed into the mountain. Here the snow was very deep and the
alders extended from the side of the stream to well up on the sides of the mountain.
The crust of the snow had weakened until vre were breaking through frequently. We
struggled through thig for some distance. finally climbing the side of a mountain
to betterdetermine which branch of the stream to follow in order to reach the divide.
From this vantage point it seemed that it was best to continue in the direction we
were walking. We found that by follOWing a mountain side a short distance above
the valley the crust of snow was much harder and better progress could be made. At
this point the stream VIe had been follOWing ended. The valley to the front was
about a mile wi de and compars.tively level. -This lasted for about three miles t "",her.
we came upon the source of:.mother' stream flowing southward. This was our first
real hope, as this stream T:;,' doubt would take us to the shor.e Lrne , . Travel becom-
ing extremely difficult and from our previous struggle during that $1,ay.we wore in
a very weakened condi tioh. At 3: 00 p.m. \7,ehal ted to let Sergeant Harvey j-1W8s'~:i~
gate a small canyon in the mountain at the side of the valley as a possible camp
site.
-4-
Upon his return he reported that there was nopossibility'o'f'a campsiteirt the
canyoribut that he had seen a body of water 'to the90uthwl1rd. appr cxfmat.e.l y' '3 mi.l»,
d:iJJtant
..We were too exhausted to cover this distance that 'night and made our cam,
among the ald<3rs on about 4 feet of snow. We were eo weakened as t.o make it nec-
essary to sUPP0rt ourselves by holding on to the alders, while we were gathering
up our fire wood and there was a Sligl1t wind from the north wha ch chilled us to
the boneo
At 3:30 the next morning we departed following the edge of the stream where-
ever possible, as it was very fatigtiinf,(to attempt to walk through the anow, At
7:30 a.m., we arrived at the body of water which had ,been seen by Sergeant Harvey
the day before to find that it was salt water and after resting a few minutes we
examined the shore lines carefUlly with the field glasses but saw no signs of humar-
ity. As we 'started to waLk along the beach, we observed a small cabin on the beach
about a half mile distant. Upon arriving at t hi.s cabin we found it to have been
reoently deserted. probably within the last 1;'wenty-f'ourhours. Upon rexamfnat.Lon ,
a scant amount, of food \7aS located; flour, salted salmon, bacon fat, baking pcwder ,
dried peaches , condensed milk, syrup and coffee. There was also a qus.ntff,ty of
wood cut for a smull heating stove and about a pint of oil left for a small oil
stove~ The cabin was very small and all the bedding had been removed when its
owner lefto After preparing some hot cakes. of which we could eat but .two as this
v~s the capacity. of our stomachs at that time, we made ourselves as comfortable as
possible and slep~~ We awakened in about four hours as were cold having removed a
part o'f our clothing upon retiring and the fire had died out. After eating again
and putting some of the salmon to soak. we slept until 8 o'clock the next morning.
At 10 o'clock that night we awoke to rebuild the fire to find it blowing and storm-
ing.
The next morning it was enouing Violently uhich continued throughout the day;
it changed into rain during the night and corrtdnued to rain until 9 0 'clock of
the morning of the 9th. We had had no rain, snow, or wind of any conai.derab.l.evs;' __,
locity, from the time ue had crashed, until we had reached the cabin. We took a
short walk that morning to accurately locate ourselves on the map, but due to the
poor visibility were not sure of our location but thought that we were on Moller
Bay on the Bering Sea side of the peninsula, much to our surprise. T~1is,was accur«
ately determi~ed that afternoon by a reconnaissance trip by Sergeant Harvey while
I prepared wild ducks wInch were killed that day at noon at the cabin with a rifle
belonging to the trapper. Sergeant Harvey returned from his trip with two snow
.shoe rnbbits, Alaskan hare, which gave us an rumple supply of food for at least one
more day, We had not until that day regained our strength. Our charts had mark-
ed on them Port Moller with no indication of a village or cannery, but on a case
containing ~ondensed milk we found the stamp of a Port Moller Cannery. We were not
sure that this was occupied as yet due to the ice in Bering Sea. Moller Bay was
a mass of floating ice.
We aroae early the next morning feeling quite strong to find the day calm
and clear. After a hearty breakfast of rabbit, pancakes and gravy and putting the
cabin in excellent order, we left for Port Moller, a distance of 25 miles. We
made excellent progress along the beach, with the ~ception of 3 or 4 miles where
the rocks from the cliffs, as large as ordinary dwellings, octended do\vu to the .
waters edge. It was easier to climb over these than to pass them by climbing
through the snow over the,t~ps of the mountains. This impeded our progress a
great deal. We arrived at the narrowest spit which extends well out tnto the bay
near Port Moller at 4:00 pam. From this point we could see the wireless mast and
smoke stack at the camp. iVhile we were wondering whether we would find the cannery
inhabited, smoke came from the stack which gave us the information desired. After
crossing the spit which was about a mile wide, we were approached by a launch coming
from the cannery. In this launch there were two native men and three native women
who had been on their way from the cannery to a native village at what is called
"Hot Springs" on the western side of Maller Bay , The man in charge of this launch
was Mr.Jake Oroloff. a nati ve , who .took us across the bay, a distance of about 2t
miles to the cannery, We arrived at the cannery at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, May lOth.
Here we were greeted by the Superintendent of the Cannery and other employees who
were overjoyed to see us, Relieving us of our haversacks and with no further cero~
mony, he showed us where we coul.d \7£lshour faces and hands and sat us down to a
table laden with food splendidly prepared. The amount of food we ate was a splen-
did testimonial of our appreciation of it.
V-5265-A.S.
~5.
As there was a wireless station at the cannery, messages were forwarded that even-
ing to the Chief' of Air Service and our relatives. We vrere safe at last and coul.d
completely relax. We ~ill never forget the joy of that night's sloep in a com~
fortable bed p~otect8d from the cold. '.
On Monday, May 12-th, an offer 'as' re~eived from Mr.Shielc'ls, Vice Pr-eaddorrt
of the Pad fic Amerticen Fisheries Company, Bellingham, iVnshington, for Sergeant
Harvey and myself to be gueets of tho company as passeilgerson 1:he Steamship
CATHERINED.. which was due to leave Port Moller tlllay 13th~ We learned that all
vessels at points along these shores had searched for do.yeto effect our rescue.
This included the boats of all canneries, those belor-ging to the Coast and Geodetic
Survey and t houe of t;he Coast Guard Service; al so dog' teams had been sent inland '~
frum Chignik. The ALGONQUIN had been dispat':lhed to pick us up at Port Moller and
left Dubch Harbor at 4:00 a'<m. May Ll.t n , Hot knol'ring of this urrt i.L the afternoon of
May 11th when a radio 'W':}.3 r e ce'ived to that effect;} thef wer-e informed that passage
could be ob't ed.ned on the CATEERIN1!.: D, and the ALt]ONQUIi~ returned to Dutch Harbor.
After three duys of feasting and sleop:Lng~ we pru.ctically regained normal-
cy. The haggar-d , sunken expref:,si0n of our f'ace a had d Leappeared , We left Port
Moller on the CAT.H1~::UFE D at5~ 00 ps m, May 14~h. A beavy southeast gal,e blew with
such a velo~ity that this l&~ge boat was held so tightly against the wharf that it
could not leave prior to this time. It was necessary to go by the ,ray of Unimak
Pass, westward of Urrimal; 1818.:10. stops. ,-'8.'e made at the Pacific American Fisheries
Cannery at iika:tan, King Ccve and Squaw da:c'~)cr, Bar-al o f Bay on Unga Island. We
left SqUCiWarbor 8t 4.:30 p.m.; iv18,y 17th and ran by dead reckoning until about 5:00
p.m. May 21st. During tI:is time no observation could be taken of the sun or stars
en acco~nt of po0i' Visibility, The master of the CATHERINED, Captain W..B"Knight,
then "ra~ted for 2'2 hour-s before he could sieht land. He stated that he should be
near Hazy Lsl ands , off Cape Ommaney, which wer-e about four miles distant '."Thenthe
fog lifted. The r emai nde r of the voyage to Bellingham was very pleasant but une»
ventfuL We wereT.per, about an hour- out fr-om Bel l.Lngham by the NILE, a smal.L boat'
belonging to the ~aci. fie AmoricanFisheries Company, on board of' which was Mrs..
Martin and my' son. Robert. Upon reaching the whar f wher e about a thousand' people
had assemblea. with a.b~nd to welcome 'us on our return to the United states, we met
the officials of the Pad.fic American Fisheries Company, the Mayor of Bellingham
and other officials, t oge t her '"lith the Air Service officers and others from Seattle,
Too much praise cannot be given to those who participated in the search
for Sergeant Harvey and myself. The courtesies extend.ed by the Pacific .American
Fisheries Company and aU.their employees, both on the CA'rHERlNE'Dand'at Port
Moller wer-e of 1:he highest order and. r:ere rosponaible for our rapid recovery to
normalcy and expedited our return to the United states very materially. These wer-e
given in the finest spirit po s sd b.le of helpfulness. No renumeration would be ac-
Lepted for even the food rrh i ch we ate at Port Moller,"
AROUND v
THE WORLD FLYERS ON HOME STRETCH
The Around-the-World flyers are at this \'rriting at Reykjavik, Iceland, but onl y
two of the three airplanes reached this quaint hflmlet in the North. Lieut. Wade un-
fortunately losing his shd.p, the BOSTON. Shortly af t.e r leaving Kirkwall trouble
~as eiperienced with the engine and a landing r.as made on a heavy swell. After
being tossed about by a heavy sea for evera! hours L~eut.Wade and Sgt4 Ogden were
taken off by a passing fishing boat. The U.S. Navy Cruiser RICHMOND a rt erwarde ar-
rived and in the attempt to hoist the air cruiser aboard, it WflS considerably dam-
aged. and later on when an attempt was made to tow it to the Faroe Islands, it sank.
Orders have been issued by the Chief of Air Bezvd ce for Lieu.ta. George C. Mc:Qonald
and Victor E.Bertrandias to pilot a Douglas Cruiser from Langl.ey Field to Pictou
Harbor , Nova Scotia and leave the ship . there so that Lieut. Wade and Sergeant Ogden
.
An airplane accident with a happy ending occurred at Kelly Field just re-
cently when a student, Lieut. Crawford, was saved through the use of a parach~i~.
Lieut. Crawford was doing acrobatics as part of the basic pursuit course, in an
MB3 airplane. He was at an altitude of about 4000 feet, seven miles north of
Kelly Field, and had been up some forty minutes 'doing barrel rolls t Lnmel.mans ,
loops and spins. He hac started an irrmelman and reached the top, but nhen he tried
to put the stick for~ard into toe left to come out, it stuck and could be moved
only lath great pressure against the friction that existed somewhere. The ship
soon came out level and Lieut. Crawford looked around to the left, thinking some-
thing \7aS wr-ong with the tail surface, In so doing he saw the le ft aileron hang-
ing by the outside bolt only, and flapping in the wind. He immediately tried to
fly the ship level thinking he could get it beck home, but the righ-t wing began to
drop slo"\7lyandWould not stay up , a1though he "used full/left aile,ron.
Shortly the ship had completed the full turn of a steep spiral. There
seemed to be no chance of controlling the plane. and as it ~as gaining air speed
rapidly in falling and starting to spin) Lieut. Cra'lilford vlis81y decided to take
to the parachute. Without further delay, he scrambled over the right and lower
side of the ship and let go. He did not notice the ship again or see wh~t it did
until after the chute opened, Lieut. Orarrf or-d says .that he did not fall more than
ten feett probab1y,\7hen he pulled the ring of the chute and opened the pack. At
the instant he was falling head dovnward and the .parachute got tangled in his. feet.
This caused him considerable worry lest the shroud line or the main chute should
be oome entangled,b\lit after kicking, the pa Lot soon came loose and the main chute
opened, giving him quite a sharp jerk. His weight was supported by the harness
around his thighs and he says there was no sensation of falling or sinking until
he got to 1.7ithinabout a hundred feet from the ground. At this moment he thought
he was "going to land on a small farm house, and tried to slip the c:'ltte,but saye
that he doesn It think it slipped far. At any rate.)ita, missed the house and hit
suddenly in a pasture. There was a twenty.mile uind blo1.7ingand he landed back-
ward. He had tried to turn but as the chute was sinking through v~at seemed like
a large arc and one side ~eemed pulled in almost, he decided to let 1.7811 enough
alone. Lieut. Crawford struck the ground on his feet, but the chute pulled him
b~ckwards with a hard jolt and dragged him about four feet •.The breath was par-
tially knocked out of.him, but except for a feu slight scratches on the arm and
slight bruises on the thighs caused by the opening of the chute, he ~as not hurt.
Lieut. Crawford says that his experience gives him much greater confidence
in parachutes than he has ever had before, and b6 does not f;eel at all appr-ehen» .
sive about flying or stunting.
This is the second time trithin a morrt h that a life has been saved at Kelly
Field by the use of the parachu tej asad persons t.,bo~ashort time ago scoffed lit -:.::
their use and complained about the orders requiring them to be 1.7orn.are nou
thoroughly converted and are seen carrying a little pack around uith them ~here-
ever they go. .
I
THIRD ATT~CK GROUP REORGANIZED.
The reorganization of the Third Attack Group at Kelly Field, San Antoniot
Texas, has been completed with the placing of the 13th and 26th Attack Squadrons
on the inactive list and making the 8th and 90th At.t.ack Squadrons, respectively a
their active associations. The latter units have been r-educed to a strength of
90 men each, and the 60th Ser-vice Squadron to 42.. The follo,ring named officers
now compose the commissioned personnel of the G:~()UPsince its ~eorganization:
Ma)or H.B.S. Burwell, Captain J .H. Davidson, La t Id eub s, L ..
A~ Smith, FLM ..BA.rtics
C.MeK. Robinson. R.C.Zettel, W.R. Peck, H.G. Crocker, J ,E~ Duke and W~I;. Wheel.''ll ~
Without question the .Air Service has some mightygood men,;. but when
candid~tes for speed in observation ~~d ~ction are called for. Brooks Field
cOnfidently puts f orwar-d Id eu t • John Cor kd.Ll e , The other day the Lieutenant
\7aS playing along in the uppe r air when he noticed e. house on fire b e.Lorr him, As
no one else seemed gr eat Ly Lrrt er-est ed he went down to find out "That it was all
about and found that the .i.nhub it anc e of sa.idhouse and, in fllct, the vrhol.e
neighborhood. \7a8 blis~fully ignorant o-f vrha't vras tak~,ng pl ace , So after knock ..
ing and saying politely "Mister) yot;.r touse is on fir3". J011nny climbed into his
little ship and came home. having done as the Boy Scouts aay , "hd s daily good tv.rn"
statement that it is a faster ship t he speed of the said same "Ant" being c l.admed
at• 135IJ
miles p'er- hour , A speed trialhO\7ever ., ,
between these two "flivvers of ,the
aJ.r would no doubt prove to be an interesting sporting event.
The story concerning the "Skeeter" plane is givon by our Kelly Field correspon-
dent. as follows:
"Dri ven by Lieut. D.B. Phillips I a new experimental midget plane out-stripped
a DH4B observation plane in a te-st flight at Ke Ll y Field recently. The plane has
only 97 square feet of lifting area and so far as known is the smallest in the
\70r1d •. Despite the small surface. it. lands at less than 5,0 miles pet hour ..
The plane wa.s d e s i gn ed and cons-t.ru ct.edlby Lieut. D.B. Phillips, 'IrHh the as-
sistance of Lieuts Ray H. Clark and Glenn T. Lampton. but SO many members of the
Third Attack Group cooperated that it might well be called a product of the Third
Attack Group.
The little ship has a wing spread of 18 feet, It candevelop a speed of
115 miles per hour and cruises at 90 miles per hour, It is equipped with the
Lawrence 3-cylinder sixty horse power radial engine and " carries sufficient fuel
for 4 hours at full throttle
miles on one cargo of fue1t
or 5*
,'.
hours at cruising speed, or approximately 450
Other data on plane follows: Weight (less engine) 305 Lbs , : Height of .
engine~ 175 lbs.; ryeighi of pilot, 180 Ibs.; ryeight of fuel, 120 lbs.; total weight
carried. 7801bs. Wing section. U.S, A. 27: up,per'ping, 36 inches; chord, lo"er
wing, 30 inches, climb, 600 feet per minute; ceiling, 12,000 feet; factor of safe-
ty, 6; gasoline capacity, 22+ gallons; oil, 9 quarts.
The gasoline i~ carried in two tanks, a pre~sure tank behind the pilot and
a gravity tank near the engine~ By a simple arrangement of valves, the gasoline
can be transferred from one tank to the other \1h118 in flight SO as to balance
the plane.
After 8 months of wo rk , on the design and construction, the 'ship was com-
pletedon June Bt h , It \7aS then \7eigh~di up and checked to determine if the bal-
apee was correct. The check as comp~:ted by Lieut. Lampton ~ndicated that the ship
\Toul d be balanced if four more gallons of gasoline were p:Laoed. in the front tank
than in the rear. Thie '1aS done. The ship was then f Lown and 'i"fasfound to be per-
fectly balanced.
Flights with the ship have been uneventful except on one occaai on , when the
valve,between the two gasoline tanks ~as inadvertently left open over night, par-
tially draining the front tank. The remaining gasoline became exhausted while fly~
ing at a 10\7 al ti tude, and as there was no time to get up pressure in the other
tank, a "pancake" landing \7aS made in an open space in tho mosquito brush on the
bombing r ango , Despito the high 'i'(oods,'Vlhich almost hid the ship from view, and
the rough ground, no damage resulted, other than a bent. axle, The axle was stc>"igh
ened and, after cutting away tho wceda to form a rummy, the ship \7aS f Lorm ')r:,.c::
to '-the field. This was considered as demonstrating that cross ...country f1yin~~ nscd .
not be hampered by fear of damage from forced landings, as the spot on vrhich tin:l
landing was made 1,7aSabout as poor as would o f t cn bo encountered ..
There is work that noeds tho bravest; Thoy have woo'd a haughty virgin;
Romance sounds her bugle call. They have won the goddess FlightZ(her;
Throw aside t~e bonds that hold you; They have woo'd and won and chained
Throw off tyrant Time's dark thrall NOTI she serves them day and night.
Up, to arms: The bugle calls you: Sho i3 slave of man forever.
Grim adventure lives once more: Doing penance just and fair,
Deathless famo is knocking, wniting; For the sacrifice demanded
Waits v~thout your time-locked door. In the conquQst of tho air.
Thoro are men who grow impatient Oh, you hardy restless spirits
With this unromantic agcj Of tho past that men acclaim
There are men who crave adventure. We are adding to your number
Men to ~hom this world's a cage. In the Ages' Hall of Fame. (of;
There ar.e men who roam the jungles; There are names that you'll be proud
There are men ~ho rove tho seas: They are names that cannot die.
But the maddest and the gladdest Pionee~s, awake: and welcomo
Are the boys 'who sail tho breeze. Those ~mo da~od ta ~in the sky:
The Reserve Officers' €amp at Wilbur Wright Field. Fairfield. OhiO, viliichwas
opened on July 7th ~ndclosed tryO ryeeks later on the 19th, furnished valuable ex-
perience in Air Be rvace wor-k to the mon who pursue their regular vocations in civil
life and have pledged themselves to answor the call to military duty uhen the
emergency arisos. Most of the work was carried on at Wilbur Wright Field, although
several trips uere made to McCook Field from time to time. Major E,L. Hoffman,
formerly stationed at McCook Field, was the regular Air Service officer in command
of the camp.
A total of 128 Reserve Officers uere in attendance, including Liout. Colonel
Courtney P. Grover, Major Alfred Campbell. 17 Captains, 29 1st Liouts. and 80
2nd Lieuts. Col. Grover of the Medical Corps, who formerly rosided at tho National
Military Home at Dayton, Ohio, where he was surgeon in charge, was also for a time
the post commander of the local organization of the American Legion in Dayton.
Major Campbell and the Captains are all Air Service officors, \'liththe single ex-
ception of Allen Coburn, who has a commission in tho Medical Dept. All of the
Lieutenants are AiD Service Reserve Officers) most of them being pilots.
The Reserve Officers assi.ted tho Regular Officers at Wilbur Wright Field
wherever they could do so; for example, they were assigned as Officers of the Day
-10- V-5265 A.S.
thus rolievingthe regular offico~s 'of thQt duty. Thoy also assisted in va-
rious othor capacitios in connoctionwith 'flyingopcrations nndongincering
activities. Th6 R08e~vo Officors who uero givon spocial assignments were as
fo11ous: Major C.Alfred Campbell, Asst.Comn1Qnuant; Capt. John L. Reyml Ll or ,
Executive; Capt. John E.Davis, Camp Adj ut orrb; 2nd Lieut. Ralph D. Penl.and , Asst.
Camp Adjutant; Capt.Wm~F.Centor, Operations Officer; 1st Lieut. Geo. W.Vawtor.
AsstOperations Officer: CQpt. Karl F. Burckhart, Engineer Officer; 1st. Lieut.
Frank. L.Clo,lOrs, Asst. Enginner Officer; :t at tieut. Richo.r-d M.Harnett. Asst.
Supply Officer; 1st Id eut , Glenn DvHorn , Asst. Supply Officer; Capt. John Ebaugh,
Asst. Athletic Officer; 2nd Lieut. Ulment R. Hull, Asst. Athletic Officer; Capt.
C.J. Cleary, Officer in Charge Ground Instructions; 1st Lieut Ed. R. King, Asst.
to Officer in Charge of Ground Instruction; 2nd Lieut Bron H. Lytle. Asst. to
Officer in Charge of Ground Instruction; 2nd Liout. Ralph G. Lock'.7ood,Alert
Pilot; Capt , Albert A. Price, 'Officor in Charge of "Aerial Gunnery; 2nd Lieut.
Thomas G. Hughes, Camp Transportation Officer.
During the month of June the entire Second Division Air Service was en-
gaged in held training near Mogollon. NeV! Mexico. Tho f oLl owi.ng account of
the hiko Uas ~ritten by Mrs. Walter Bender ~hile at camp on Willow Creek.
The Twol fth Aero Squadron is again in summer camp and, as usual, they have
Ii vod up to their motto "FORWARD". 1Nhon tho wor d went out that the Air Service
was going to tho Mogollon Mountains for its summer campthero TIas a general
Laugh , - "1jllhy.they can It make it - thero never has been 0. truck up thelJo moun-
tains - only tiro cars hnve ever made it. But the Air Service went "FORWARD" -'
thoy left Fort Bliss' on schedule with thi;:-toonLiborty trucks t 01'10 G.M~C. truck.
ono G.M.C. ambulance, one VlliitoRadio, truck, ono Staff cur and six private cars,
darrying about 7000 lbs of supplies, nine officors, eighty-six mon and six fami-
lies. '
MOGOLLON - A QPAINT MINING CAMP IN NEW fu~XICO•
•
Each Liberty truck weighed from 6000 to 7000 pounds, all using about 4750
gallons of gas for tho entire tripe We arrived o.tMogollon, a quaint little 'gold
nn m.ng camp about 9000 feet above SOQ lovell There is only one street about
thirty feet nide. The homos of the inhabitants hanging ubove On the steep moun-
t.af.ns sides like swal.Lo-r nests we re as interesting to us as the airplanes 'Wore
to them: quite a number of tho people never having seen an' airplane went to
the flying field and camped,determined to remain until they suw a plane "Taka orrn•
Some of them wad t cd 48 hours. The popul atLon of about 400 people \7asthrillod by
the advent of the soldiors and their b~g trucks, and made evory effort to enter~
tain and help in any VlQY they could. rt is r-emarkab.Le hO\7 many there arc who
have never boen outside Mogollon~ They gave a dance for the men and the to\7llwas
wide open. Thoy fed and entertained thorn like royal guests; not al.Lovztng them to
pay for anything. When they sow that the Air Service was really going on up into
the mountains, thoy offored their men, horses and d)~amito. We did not need tho
men but \"10 did need the horses and powdcr , Tho Forost Service, too, offered its
help. "They are real, honest to God mon" said the mountaineers, "and you ought
to be proud of thom", "We are:" answer-ed tho women, and "Oh yos, ste lm..£:Y! they"
woul, d get thoroJ"
The first eight miles after loaving Mogollon uas comparatively good road,
and then our mon met thoir first problem. Therowere terrific grades of about
35 degrees, each being about 125 foet long TIlth almost no traction, and TIith a
mountain spring running d00~ the last ono, making it very slippery - but the
horses ~ero hitched on and oach truck pullod slowly to the top. From horo thoco
was no possible place rrhcr-e one car could pass another or turn ar ound , Aftor
"Cold Springs" was reached tho r-oads wor-e mere mountain trails - impassable -
and from thon on it was a case of building roads as they ucnt.
The people in the little mining camp and the forest rangers furnished
dynamite to bl!lst awu.y the great fallen treed and rocks which obstructed the
path, and in literally hundreds of p12ces Q deviation of n fow inches would have
sont the truck8c~as:ling bto tho deep ro..vinebelow. but' block and tackle we re
brought to wor-k and tho Liberty trucks l,';o::i.gh:i.ng
from 6000 to 7000 pounds each nert
/ litorally hauled up by man po~er. Hugo haws0rs waro put around the great trecs
(
with a truck o.t the other end. supplemontod by men pushing and pulling. This noe-
oesite.tad widening the rOlla under the most unbeliovo.ble difficulties. Great vo':-
canic rock slides were to be crossed ':lhichalcne woul.d have been enough to dampen
the ardor of anyone excepting the 12th Aoro Squadr-on ,
Here it seemed that the slightest jar would sot the nhole slide in motion
again. Incidentally. theso slidos aro among tho most unusual and unique sights in
~erica and aro ovidonce of one of the moat terrific volcanic eruptions in tho
world. One day only about ono and one half milos wer-e made , ovory man straining
evory nerve and musclo to go fOM7Qrd, Thore was not time to stop and cook, tho
lunch tho first day cOi'lsisting of hom and choese snndwd chcs] tho follo\7:hng three
days , coffee and sandwichos, the men wor kd.ng from dawn un"til dark. All of this
Wo.s ho.rdehip at tho timo, bu t it proves the stuff of vrhd ch tho organization is
made, A frequent illuotration of the dauntless spirit of the gallant organization
was to huvo ono or tuo v/hoe.l s of 0. Liborty truck suspended in mid-nir ovor the
,cdge of 0. cliff ':lithD. drop ofJ 1000 feot be Lorr, hold and pulled sl0\71y back to
so.fety by shoer m,m po~or. TI,O nooks lQtor, on Organization Day, those trials and
hardships ":"1eretnosour-co of' much good-natur-ed rivalry,
On Juno lOth 't ho camp rra.s made and the men ado pt od another motto. tfIt can
be donel" They had accompliuhed a feat of rond construction of which o.ny Engineer
Corps might be proud. In this spot, practically unknown to anyone, oxcept a feu
forest ranger. and an occasional conboy or shoop:ba~der. nas established a mOdel
little city; as model and up-to-dci.te as any smarf post. Communication \lith the
outside wo.rld '7as accomplishod by radio and telephone. Eloctric light vras fur-
nished by our onn groo.t landing flare trucke. Daily airplonos brought breo.d,
fresh fruit and vegetables from our headquar-t er-a at Fort Bliss. The food and ,"
genero.l sanf tat-ion was equsl to that in a permanent camp. No1?'T the r-ouds are good,
enabling easy accoss to u voritable parQdise for tho fisherman and huntors. Mem-
bers of our Squadron hiJ.vOsighted as many us nine doer in a herd a.t one time.
For n weekwe averaged about two hundred troutu day and o.t all times had as
~ny as ue could oat, ca.tcning many of thorn in the stream ~hich flo\ls through the
Oamp, Thero wer-e t'70 b.l nck bear killed and signs of many others wer-e found.
Fresh bee f and young lambs wer-o furnished by "Near" t'7lo1 vo mile! r aneber'e, Mr,
Camp, a.Vlell known E1 Paaoan , 0\7118 tIle camp site, gave his huntitng lodge to use
as mess and recrea.tion hull for the officers. and also, in cooperation yrith other
ro.nchers, furnishod horses for riding and rodeo purposes.
A f6\1 most interosting cho.racters camo for milos over the rocky mount.adn-:
tra.ils to visit the camp , among thorn "NLl.tstrmr", a tro.ppor and hunter, who has
not been out of these mountains for over forty yeur e , and who entertained us around
tho greut camp fire at night uith hisf~mcue beur ctorioe, and other experiences of
the oo.rly days when Indian tri~es nnduild animals ruled supromo in this wilderness
of great pinos, fire and othor treos, He has killod about fi70 hundred boars, in-'
numerablo lions and oven a leopnrd who ho.d come up from tho Rockies of Mexico,
His story of tho first airplane which attracted hio attention gave all a
good laugh Ho said: "I was walking along a r ocky trai1J rrhon I hoard a gro1.7l. I
looked around - tho roar bocoming loude~ and louder I know then it wasn't a bear,
and I thought porhaps I wns walking over a goyser like thoso one finds in Wyoming,
and I was sura something YTCl.S going to!'b.lowup I" I looked up and all around me
and away up in the sky like a great eagle I so.w my first ad rpl.ane]."
To the editor
a,a.news letter 9lst cbs , sqdn
Wash'n dist col Rockwell field jul 23/24
Friend Ed
In my last nQ~I 1ayed bare the inoide roasons uhy the nin0ty 1st
squadron was sent to,Rocb7ell Field & this wk I \7i11 regail our subacr-i bere vd '~,h
amusing antidotee' 'ubtout trip down her-e & 1 thing in anot.he r irrogardJ. 03 s Of :~he
fact that Lt Greene tho trG.nsportation officers says I should better Lay of 1 ci1
the history of our voyage down hero' and confine my tallontn to writeing a fUl;J:W
piece abt how & the h--l were going to get back.
Well Ed I dont want to kno~k nobody but if It Greene had of made tne
proper uses of his opportunitys this squadron would nou bo in p~os8ion of prnc -
-13- V-5265 A.S.
tico.lly all new trucks Lnat ead o f tho same old ones which first saw tho lights- 'of
duy beack in the Cadillac age us I have nicknamed tile 1 at o \lQT. Heres what ' come
off Ed anduur readers cun judge for themselfst Our truck tra~n is makeir.g its
'rlay down tho mountrvin grnde noarsanLouis Obi cpo & ::cs ; , it is all down hill ev'or,
th~n.g is rolling allongpra~tlculy unassisted when nll 0 f II sUddc:r:Ai\f~ev~olay. '
drd ven by a gal makes an unprovokod at.t ach vs one 0 four 5 ton; ,,~J::4 lX: r~ght t'1oro
is wher-e '1 claim the '!tr!U1eportation officor should of showed his resourcefullr.oiJs
~ knowltdga of the customs of the sorvico by shcvoing ut loast 6 or7 of tho oldost
/'
trucks over tho bank & tho h ....;.l & gone 1 :or 2 t.houaand ft down tho boautiful calLf
mountainsidos & sat dorm & executod a survey whilost tho oAd.pa~nt was still visi-
ble on the chovrolays mud guards to provo it .. Lt. Groonos alibi is thQt ho \7US all
sot to do this vory thing & had evon romovod tho serviconble pOTts of sevoral
veteran vehiclos to tho viz tho horns and gasoline proparutcry to accidontally &
unavoidably boosting ilihem Ovor the sido of tho topography whon whom should appoar
~ut capt Hanloy & It arrinor & rkght uway capt Hanloy soen that tho ch?Vrolar
,TUS mal'O or less crackod up &, It arriner who is an obsorvont follonot~cod tnat
it was drovo by a member in good standing of the fair soct & thon tho both of
them noticed that the driver was further &, more good looking & the etc. So capt
Hanley says what, arrangoments have you made for talceing car o of this civilian car
and Occupants which you have j~3t knocked for aghoul & It Greene suys Iaimely well
capt Im makeing out the surveys just now for our trucks which wiL), be demollished
as a result of tho rockless driving of this ~eend in human form. Horr do you get
that ,lay says capt Hanley takoing another look at tho gal to make sure cant you sec
by the position of the car & the expression on thin littl,o ladies face that no g~vt
property could have been damaged beyond fuir \7oar: & toa.r so you bottor save your
surveys untill a. more appr-oprd at,o t:d.mo as for inst when 1 of these sea going
oalif stages comes busting allong the middle of thE) r-eed abb 6 ty miles a hour &,'
then can we maybe get rid of the wholo tuck train to say nothing of raisoing h--1
withtne st ago , .
Well, Ed this would appear like a fair proposition on the face of it-& should
have bean productive of results but it seems thut weuras these Calif stages has a
habit of going out of their wuy to chase the light traffic off of tho roads & even,
up trees & into road houses &: other safe retreats they dorrt seem to r-o.lLdsh tho
idea of any entangling alliances qith no 5 ton trucks rrhen snme ~re ghided in n
manner of speaking by soldiers. & SO tho long & short of it'iswe arrived at the
shores of this insullar possesion on the board of the same automotivo uir.1Jooms
uith which wo left Crissy Fiold & It Greene is nou wondering how hos going to get
the collection back to the homemcwseum ..
I expect our roaders is all work ed up to know what ',70 havo been doing since
our arrival &: to bgin with although we journeyd dovln horo withtho full intentions
of grabbing ourselfs off a good sized rest our officers should ought to havo
realized in tho 1st placa the importance of at least lookingns if complote rest
&: plenty of whoLe s ome good was uhn.t they needed the most. ,& thoreEd is whero thoy
fell down by not leading off upon arrival ',7ith somo of tho more finelytt-ainod down
officers like capt. Peabody 1st Barnet & It. Miller &: hQVOthese comparatively
emaciated birds toHer into Rockwell field headquarters & collaps on chairs &, tho
etc. Instead the 1st nJajor Arnold knowed tho ninety 1st squadron 'is in his mist
is when he hears his office floor creak: & upon looking up fr0n.x:'''7hat he laughingly
calls his wor-k sees the follOWing line up compldely filling the foreground &, shut-
ting out the sunlight from L to R to the viz - eaps HanleYt Signer & Beeson
Lts Bentor..Marriner.&Taylor
total vrt 1200 'bbls ..
Well Ed major Arnold is, 11 man of acti6n & takes one slant at all this
pulcritude & before anyone can say well major her-cwe are' all tired out &: in need
of plenty of sleep &, holesome food &, it is true that they have reduced the pr~ce
of beer in Teawanna well Ed as I ~as saying-the 1st thing that happens major Ar-
nold calls in It Seefert &: says make up Q list of athaletic~ents ~ith plenty ~f
running around &, sweating & the etc we got ,to recondition the ninety 1st squad-
ron & from the figures nO'"1before me he says it looks like it might take some time.
Have the hand ball &, tennis courts reinforced he says & chase them j ack rabbits .';'-
off of the baseball diamond &: get out the hoss shoes & guns & ammunition & aqua
plains & all them things that appeal to big strong men like those boys here which
are anxious for action and exercise. & leave us have a tournament he says Rockwel.L
vs Crissy which will last all summer & if anybody has any conflicting wovk thoy
can pollish it off before breakfast or after. supper.
-14- V-5265-A.S.
Woll Ed thate uhatthey dono & froin"last reports 'Cdoey F~oldwn8 c"ome:L11g
along etrong"in2nd placo in as far as pte wae concernod but in 1st plnco in
regards to total wt lost.
Hoping you nro the eame ,
Ed.
Yu coulde. knoeked me for e.ghoul whon i saenin the notes i reeeived frem
Wilbur Wright fiold thut yu WUB due to be sontoncQd to serve a term at the fujr-
field doepot. i suppose yoall bo 80rry to leave that deur old crissy Field in
gen 8: Frisco in partikular howsomever i tint got no r eaeon to dope it that yuar
new assinment wont be all jake onleee they give yu a job uS effishency xport or
aumethin. .
\.
Well that what yu got to xpect :i:in this mMS army aoon as yu get akwainted
with a place & yu eomence to like it yu 0.1"0 shoed off to anuther placo & like a
pitcher what is wavod out to nnuthor leog yu gotn study tho ropes allover agin.
Down hero in tho Chief's office thero was a grand clean up en July the first.
You coulda thot it.was Ma~ch the 4th after an elekshun & a Iota familiur f~cea
is mis9in. also a Iota new faces look up inqufrinly nt yu .aerost the vuriuediske
8. yu got a introduco yursclf. Since tho doparture from this tOVItlof voteless
citizens of Col.Fechet. Maj.Fickel. Cnpt. Seaton, Lt. Konyon & the otc. the hard-
heads. spots, porch. troutands6utoade do't7nat Shndyside on the Choeapoek are
starvin & lookin thin & emashoeated & pailo about tho gills ~or lack of thOse
nice fat bludworme wich eost at the Sport Goode storos mOure than the averig
person cud afford. Lt. Brown the big feller from Yale whnt usod to stop thom
Harvard football boys deud in thore tracks & who workod SO hard on tho world flite
was sent up to Boantown Boston for nrost & mobbe to kid the Harvard collige boys
along. Lt. Wright tho bird what put the air in airways Lt. Haynes tho oil (not ,
Toapot) xport Maj Drennan tho funny story dmeepeneor, Tiny Harmon the littlo
foller whut was considerod Washingtonts famus football roforee Capt. Volandt tho
financial geenus 8. tho otc havo scat far & wide 8. tho place sumhow dont look fum-
iliur any moars.
Well Ed be foro yu loave tho beautiful culif mountin~ i.wish youd leove tho
job of '\7ritingknocks'.from Crieey to some bird what dOnt have the writers cramp
as we down here want to hear moure aboaut the 91et onct in a wile. A feller by
the name of Sharon (Ilotthe $rry man) writes th& stuff from Fairfield .on pink
paper. Evertime i opon the envelope i medbanienlly start lookin for tho baee bull
seore whether Wills will fight Dempsey und who is the lutost goluf chump.
Spoakin of tho grand national game (not goluf) rominos me that I seen from
the notes of yur contemporory at Rockuoll Fiold that yu was pitehin for the 91st &
that they wallopt yu 3 to 1. How cud a pitcher win if hie tOQID dent bat va the
eurves of the oppoain twurler This t own is baseball cllzyus our' team has got.a 100
in for the pennunt if thoy win it a KuKlux riut nil 'be a PO!lce. conf by cumpar-Leun,
i got a funny one to tellyu Ed about the toam hore as r,proeonts tho Air Sorviee
Outsidoafow swodos such us O'Brion. Honncaaey, O'Keota & tho .to' tho rost of tho
team is nutral tho only team in the Lo og they got tho injun sign on is -the sol-
dier outfit what roprosents the Distrikot Wash & all as'tho Air eorvice beye got
to do is to throw their gloves out on the diamond 8. sturt kiddin tho empire the
other dny tho Air Servieo boye mado a rocord thnt naval"wae & novor ~ill bo ekallo
tproe batters leanod va the pitchors slants for singloa 8. not one.of thorn roachod
a spoakin akwnntonco with s eund How cum, yt1.ask] woll it was like this all throo
of om was suddently soozod with eloopin sicknowa, & tho rivul pitchar caught om
napping off first in quiok concussion. Botwoen yu und mo it was unforchunate
that thoro was no holos around in wich tho shoopish wouldbo basorunnors cud mako
a quick oxit from public vio~ cuuao wo wae givon tho most intorestin alibis yu
cud imagino ~tor that onfortunato oposode. i aint hoard wottor tho mgre hal"O tur~(
rod or whito. cud yu pictu~o what MeGraw or Ty Cobb uould say in a cuso liko this
I got a hard lifo horo gottin nOVlS fer tho nowe Lotter tho stati0:18 at Sco.~t
fiold. Shinoot, Lan gloy , Mitch'll. Solfrich &: othor places moar o or loss ill1po:ctaut,
musta stopt broadcastin for tho summor and as a rosult news ia scurco. i hulf be-
liove goluf is to blamo.
Well, Ed i got to ask yu not to'bo skeered to be rough with tho old typowrit!
tbaros plenty more of om in the Qmastor Corps. Lot me hear trom yu real soon mohe
')"01' eha.ngeto Fairfield will give yu lotea chances to tune in on new ideure. I
halt to sign off now 8. get on the job for the next number. Hoping yure the eame.
-15- Ed. V5265 A.S.
NOTES FROM AiR SERVICE FIELDS
RECREATION: About 35 mombors of tho 43rd School Squadron spont tho 4th of July
at tho Squo..dronRost Camp on tho,Modina Rivor.
Tho 41st SquadroJ::,co.lcbr-at.odt hod r second annd vorsu.ry on J11ly 9th. A spl on-
d~d dinnor was onjoyed by tho momhor8 of tho Squadron and 11 number of guosts,
among whom wor-e Major and Mr ... H.M. Hicl,am, Capt. and Mrs. Bubb , Lieut, and Mrs.
Heffley, Captain McDaniel and Lt. Rica. Following tho dianor a highly successful
danca, attended by quito a numbar of gusste~ wee given by the members of the orga-
nization as a. crowning evant of tho occae i.on,
Tho 42nd School Squlldroncolobratodthoir second. annivorsary on July 6th
with a largo barbecuo and outdoor 'sports Qt Now Braunfels.
Tho 68th Servico Squadron BasobaLl. 'I'oamwon tho championship of the School
Group by dofoating the 40th Squadron Bombers 10 to 4. The toum is hecrd at work
in proparation for a throe-gamo sorios with tho 8th AttackSquudron for the Post
championship.
PERSONAL: Lt. Ralph A.SnavolYfrocently of tho lOth School Group, loft on July
7th on 0. twonty-day leavo of absence, upon tho Qxpiration of which ho will roport
to 'Fort Mason, California.to await transportation to tho Philippinos. Just bo-
foro going on loave, Lieut. Snavoly marriod Mise Koe10r of San Antonio.
Captain Donald Wilson. who has boon comnondf.ng tho 4::>.nd
School Squadron,
was ordered to duty in Washington and loavos shortly. Lieut. Duncan succoods
him in commo..ndof the organization.
Liout. Wal tor R, Pock was trnnsferrod to tho Third Attn.ck Group" whore he
now commands tho 90th Attack Squadron. Liout. H.W. Long. who succeeded Liout.
Pock as 10th Group Supply Offico~ was transforrod to tho 41st School Squadron.
Lieut. Kenneth McGregor, transferred from tho Air Intermodiate Dopot~ was
assigned to tho duties of Group Supply Officor, 10th School Group,
Lieut. Auby C. StriCkland and Miss Mary McCnmcnt woro marriod July 1st at the
home of tho brido in SunAntonio. Aftor u briof honoymoon in Colorado thoy will re-
turn to Kelly Fiold.
Liout. Jamos A. Woodruff has boon assignod to tho 43rd School Squadron as
Enginooring and Oporations Officer.
MISCELLANEOUS: On Juno 27th tho 70thScrvico Squadron, inactivo, was put on the
activo list and attached to the lOth School GrouPl with Li8ut. R.D. Moor in Com-
mand. Shortly after its organization. Captain Jamos f.Doherty arrived for duty
at Kelly Fiold and was assigned in co~nand of this squadron. Lieut. Moor will bo
Engineo~ and Operations Officor. The organization consists of two officors and
164 enl1sted ~ent tho lattor having been transforrod from various organizations
of tho Third Attack Group. Most of the men are on special duty in tho Group, ~.,
70th Service Squadron is occupying barracks and hangars No. 13 and 14, for_rll':i:J J,
occupiod by the 60th Service Squadr on , The Airways and 1Icadquartors planos;;.n.u[\
be. assigned to tho squadron for maintenance. Tho personnel of the organizatl ••. :;;f"
in high spirit and claims to have tho bept moss on the fiold. Thoy arc st~t~
in to give the other eorvd.ce squadrons some koon competition. . 'i £'
V-5265 A.
ACCIDENTS: An unfortunn.to aoc i dorrt occurred at N07 Er-aunfe.La on t ho 12th of
July t when Private John Stono of "Ghe 42nd School Squadr on was drowned while swim-
ming in the Guadalupe Ri.vo r , Private Stone was at t no Hest Camp of his organiza ..
tion for tho we ok-cnd and was swammi.ng with emo others, when he got into de op watl
and not bo i.n g a good swammor-, ho wont down , None of his companions could swim
and boforo holp could bo obtained ho was drownod~
THIRD ATTACKGROUP
Fifty-one C.M.T.C. studonts from Ft. Sam Houston wor-e givon flights on July
. 3rd. This was dono by tho porsonnel of tho Attack Group, although it required thc
ent i.r-o officor strongth of ton to turn out. Tho students woro very enthusiastic
and seomed to cnj oy their flight to tho utmost.
Demonstrations of low altitudo bombing, using 50-pound demolition bombs, wore
conducted for tho studonts,
Lieut. J.E.Duko was oporated on for appendicitis at the Station Hospital. Ft.
80m Houston, rocontly, and is convaloscing nicoly.
TENTH SCHOOLGROUPHEADQUARTERSTENTH
t SCHOOLGROUP, KELLY FIELDt TEXAS.
Dear Al:
Well, Al , by spocial ar-r ongemorrt with tho boss of the Air Sorvico this
organization WQSLucr oe.s od from 35 men and 2 officero to 100 mon and 4 officers
On June 27, 1924. About 40 man wore transferred from the 3rcl Attack Group and
1st Wing Headquarters. 1st Wing Hoadquarters was mQue inactive the same day,
and this orgn.nization designatod as its activo aas o cd at.e ,
Lieut. Matthew E.F1nn ~ill bo c~o. same as befor04 Ho is also Adjutant of
tho 10th School Group and Socrotary of' the Air Be r-va ce Advanced Flying School,
To dQto barracks havo not been assigned. Q tine time is helng had by all in
keoping track 0 f tho out fit. 74 men "are working :':'n 25 placea and are rationed
and quartored in 14 pl.uoo e ,
Lieut. Fitzgoraldwas asked for a radio brOQd~asting Bet, but ho said ho
wasn't putting out. That may have somothing to do ~ith the high price of choese
in Houston. Vlho knows.
Wall informod men of tho Detachment are woar~ng G.I. haircuts those days.
Reminds me of that sale at Bl umt a , They havel\~cdi) So Va" (Evorythiilg Goes) for
a motto. Liout. Heffloy Our socond in commend eaid the o~ly bad thing about it was
tho effect on the jelly-baans. Our handicaps BiVins, Hillyer. Hay, Putman and
Mayes wi Ll, have to do SOluntiljng in a hurry if thoy arc to make a geod showing at
the dance Friday. Thore ought to be a good sa::' 0 for wigs after Saturdo.y.
Master Sgt s , Kolinski and 1~risomal1have raced. "led or-do rs to sail on the August
transport for the Philippine Department. Sgt. Ko':':inJ1:i coiapl.o't e d the course 0 f
training at the ASAF8 July lOth and is now a 8~ro nuff pilot.
This morning I naked Lieut. Finn for a sh:~p to use for such purposes as takj.n',;
the morning report up to him for initial and little things like that. I thot it
"Was a good idoa but he had a better one than that., I didn It kn0117 he was wise to
my blond in San Marcos, or I wouldn't have aaked fora D-H. I'm not disappointed
tho. If I can It get a ship I can wait on the line until he lands and tell the
Cadete and 43rd Squadron recruits about Hula Hula .dilnces and Swipes like we used
to soe and drink in the Islands.
Dryly yours1'
Loft Bank,
I~door Pilot, AS.HDC.
There wasn't much newe last week, but there Should have been; for over the
4th of July week-end the Post was about as populous as a grave-yard in darky-tovm.
However, nobody seemed willing toe ay where they had been or what they'd b.e ondtri.ng ,
except Lieut. J .B. Haddon who flew up to Kansas City to see the races. He landed
at 2:00 o'clock and the races were called off at 2:15 p.m. - whore held been wnsn l
.;.,..,_.
;'Lieut. 'May:huo, MoAllister and Young are rumor-ed to have been' on a Gamma
Phi 'Beta hou se party at New Brallnfols. They h'we:1't sad d very much , but' fl'r.lm
cert£i.in snnpehot e , 110t as yet mr.de pub.l i.c , 'they J\f0SThave h110 a good timo.
The al.r-er.dy very smal.L class of ::ltuJont offico'i='s will be f'urthe:r dimi'.1:i.e~~d
by the depurture of tho National Guard officers, Lio~ts J.H. Douglas, Hartsfiold.
Peterson C1.ndMeadows of Tennosco, Boll of Indin.na, Rentz of Minnesota and Willie
of Texas. Trte above have all entorod hoartily into the ctivitios of the Post
and it is with rogret that tho remainder of tho class bids thorn goodbye - and
good luck.
Lieut. Bob Wimsatt and Liout. and MriJ• L.M. Merrick will o.1so soon be number-
ed as misning from tho Post as orders to r.anc~a is whut thoy drew. They suy that
tho clmiato down on the Isthmus is ver.y trying - but then, thOi'O ar e eomponaa'td one
The Post oxtends its good wishes for succoss at the new station.
Licut~ Lloyd E. Hunting of this yoars class will tako 0'101' Lieut. Wimsatt's
duties as MeBs Officer.
While the 9resont claS3 of student officers has lost some of its members, it
has just gained three n ev 2nd Lieutenants - Geor-ge F .. Schul.gen , Harry W. Coon and
Sheldon B~ Euwa~ds have just received their commissions and have moved from the
Cadot Barro.cks to the :'Ih.cbelor QuO-rtcrs.
Lieut. Clinton F. Woolsoy has just r o'turnod frOl.l a fourtoen day leave to his
homo in Michigan and r opor-t s that the longor he stayod away from San Antonio, the
morc it appeC1.led to him.
Lieut. Gordon T. Waite had also just returned from leavo and will join the
next class.
Lieut. Oscar A. Proehl is the la.test add iH ou to the dog-owning fraternity.
His claim to memborship consists of one diminutive and ul.logod member of the
Ge rman Police v'1.riety~ Cll'l.:i.me of great intelligonce and high breeding for his
pet by tho Lieutenant, but the Potrt and more particularly his immediate neighbors
in the BBacholor QUQrters remain skopticr~.
Well f as tho dar ky said when he cat dorm and broke his quart bottle - "The
party am come and gone"; The pc,rty' given for tho ,F' instructors by the student
officors "ccmo" at Landa Park, No"! Braunfels and ).n the going a thoroly good timo
was had by all.
Considorable discussion has arisen as to tho most humorous event of the
evening an d opinion seems divided bo'tvro on Lieu;;. "Red" Smiih'fl efforts to strain
the 'butterflies' out of his too. and Major Vr,n Nostrand's solo around the dunce~.
floor on an ancient bicycle,
Notes
-, from the
'"--'-'---'-, --_.---- -Section:
42nd Aj.r :LntulliJ!once
... _"._" -
.. ..
.The 42nd has been r-at he.r activo lately, a glance [it the guar-d report is
conc luat ve ov i dence of this 9
Private SnC!lC is still casting ar oun d for 0. "fair one". After 0. careful
survoy of local conditions he has given up in disgu3t Qnd is now mQking ~pplica-
tion for discharge by pur ch..so , Evidontly loves' young dr-eam r o ruscs to bo
'blighted" If his uppl Loa t i on ie uppr ovcd ViC will adve r-ti.s e for an appl.Lcnrrt to
fill his va c an cy in this minne r : Wcmtod: A young and umbat.Louc man to fill vacan-
C)" in tho 421''ld. " F""fl slio:bt qu al.L fications ncco s sar-y s ...en 0..8 knowledgo of "
Ta2;o..lJg. Visayan, Ll Loc ano , Ifuago, Spanish and E1'"gl.ish.. .Ap,;,lico.nts subjoct to
froquent or violont I1AffGir de "Amour" will not be «on s i do r-od ,
I
/
Social j\JntOG:
Among thODe crrt.o r-t aa m.ng o.t tho too. danaanb d tho Polo Chlb, Wednosday
ovcrd ng Vlore Capt arn o.nd ~Ar'l.Rosenh~lJ11Beam and LioHt. and Mrco K ..N Wnlkor.1l Q
Liout and Mrs. G1.,yKi.r-kaey , j'eC~l'lt ar:'ivals in the Phi.La pp.l no s , ar-c at home
to their fricndG at t1.0 Sa:tut Ax~:thoni Hut o.l , Ca1:<'0 D~)~:.J"to
...
Liout. Arthu!' Vnnaman , who recontly returned from a t our of Ch.i.na , is 0. guest
at tho Army and Navy Club until Mrs. Vanaman's ar r Lvuf from Camp Joim HaYJ BLl-golioo
Hoadquarters is busy "do p.l.n g'' out the new cost ay s t om - oven Jl.iho Sergeant
Major has forsaken the spo cLo.L dcd;y lis.us and is t:tyjr~g to do ri.do "vrhzrt in" and
"v;~at ad nt " - of course, ever-yone who gets ot1.lmpod ccmo s in and ['"sks us tho wn.y ou:
we ve made it CL TJlo to toD" them if wc know ar.d if we don't know WI.; tell thorn
n.ny\'1o.y. Howcvcr , lIovorythi:1g comes to thoso who waltH and we hope that will oven-
tually provo true in thic crLSO
,J
First Lieutenant ArLhur' W. Vanuican , who has been t our i ng in Chfta for the
past two months returned to t m s et'.ltio'1. Ee is I:Lt nre"en:, z.n S~e:'n}Jo,~g General
HOspital for D. minor cpc r-rt i on , 1,\'s;" ,rill !'fJport for ~~I.l't:rin 0. te'.:' df:,ys" .
The follo .... rhlg cnt.i s t.od men of this 8tftt~on, in charge of Ei.re t Lieut. Jack
Grocr,loft Monday morning for "'ort ~JkKinloy to compct.e in-che 'Phi1i/.fJPirlO Pist 01-
Riflo Tournament: Stuff 5eqroant Shao f cr-, Sergermt Ba bhoy and Privato DeBa.11;
all of whom made cxc e Ll errt r e cor-d s during onr La.rt targ~t prQ.cticc. We expect ~
them to do good work for tho Air 3crvico during tl.1is 'I'ou rnnmerrt ,
1st Lieut. Howard Bogort was uas i gncd to tho 66th Servico Squadron as tempor
ary Adjutn..nt during the absence of Liout.'il'ack Groer.
Tho 66th Service Squadron repor'ts thai ~0 :no..ny ChlJ.llg3S havo happenod to thoir
Engineering DaF,'rllJ:lC~t during the 10..8t fow weeks th~tt th",! have no mor e non-coma, .
just old fashioned foremen and timo kco por e , Thoy Sf'y that is 0..1.1that is requi::c"
from the new circulo.rs and forms that Hoadquar-t er-s has 00 ~~indly sont them. It H!
ovident that some one e1so Le Gtrugg"U.ng with tho new "co s b systom".
Opcrrrt i.on s this week consisted at tho follcwl.l:'lg f1:I.7h'~s: On the 10th, a
formation of throo NBSl fa and one DE, Lt out o, Durrt on , Maxwoll, and McIver pilot-
ing tho Bomber-s and Lieut. Kirkney the DB, flow to Cl ar-k Field. retu:::-ni1"lg 8Cl.mO
dat o , Ofi't'l:'.~~l:ltt. Liouts. Bogart and 'vV:11kar, piJ.cting two rH~a, wit,h Liouts.
Cumblin, Air Sorvico and Sko1 ton, Iufan-t:.y, as pas aongo r-a f flow ito C10.r1<F:l.o1d,
LiOlItS Bogort, and !111kor roturning sumo dat o ; on tho 12th, Lic\;.itso Dunton, Max-
well and McIvor, o..ft-;;-;-;:oceiving a weather report from Clark F5eld "Cloudy, calm.
good for flying" - took off for a forma.tien flight in t.hr-oo NBS1 ~s, rrt about 8:~5
a s m, At about 9: 20 n.m., Lioute Dunton, and Ma;cwell returned to the fiold. havf.r
run into a hurd 1"0. ;n-storI'll 0. fo'.:r kilomotors north of Mn.nila. At 9: 40 a,.m., a
radic was received ~'rom Cln.rk Field to tho effoct th:lt Lieut. MGIvor had arrived
thero in good condition. Lieut. McIvor m~do tho return fli~~t, landing at this
fioldat about 11:00 a.m., sarno dQtoj on the 13th, Lieuts. DUlnton, McIver and
.",19- V-5265 A.S
Walker flew in a formation of threo NBSl's to Clark Field,f irrying two NBSl 'e to
tnat fiold for storage. Lieut3. Dunton and Walker returned the samodato with: .,
Liout. McIvor.
The 42nd "made an apnoarunce at ~ur~nllque Beach r e c ent.Ly , after mir chas i.ng
the latest in. but ht.ngeua te J and near-Ly ever-yone wac stung by j o.Ll y f i.ch ... the j 01171
fish evidently liking tho now suits ~ Private Endler save he hQd a most n~rrow
oscape • he was 8wimmiijg ~long whon Q break8r throw Q j;llyfish D.t him and would
have hit him right in the face but fortuns.u.tcly he had his mouth open.
Se r gearrt Wilkjjne is looking for sympathy .. Says howoul dn It mind missing 0.
b oaf by two or throo duya or even a duy and 0. hal f. but to mise one by 0110 day
is tho lust straw.
Early this wook Ro ckwcl.L Fiold officers nvonged tho defoat thoy suffered at
the hands of Or i.s sy Fio1d officors Laat week, whon thoy wn Ll.ope d tho northern
avdat or-e by a 3 to 1 score in 0. hot haaobuf.L game at North Lal and , Tho Crissy
Field men boat Roc~well 407 to 406, in Q trQpshooting m~tch and rovonge was
wr e ckcd on the bas obc.l.I d i.amond , Just before tho garco startod it was found Rock ...
. woll Field could muct or only eight men to fill tho nino pI aces and MD.Jor WIA.
"Robor-t son , a rotirod Ro ckvnl.I fli i3,C, wa s pr os aod i1"to sorvice from his soa.t in tho
gr-cndat and, Cap't af.n Ervin' iJ nl urrt e bn.ffled tho Cr i.any F'Lo.Ld mon, whf.I.o tho Rock ...
well fliers touchod Lieut. Grouno fer onough hits to 80nd throo San Diogo fliers
acn.mp~ring across tho homo plat o , '
ho following r-e por t on FOl'es-t Fire Patrol WJ,S aubmi.t t ed by Staff Sergt.
Cecil B. Guile, 9Ist Squadr ou upon his r-oturn to RClc:;:we.lJ.Field July 16th:
Sergt. Guilo received Ln at.r-uct i ons from Captain John W~ Signer, Operations
Offier. 9Ist Squadron at 2:30 p.m., Monday) July 14th to roport to n. Mre Choster
Gordon of the forestry sor\'i~c. n.t Nowhal L, Calif .. for duty in connection vii th tho
forest firo pat r-o.l in t hat locDJ.ity.. Taking off '1.t 3:00 p srn, ho arrived n.t Now-
hall at 4:'30 pvm , and found Mr. Gor-don wo.it;;.ng for him on the ficld4 They took
off and followed tho Southorn P~ciric Ruilroad euat to the Majav3 Desert) thenco
along the edge of t h c ~8'.)rt until the fire WD.S Locat ed , obout 25 milos due north
of Newhall. At un n.Ititude of 7000 foct they flow over tho fire novaral times
and thence wo st over wooded rliijtricte for ab out 40 ml l oe , thence buck to Nowhal L,
n.rriving at6:30 p.m.
On July l5thccl1oid.Hd,blo ti'oublevlW;~ exporienced with gasoline. After drQin-
ing the main t ank the ah.i p wo..s refilled with high toet go.s wh i eh had boon sent fOl'
frorr'Loe Angolos. Aftor onr-o f u.L inspection cf the plene and cleaning and chock-
ing 0 f the engine I the ship was randy for patrol about noon ,acd the Sergoant and
Mr. Gordon took off 011: n. cher-t patrol looking for 4 fire. roportod tv have just
sta.rted to t hewo e't , Thoy Locrrtcd somo amok e -.wh i.ch turned out to be a wo od firo
in an oil camp. They t hcn flow over the big fire and Mr. 0ordon dr ove over to
the fire and ddr e ct.od the opcr-at i.one of the. fira fighto:roo
On July 16th a patrol wa o rrade in tho morning and n.nothor in the ufternoon,
the roturn trip boing mudD to Rockwall Field in tho ovoning.
The 9lst Squadron, huv i.n g won two out of throo mo c t s at the Ho.r s oshoe Con-
t ost e , wor-e suitubly r owar-dcd with a handsome tro.phy; equine in appoa-rance. sug-
gestive of their f crme r Li.vcu , and r-cmirri a corrt of their
i homos and first Lovo ,
Tho U.S. Army Transport "Somme" arrived at tho Naval. Ail' Station dock carly
Thursday morning, July 24th) wi t.h Do cargo of 67 tons of froight. including a
Launch for the Rockwo.lI Air Intormediato Depot and will depar-t July 26th wi t.h a
consignment of 94 boxe e, or 11:3 tons of freight for ,tho Atlantic Aircrn.ft Corp-
oration, Hasbrouck, Ne~ Jorc0y. This shipment consists of DH airplanos which o.r0
to be remodeled by the ~astern firm~
Under the provisions of Section V, Air ::>ervice Circulnr No. 65 ..11 J dated
March 12, 1924. an-. Inspection Departmont hao be en or-guru zod n.t this dopot andie
now functioning in D. very efficient manner with tho following personnel:
'Senat0r Simon' 'n,' lese'nnd Cougr-e asman Roy FitzgeruId visited the field ."
during the past weeK when the Re s e r ve Officers ~NerG i:1 camp and e xpr e saed them-
selves ao'bQinr;much pleased ,;it); C'9r-d]tions here" --'. ' '.,
Licu t, Ja.a , 13.r;E..rroll,A.S.~ C$u, of P.ichards Field, Kan aas City; nrrived
here July' 22nd for the pur po ae offerryinp.; n new ship back to his home atation.
Capt ~ Henry J.F. Mill or , on deto.il wich the Mili tin Bureau looking nfter
Air Service activ:i,tio8, arr-r-i.ved from Washington on July 21st.
Mo.jor George H.Brett~ Chief of Fiold Service Soction~ !lnd Lt. Carl A. Cover
Chief of M::liotonancG Brunch, left on a cross courrt ry trip to Wo.shington on July
21st for a stn.y of tk'eo Or four d ays ,
Captn.in Calvin Giffin. en routo from Kelly Field to Boston. Muss., stopped
o:t the field on July 18th to have some work done on hiil pl ano ,
Lieut. En.rl T.Hon.g, 0::1 duty in the Of fica Chief of Air Service~ was 0. visi-
tor at Wilbur Wright on July 16tho
Liout.G,E. Bullard Le I't for Middletown, Pa., wher-e he expects to r emci.n for
several weeks mnking D.Mnero.l inspection 0 f airpla.nca and enganon and certain
cl.aa ae s of apare par-t s n0W in st or-u go at that De-po't , .
Mr. W.D. Kennedy, ABet Chief of Maintonance Branch, Field Service Scction.
loft on July 15th for Now Yor-k City, and with Lieut. C1D.yton Bissell loft on the
Cruisor MILWAUKEE On the 19th for Newfoundland, Labrudor, und possibly Greenland
The purpose o f thHr trip ia to render asaistllnce to the ROW1d-the-World flyers
when they reach the North Ame r t cun continent. The fc,ct thllt the flyers have made
.unu8ally rapid progress 0vor the continont of Europo bus caused tho preparations
ut th.ie end of tho line to bo apo od ed up to Q. cons i dor-ubl.c oxt orrt , Tho oxc.cf
duration of tho cr ud eo of tho ME.:WAUKEE in northern waters is not known , but it
will probubly lust from nix "to..fHi'von wo oka , About 9,000 pounds of e pnr-o parts
and other supplies for (;J'1ou 80 0 f tho world flyers was pl ac e d on board tho Crud a-
or and these supplied
j .:'iiJl he eva iLab Lo for Lieut. T,owcll H. Smith and his 0.8S0"
ca.at os at what e ve r point they way raenoodod. It is undo r st cod that a ship from
Denmark will give aid to t ho f Lyo r s us they fly from Eoe Lund to Oroenl and ,
Tho a.i r-dr-omo ut Nogdo~j, !.riz., hue boon moved to 'Tucson, Ariz.) and work of
~reetil1g buildings and Y)c.l1sars ut that place ho.s commoucod , Tho men from tho
squadron who wore on duty ~t NogQlos as c~rotakora will go to Tucson as caroto.kor
for tho a.irdromo thoro.
Tho First Co.vnlrv Dj v.ls l on Horso Show hold at Fort Bliss on July lOth,
11th and 12th WO.8 n big ;.UCCOS1.J an d well at t ondod by El Paso citizons.
Intonsi vo pr oparut t cns ar-o boing made by tho 2nd Oi vision Air So!'vico for
tho Reser-ve Officers' C~~r.1Pto bo held a t tho af.r-dr ome in August. All pl anos nr o
being put in tho best po e at bl.o condition, radio ins'collation chocked, bomb racks
Ln at al.Lod , ot c , Sopar ct.e rooms havo be on constructed for oach z-oac rvo officor
in one oection of tho bar-r a cka , a mOSB hall bnilt, otc ..
Li out s , Douglas, 0 I Coo::101J,. Ollo, Woddington and Cl ar-k mado a fli ght for pur-
po so of ao rd n.L r ovi.ow and exhibition for tho Oovarno r of New Moxico on Jl.~ly 15th.
Lieut. Howes, U.S.N. ViLl.S obuor vor in Id out , Dougl o.e ! plano and Lt. Crowc~obscrvor'
in Lt. O'Conncl'8 pIQne.
Id out s , Morris and Wcrthing;ton, Roe or vo Officors, flew cr-o ao -c ount ry July
18th to Brooks Fiold for t emporur-y duty at that oo at ,
Licut.Clrrr~, ~ath Lieut. Cnldwell, U.S. Nuvy, mude an airways flight to Don~
ver, Colo. on july 19th. Whilo in Denvor , Ldout , Clark visited his wifo who is
a patient in tho Army Hoapa.t a.l at that place..
Liout. Douglas flow cross country to tho town of Arizona. boaring his nume
in or do r to inspoct tho c.i.r-dr-ome and bring Lf oub , Vallentyne to this station.
Hdgrs. 2nd Div. Air Service 1 Fort Blish. TcxafJ. July 25th.
The Socond Division, Air Sorvice, came out victorious onC8 more whon they
d&teat&d the Wm. Beaumont Gonor2~ Hospital in a gll.ma of basobl1ll, scoro 9 to 2.
Charles W. Mayso, a civilian pilot, with hie wife arrived at this station
from Hurley, New MeXiCO, on July 22nd.
Lieut. Clark with Major Donmar flow cross-country to Tucson, Ariz. o.nd ro,
turn
Id cu't a , Cenroy and Duncnn from Kell.y Field wor e visitors '::.t thissrllation,
the formor arriving on July 23rd and the luttor on July 25th. .
Liout. Clark was schedulod to muko n cr-oaa-count.r y flight to Denve r , Colo,
on July 26th and Ldcut , Go.lo tOA1;tllQuorque, N.M. on the 27th. V-5265 A.S"
''':~~l.
" ffo.'
VOL. VIII . ), ME'WS LET T E R NO. 16
\
by cdr is an .inspiration to the whole nation. your hiStQry-rp~ing flight has
beer} folJ.o1NEid v,itt. A.!.JsOrblng intercl"t by the people ever-ywher-e arid you wi.Ii be
we Lcorne d back to the United States with an ie age r nas s ar.d errt.nu s i.asm tl:at I om
s~.l'e will cornpe naata fer the har ds.rip you have under gor;e , Your' cocintl'ymon /:ire
proud of ycu.. YQvrbl'anch of the sf'rv5cere'ili?:es tile ho no r you have won for it.
My c~rlgratulations and heartiest good wi she s go to you at this hour of your
Landang, ". '
Acting secretary of
War Dwight F. Davis sent the folJowing message to Lieut.
Lowell H. Smith', COTUrliandi:1g!JUice:", Round-the-World Flight: ", '
, "The ster Dep art me 'it we l come s you to this corrt i.r.ent ar.d congra:tulates you on
the success of your wonder-f u), flight around +,h13wor-Ld. Your br-aver-y I hardihood
a~d modes.'tty huv~been wo r chy vc f thehi;jlest t.r ad i.t xons of t~e !\rm:r• 'More .?urtic-
ule,ply 'to. you as leader of
the flight I 'desire to seythut your co-urage, sk i.Ll,
and determination have vshowm you to be a fit SllCC6.-;SO':.' to the great :lavigacors of
the age of discovery . The Air Service. the ~iar Department and the whole cuuntry
are proud ,"f you, " '
Mr, Davis sent the fonowing me s aage to the other participants in the, Round-
the-WDrld Flightji1'
The War Dep'artment welcomes you to this Corrt Lnerrt and congratulates you on
the, success o( your wonderful f1l.ight '0.1 ound the wo r l d, '-Your bravery, hardihood,
and modesty 'have beeriwcr-t.hy 'of th':! high'3St tradHr;..~:1s' of the Army; The Air
service ,the War' Department and the W~10 13 courrt ry ier 9 pr-oud of you."
Bucking a 3~-mile 'head wind, the American flyers took off frrim'Indian-Barbolo,
Labrador. on the morning of Sept'ember 2nd and landed at Ha':Jkes' Bay • Ne1rdound'land ,
a ,distarice of' 276 miles , riegotiRtin~;theb, {iouin five hours and 33 minutes. :T~1e
follOWing dlly •. at iO;12 a'''rn., East131'n StRndard-Time,the flyers' left Hawyes Bay
and came down on the water at Pictou Harbor Nova scati!i, at 4: 38' P> IIi. , makf.ng
the flight of420 miles in sfxnour s and 26 l~inutes. Head winds and rain squalls
somewt:at delayed the aviators, who had hcpe d to depart the nex-t day fo 1" Bo s:f;on.
Th~ jump. from HaWkes BuY we s wit1':Qut incident beyo nd the br aak ing of the spr-eader
bar on Laut • Smith s machine:I This was a n-i.ncr acc Lderrt that did not af f cet the
flying qualities of his plan", Except for the several rain squalls exceptibnally
good viSibility was 'encountered, Which enabled the flyers to pick up ot long dis-
tances the destroye~s and patrol vessols which stood out to guard t~em.
, The Third Attack Group, Kelly Field, Texas , recently conducted a tactical
problem near Laredo. Texas. two flights 01 three p i ane s each participating in the
m:i.ssion to attack and destroy a combat train near that place. The Group left
Kelly Field at 7:45 a.m. and proceeded to the Anvance Airdrome at Laredo. They
landed and established PCs at 9:40 a.m, The enemy was reported one mile south of
the Texas-Mexico Hailroad and six miles east of
the Rio Grande River-; Fli~hts.
wereirnmediately crdered to clear the airdrof;16' arid de at'roy ;;he - enemy. Taking off
at cnce , 'they proceeded to thE; point designated where the enemy wass'im~late~by
cloth panels. Four attacks »et:e made the first in co Lumn , each plane dr oppa ng
four bomba Tr orn an altitude of 150 fe~t.' A return attack was than made 'with I'
flexible machine guns mourit e d in the rear cockpit, from an altitude of l?O feet; a
third attack was made with synchronized machine guns ," starting at an alt~tude of
1000' feet; and the fourth, with fle:dble machine guns. concluded the problem. The
Group then returned to the Advanoe Airdrome at Laredo where the planes were re-
fueled.' Arrangements had been previously made with the' oo-nmondf.ng officer I Fort
McIntosh) and practically the entire command at the station, as well as a large
number of civilians, turned out to watch the problem.
Our Langley Field Correspondent states that for the 14 flying days of the
first 20 days in the month of' August the 96th Eombardment Squadron rolled up a
total of 'approxirr.ately 183 hours and some minutes, which is considered by members
of. the squadron a record for a like number of days for bombar drrerrt aviat ion oper>
a.tedon a peace time basis. They also believe that t hs record is unsurpassed by
any bombardment squadron in the ser-v i ce ani have hopes of rolling up a total of
225 hours fer the errtLre month.
To date.' the Squadron has on hand nine bombardment type planes, seven of
them being type NBti -1 and two type MB-2, one of the latter type being the oldest
plane in the Bombardment Group. The planes are in commission at all times, the
motto of the squadr-on being "One hundred percent".
,/
AIR SERVICE OFFICER MAKES ROUGH AIR JOURNEY TO SAVE PATIENT'S LIFE
Don't be alarmed, dear reader, for it will only be a min. at ur e New Yor k City
which 'viill suffer this fate. One o.f the spe ct acu Lar features f the c omi.ng Lrt er>
national Air Races to be held at Dayton, Ohio, in October will be a dernonst.r at i on
of the destruction of a miniature New York City. Two miles ~f the New York water
front .in the vicinit'y c f the Battery will be transferred to Dayton, Ohio, for the
Races~ At least, that this ~ammoth task has been undertaken is the impression the
Committee will seek to convey to the spectators of the Race:" ,
Visitors from the East will see the familiar out Lfne e of the Woolwori~1, the
Singer, the Equitable, the Hudson Terminal, thellunicipal, the Trir'.ity arid many
others of their favorites grouped to represent a realistic sky-line as seen across
the flying field. The Woolworth Building,. which -Ls in course of construct tc n , ~
towers'toa height of 80 feet, and the others'willbe in proportion. The len~th of
this modern and navel New York City will be 800 feet " the' depth about 200 :fee'~.
Bombs will be dropped in a surprise attack. Anti-aircraft guns will reiJJy. and be
-5- V-5289,A.S.
sileil'iced; and the defenselessness of all ci t~r 'O:FJfe"1ses will be shown by the' r11t,h-
Le ss ne s s o f bombs in the complete de st ruct Lon 0" cur- wonter-f ul, l~ew York C1:t'jCF.:t
will result.
A National Guard 'SCIuadron from Kokomo; Indiana, ar-r Ived at liiilbur Wright Fie16
A.ugust nth for a training period of t'NO weeks. This organization is attached to
the 38th Dhdsion. It is a snappy outfit, proficient in mil it ary drills, provided
with first class 'unifornis and well equipped with some ten or twelve airplanes '
which are kept in the pink of condition at all times. The officers, enlisted men
and' Civilians at Wilbur Wright Field were well pleased with the sp]enditi shape in
Which the planes and engines have been kept by this Indiana squadr-on, 0.16 of the
special features of their equipment is a Ford which is painted tlGround DeHaviland".
In a.ddition to its regular work. the Repedr Shops at the Fairfield Air Inter-
mediate Depot ,Fairf ield,Ohio, have three special [o o s on hand, all of them ,o~
considerable interest. ' One 0 f them is the set t Ln g up 0 f the first meta l DeHanland
received from the Boeing Airplane Conipany 0 f Seattle, \iashingtof!o Anot her job is
the reconditioning of a DH4B3wh'ich is the so called navt gat 1.0'.1 ship which has
made rneny long flights at high altitudes, guided only by instruments. It will 'Be
turned over to McCook :F'ield upon completion for use iJ'1 experimental work in ccnne c-
tionwith riavd.gati.on instruments. '1'he third special job is t.he XB)A which is
being rebuilt for the International Air Races. A Curtiss D...:i.2 engine is being in-
st'alled and a speedy craft will be the result. Lieut. C. A.Cover expects to fly
this plane, which will be completed by the end of this month.
'It happened in the School Building at brooks Field the other day that one of
the newly arrived student officers was looking at the bulletin board.
'IISa~''',' he r emar-ke d to 'everyone in general, "her'e ts a list gi'ring Lieut.
McDaniel 110 'hours and 10 minutes flying 'time - why back at Selfridge, - ... '"
"Hold on a minute, son", spoke up one of the old t Ime r s , "thut doesn't mean
a'year's flying time. Tha't'shis flying t i me forlest month onl.y , And here's Bob
~shley with 93 hours and 25'minutes 'andBgt. UCGinley with 92 hours and 15 mmut e s
and Lieut. McClellan with 80 hours and 45 minutes. Flying? Yes, sir, trllS is the
place where they don't do, anything elSe but: And all the newcomer said was "Oh";
.', , Nine, reserve'officers recently re}lo!"ted at Kelly Field' for summer training
and underwent a rigorous schedule. The officers were first given nne or two
hoursinstruct'ion daily in flying TW5 and Dl14B airplanes. ' As soon as '~hei!' pro-
ficiency warranted, they were given solo work, Lnc.Iudi ng take-of f s , Laridd.ng s and
airwork. ' The course also included lectures in aviation subjects nndin shop work.
For a certain 'period' of time these officers were attached to squadrons of the
f~eld and in .that way familiarized themselves with 'squadron administration. dross-
country trips to Laredo were also included in their curriculum. Those undergoing
training were: 2nd' Li.eut-s, Pet.er s ,WOOd, Newstrom,Pittman and Pratt of San
Antonio; Broyles of Riverside; Emery of Tulsa. Okla.; Malloy of Palestine. Texas~
and Bishop of Houston, Texas.
, ~
FLIVVER PLANE FLOWNFROM KELLY TO MC COOKFIELD
Lieut. 'Do'nald B. Phillips has flown successfully the small plane designed
and built by himself from his station, Kelly Field, Texas, to McCook Field, Dayton
Ohio ~ This plane. though smaller than a Sperry Messenger t makes better than 100
miles per hour arid' carries enough gasoline for.ordinary cr o'sa-count r-y flight s ,
Lieut. Phillips hopes to enter this airplane in the International Races.
Every now and then we hear echoes from'the World War, but here I s a let~er
-6- V-5289 p;)
.. '
from. a gent. who signs his na.me as an Ex-captain. Perhaps he has been in Nev" MAxfeo
so long that he cannot help being this way, so for the benefit of the News Letter
readers a copy of ~the letter recelveJ by t1.1eCor:J1nand:i.ng
Cfficer of Rockwell Field,
Coronado, Calif., is quoted, viz:
"Dear U.S. General:- -
I am asking you about something.
If you would let a IJ.S. flyer will bring me here to Paris and come back
there trom here.
Be cause I could not leave my shoe business here. So I could have a vacation
for 2 or 3 days in Texas.
Be cause Train is slow to go up Texas for 2 days.
Train cost me ~3l.00 here to Paris, Texas. How much will you charge me for
ride up the air here to Paris, Texas.
Let me know about it. Sure I want go Texas so bad that it is important much.
I used to ride up the air often so I love it.
Please let me kn1w very soon.
Sure I must go Texas soon if you will write to me very soon. Sure I will be
glEid if you let me bring over there.
Yours trulY,
DeWitt ~alone,
GallUp, N.M.
UNIVERSITY
S'IUDENTS
ATTEND
SUMMER
ENCAMPMENT AT ROCKv'l'ELL
FIELD
Eight stUdents from the University of California and six from the University
of Washington reported at Rockwell 'Field,Calif., for the summer R.O.T.e. Encamp-
ment. The first two days were spent iridrawing clothing and equipment 'and getting
settled in camp. Instruction started the following Monday,flying missions 'being
performed during the forenoon and the afternoon being devoted to lectures and grouni
work. The work was so arranged that a lecture covering a flying mission was given
the day befDre the performance of the ~ssion. Map reading and map makirig were
given first, followed by navigation flights •. Visual reconnaissance was taken up
neXt, followed by aerial gunnery •. Each st uderrt was given a photo flight for the
purpose of taking oblique photographs. In artiller'y'contest each student was re-
quired to obtain a satisfactory solution of two bracket and two precision
adjustments. .
Gr'ound work consisted of lectures on the above, 'ground gunnery I photography I
first aid, and practical work on airplane engines, both Wrigpt and Libertys, and on
airplanes. The' dismounted pistol course was fired and one expert. one sha.rpshooter
and ninemarksmeri qualified. .
Wednesday' and Saturday afternoons 'were devoted to athletics. Three baseball
games wereplayed,one with t'he gIst Squadron, one with Rockwell Field officers and
one' with Crissy Field officers. A volley ball game was played with the Naval Air
Station. Several aquaplaning parties were held, and a fishing trip arranged for
one week-end~ Tennis handball,horseshoepit
I ching and swimming filled in the odd
moments. Two dances were held at the Rockwell Field, Club.
On the day before the close of camp the students were taken on an inspection
of the Naval Air Station and'such parts of the Rockwell Air Intermediate Depot as
they had not seen. The following day the'eq~ipment was turned in, final examina-
-9- . V-5289 AS
t.ion.sheld,th.e st~dent9 'pa~d arid the camp .c lo sed , All s"tudents reporti.ng corn" ,
plated suc ce s sf ul.Ly the advanced cour-se , During the e:1til"'8 course the weather. WEl3
id~E.l,' the health of '~he students wa:.,;most ex ce Ll enc ann bhe Lr zeal and enth1.4SJ.l:izm
continuous.
MAJOR
..
ARNOLD
-
LEAVES CALIFORNIA
operat~o? ,o,t t,~e .Dep~t. The men have been, most soldierly in appearance and mvst
careful an theJ.r act.Loris .. both on and off the post " so that the number of times
disci~1i~ary action had to oetaken is negligible. ' ,
~t . J.~ ,regretted that during my stay I have been unable to do more to" bring to
the c~v~l~anpersonnel that which is due them for the manner in Which they'hav~
giv~::,.~h~~r ~omplete cooperation and their at t.ent aon to the various duties" and
the ..zeal with Which they have carried out their work. It is seldom ,if ever.thAt
~. group of civilian personnel is found which has. a ~eeling for %; D~potso m~ch et
. '. . heart that they will continue to work for the (}Overnment inspit.e
of the tact that they are not paid on a scale commensurate with the volume of work
performed arid the excellent 'character 'in which the work is accomplished. 'The"
spirit in which this personnel has work~dover hours without question or comment
is highly c:ormnendableI and I desire to take this means of expressing to them my
appreciation for their cooperation during the 'past two years. ", " .'
The enlisted personnel of the 9lst Squadron has had a very difficult part to
play during the 'training camp. They were called upon to keep in operation 'air- .
planes flown several hours each day by pilot 13 who had' either very little training
or were trained such a longtime "ago that accustomed care 'to' the' engine was not
given. ; In spite 0 f this fact there were always'sufficient planes on the line frir
all Reserve Officers tony, and for the first time' in several years every Reserve
Officer had all the flying time that he desired. Such a condition could only
exist when the 'enlisted pe r sourieI on the line gave forth their best efforts and,:,
after working hours to' maint afn the planes and engines in 10010 perfect co'ndition ...
I I desire to 'thank' all -for their loyalty to me and the spirit with which' they
h,ve. worked' in order 'to make this Depot the smooth running machine that i~ i~ ':' one
tHat I am honestly proud to turn over to my succe saor ,
H.H. ARNOLD,. Commanding."
Mid AUgMstmarked the close of a very successful and busy' summer training"
period at the Ro ckwellAir Intermediate Depet , Coronado, Calif • With .the arriv~r'
of the 9lst Aero Squadron from Crissy Field 'a training period and athletic progr~m
was arranged, tilling up every moment of spare time and making theseasori 'seem as. '
though it was just beginning rather than all over on August 16th. A great' feeling
of friendly' competitiVe rivalry was shown that marked 'each effort and lent a spi.r~t
that will long be remembered. It has established a pr e cedent for all the other
camps of a similar nature that will be established each year in the 9th Cor,ps ~re~.
The comrilissioned personnel" of Rockwell Field, consisting 0'£ nine officers , .
made up the teams for all the events, while the 9lst produced a like number for the
purpose of competition. ".
Three baseball games were scheduled. It was necessary to play but two,
Rockwell taking the first 10 to 2 and the second, which had a closer resemblan~e to
a ball game,by the score of 3 to 1. " .
Next on the list came tennis. It was generally conceded,that is, by the 9lst,
that there was no use to schedule this tennis tournarr:ent as they were good. When
the smoke cleared away the results looked as f o'l Lcwe; the three set so£ double~' .
wound up with the 9lat winning 19 games against the R'ot:kwell Tildens 26 garees , Then
the singles, which promised Rockwell a setback, loomed up with Rockwe~l winning 36
games while the gIst dragged themselves through to win n.. Three. meetJ.~gson the
cement"ed courts being scheduled. much practice was held with the ::l.ntentJ.on of
getting revenge and to' prove that the first wir:nings of Rockwell. was"a f~ultei So
on the' 26th of July 'the combatants appeared in their whites., theu sun vJ.~orsad-
justed, 'with the kerchiefs around the places wnere the pictur~s sho~, thelr rackets
all restrurig and ready to engage in mortal combat• The 9lst was goang to evenge
their defeat of before. When the white flag was hoisted after the speed merch~nts
passed the barrier, all weighing in completed and the odds posted~ three cheers r&-
sounded for Rookwell Field ~nen 'the resuitsshowed Rockwell won 10 games and the
9lst took one. That spelled Finnis tor tennis for the 'season. '.. '
Horseshoes being next on'the list, we forthw~th 'a~ranged.the battle, pr~dueed
the necessary number of cuts 'of Star Plug, suitably arranged the friction.tapeo~
the first and third digits 'and we wareo!f. But not for long. It was eY1dent from
the start where our opponent s spent most ot\their time. As a result, we were com-
" -11- V-5289, A.S.
pletely in1-\ndated. the 91stboasting of a total of 296 points against Rockwell's
futile attempt with 270 points. It looked like th~ 9lst had hit their stride and
tha~ horseshoe pitching is their dish. Three games ,being scheduled,. we soon ar-
ranged for the next one. On July 23rd the decks were cleared for action and +,he
ga~s were started •. The 9lsta3ain proved that they were odginally carried on
the census list of our beloved country in the rura.J, list, and that their, familiar-
ity with the running gear of the beasts of burden was other than silvertown cords
or Pennsylvania Vacuum Cups. We willingly presented them with the trophy, a ','
beautifully mounted nickel plated horse shoe, embedded in a red plush background.
suitably engraved and admirably presented in a formal manner to the successful
contestantl'3. '
, The schedule now showed that trap ..shootin.g was in line. Much lead was thrown
from the 12' gauge full choked gas pipes in anticiPation of the slaughter of the
elusive clay birdies. On June 17th the :rive pegs were occupd ed await ing for the
Daniel Boones to call pull. When the Red Flag appeared from out of the trap house
it was found that Rockwell Field was 21 birds to the good, with a pOint for the
trophy~' Three shoots being scheduled. it was arranged to meet again on July 10th.
When 500 of the 'elusive claY-birds were thrown at various angles with the inten-
tion of deceiving the gun pointers and the smoke had' cleared away it was found
that Rockwell Field broke 405 'while the 9Ist broke 406. giving the 9lst their
second taste of victory. but not for long. On the 24th of August the third and
dec,iding shoot was 'held. A total of 500 birds were thrown. Again the 9let proved
victorious and broke 443. while 'Rockwell had to content themselves with 437, which
gave the 9Ist two out of 'the three trap 'shoots scheduled. .
Betermined that they were 'better with the gun than Rockwell, a rifle shoot
was held. Nowthis rifle business is something t~at a. lot of the 9lst officers
had heard about but' had never seen. but their way,of reasoning was that if they
were -better with the shotgun they must of necessity be better with theritle. :eut
atter lying in the sand 'and stick~rs with across wind blowing about ten miles an
hou,:. with a gI'ay sky ..rid a blue ocean for a background,they soon found that the
16 i~ch bulls eye Was entirely different from the 4" clay bird. When the sun went
down that evenfng and they reported to the showers and shook the at ickers from
their'sweaters and rubbed their bruised shoulders. they found that they had lost
by 150 points, Ari attempt was made to 'arrange two more rifle shoots in order to
give them an opportunity to see how good they were, but it was unanimously agreed
that one rifle shoot Was sufficient and that there would be no more.
. \fuile we were on the topic of guns, a pistol was thought of and, accordingly.
three shoots were arranged. Two shoots were for practice, the third being record
practice to give the officers an opportunity to qualify and to run in our annual
tar-get season. The first pistol shoot was held on June 26th. When'the targets
were pasted and half masted it was found that more black pasters were used for
Rockwell than for the 91st. Rockwell showed 101 points to the gpod. However,the
fllet-, was not content with that and after drawing all the ammunition they possiblY
could and still stay within their alloWance or any other allowance. we were
awakened at all times of the night to find the 9lst working o'vertime practicing.
When the 15th of July came around and they said they were ready to shoot, we lost
no time in getting out to the range to watch their performance. We were informed
we could return to our duty at the office and th i.t there would be no need for
1\ockwell to shoot. When the paste ran out we were cutting stickers with the
scissors, as our supply of regular issue had been exhausted and Rockwell stood
413 to the good. ' .
Rockwell Field now having won two out of the three scheduled shoots, the re-
maining shoot was for record practice. Again practice by the 9Ist and Rockwell ,
was a daily diversion, and when the scores were tabulated and Carl Greene's a1,ilie
rule had been brought into play it was found that Rockwell Field qualified six ,
out of their nine shooters as expert. while the, 9lat qualified but two. The team
average'ot Rockwell Field was 79.17, while the team average of the 9lst Squadron
was '70.35.' . . .
Nowthe 91st boasted of some good handball players. Being close to the '
'Olympic Club of San Francisco and the Oly:mpic Club offering them every inducement
through the use of their equipment,it was found after a survey that there were
nothing but good handball players in the organization. However. had we not, sug-.
gestedthat we play handball, we certainly were waiting for the oppprtun~ty to, do
80. When the ambulance drove up to take the contestants to their ncmes after the
tour sets of doubleeand 7 ~ets of singles had been played. it was found tha~
ROCKwellField had won 10 games against the 91st's one. Therefore. handball was
played no more.
..12-
rAfter scanning over the list of qthletic events for the summer schedule. it
was oundtr~at ping pong was omitt3d. Bein:; satisfied and ready to co ncede vtriet
t;!€ 9Ist han pr~babl~ the best ::>ing pong J?l~;rers, a mat,ch w~w ~nar~ged on July
Lth at th:- Off~cers Club •. After an eXCJ.t:l.ngrally, tnAre be i.ng no caeuaLt i.es
r~p~rted, ~t was found that Rockwell had won 14 game s While the 9lst took but 7.
g~v~ng Rockwell Field one more point on the trophy. .
. Golf was scheduled for twice a week, on Saturday afternoons and Sunday morn-
Lngs , l"~ve players .wer e selected from each team, as that was a11 the golf equf.p«
merrt ava~lable to properly e'Wip the players. It was arranged that one player fron
each team would meet On the day selected. Rockwell players progressing 01',6 player
each week until five games had been played. A beautifult~ophy was given for this.
t~urnament by the Coronado Country Club and .wa$ wop. by theoffice!'s of Rockwell
F~eld. The total score being kept of all the five garne s played b'j' the officers of
Roc~well Field, a handicap was arrived at. which called for the submission of five
more golf scores) the low net winning an indiwidual silver cup. This was won by
Captain R.G. Ervin with a handicap of 24, who turned in a net of 325, for 90 holes I
played over a 70 pa~ course. '
,. A beautiful trophy was given by the Chamber of Cooonerce for the combined
athletic activities o~ the field for the summer seuaon , which took in golf, hand ..
ba~l, baseball, ping pong, tennis, shooting, r Lf'Le , pistol and shot gun , and horse
shovs. This cup was 24" in height ,beau+' ifllll~' and properly engraved, and at the
close of the season was awarded to the officers of .Ro ckweLl Field. to be kept in
the clubhouse. Rockwell Field showed 15 po i.nt s against 5 points for the 91st,
which' conclusively gave to the officers of Ro ckwe H lfield the much sought for
tro~hy. It is to be hoped that Rockwell Field will be named e&ch sun~er for the
R.O.T.e. arid ReserveO!ficerA activities because of the facilities to successfully
carry on these activities along with the' c l imut e of this vicinity arid the spirit of.
the. officers 0 f this post to make everything interes-l:ing for the visitors, both in
the1r work and play •
." ._Major Arnold, 'Who left this Field on August 16th for new duties at Washington,
was responsible for the spirit in all the athletic competiM,ons, par-t Lc i pat dng in
e.ver'y one of them. His loss to this Depot broke up a million do Ll.ar infield, which
rivalled the Tinker to Evers to Chance Combination of the old Cubs bull team of
years ago.
-13. V-5289
. ",',.
SPEED .;
(The Avi.at or-" s Song)
To the U. S. Arrrr-j'Air Service,-
Words and Music by Louis DeJean
V-5289, A~,S.
NOTESFROMAIR SERVICEFIELDS
FLYING: The Third At'tack Group carried out a number-of tactical problems during
the past two weeks. These problems wsr e sblulrlted attacks upon ground objects or
forces and have taken the Attack G:'oup to several of the towns in the vicinity of
San Antonio.
Sergeant Huguet and Private Roszell made a cross-country trip to Illinois and
Iowa.
Captain C. E. Giffin, of the lOth School Gl"OUp,made a solo flight to Boston, .. ".
Mass. Capt. Giffin j~st completed the flying part of a big photographic job for
the U.S. Geological Survey and Texus Board of \''lator Engineers. He is under orders
for Hawaii and expects to sail sometime this fall.
The Spad airplanes on the field have finally been condemned and are on survey.
The MB3's have also been laid up temporarily as the result of failure of the ailer-
on inane which necessitated Lieut, Crawford's making a parachute jump a short time
ago.
Lieut. Long, accompanied by Pvt. Wright, made it he airways trip to st. Louis.
Lieut. Gaffney, Post Adjutant, pilo~lIed Lieut. Holland to Laredo, Texas, where
the latter has been Acting Judge Adve cat e ill a court sitting at the.t pLace,
ATHLETICS:The 8th Attacl~ Squadron defeated the baseba lI team of the 68th Service
Squadron the first two games of t:1e series and thereby won the post championship.
The trophy Was a silver lov~ng cup. Present.ation was made by the Third A-r.tar.:k
Group Commander, Major Burwell, at a dinner given by the 8th .Attack Squadron in be-
half of the victory.
RECREATION: Capt. Bubb and Maj'or FitzGerald spent the week end fishing and swimming
at Aransas Paae ,
Capt. Guidera and Lieuts. Rice and Biggs were on a few days Leave at JU1'l.otion
City, where they report the fish are abundant~
Dear AI:
Say Al, get ready to jump. I am going to do a ground loop. A 1st.. Sergeant is .
wanted for Hawaii and someone told the COthat I wanted to go. I went to see the
CO, by invitation of course, and he says: "Sergeant do you wa:'1tto go to Hawaii?11
and I says, "No Sir l1
, then he asked. me some mo:'e questions and answers. Sudden
like he says, "Sergeant, are you mar~ied'I;' and like ""he brave 801o.a1.that I am I
says, "I am single, Sir". He kind of looked like t:1a1. was whA.the had expected all ,..
along and says: "That's all, Sergaant". I don't know fo r sure, but heres hoping I
dont get to go. I sure am going to marry the next mamathat pops the leap year
question.
Al you sure missed it by not being her~ rcr- the Grand CostUlne.1all Thur sday
nite. Your Uncle Dudley's partner took first prize for ladies. but Al you know it
was my good looks and my fancy waltzing that wen, not that my partner was at fault.
She was the best looking by far and those costume she wore (lOO~). Oh: boy, you
should have seen it. To be sure her danoing helped out some, birt I still admit I
was to blame. I should have won firstcprize for men if D1iwninghadn it had on hip
boots and he took the ju.dges ~Lieut. Jones and Mr. Jaokson) for a walk just before
the grand plunge. I noticed his hip pocket was empty when they get p.ack.
Gutridge. one of our motorcycle orderlys, tried to do a wing..over and ground
loop at the same time the other day with a solo machine and dur-n near knocked the
o8th mess hall down, the danger is over. however, as the Detachment COhas grounded
him from now on. What he needs is more ground school and some indoor instruct ions
in submarine warfare.
Levy took off in his ~eaping Tuna on the 15th Chicago bound, and has been
showering postal eard~;with pictures on them. He must think we can't read. One
thing for sure there must be lots of buildings in that burg or they took a picture
from all four sides of the few they have got. He had a forced landing at Fort.
Worth and washed out a til'e, but that was his fault for not rern6r(lbe2'ingWhat I told
him about keeping his eyes on the road and not on the f Lapper s on the s:i.dewalX.
Yours till they send me to Hula Hula Land
. Left Bank, Indoor Pilot •.
-15- V-5289,A.S.
.?.!2..~k!...!!~!,d.San Antonio, Texas, AUS':!ft4.
, .As September draws clo'sera.nd the various instructors go on leave. the reali-
zation begins to strike home that the Air Service Prima~y Flying School is ab0ut
ready to gr aduat e another class. '
- . 'Of the class that errt.er-e'd in iJIarchof this year, Major J.H •. Touett, C'lFt,P •• G.
HoYt, Lt. R.W. Dougl.as and Cadets Smith, Potts, M.cBride, LOY6, Collins, WP.linnJs,
T.u'1eb')rghand, Thomas are thru. Some 24 others of the same class are in th>:-Lr
last stage of training.. This lqst stage is one of great interest and one wh.i ch
p~e\TiOl.1S61asseshave not been so fortunate as to receive. It LncLude s cne huv~" s
tr'lnsH~on instruction in Vought s , followed by some five hours' formation wcrk.
One hour's t.:rC'•.nsition instr11ction inT~W. "s , f0110wedby some six hours cr-o sa-
country wor-k, and finally some four hours of D.H. instruction, preparatory to t ak-
il1g up the work at KelJy Field. . .., .
Lieut. a.A. Prbehl and his alleged Police Pub "Pon joLa" have just returned
from their respective hospitals, Lieut. Proehl ccnva'I es cf.ng from an oper at acn for
appendidti.s and Ponjola ironi a 'broken hind leg sustained at a rough party with
"Corn Whiskey",Lieut. McCormick's hound..
Monday, July 28th. was Peru's National Independence Day', and"as such was cel-
ebrated by Brooks Field personnel wi'fh due ceremony. As read;;r6:of the News
Letter will pl"'obably remember, two Peruvian officerswere'ordered'to the School
for flying training in the early part of this yew"and have gone thru as members
of the prosont et aes , It was in honor of these two "officers,Lt. Cols. Juan E.
O'Connor 6.1'.ldFederico Cisneros Recavarren, as representatives of the South Ameri-
can Repub.l.Le , that Major Royce directed that the celebration beheld. The 'festi-
vities commencedwith a review and praAentation of the troops in the afternoon,
followed by. a baseball game,in which .the Post+'eani crossed bats w:i,thK~JY Field' a
best. It nu.ght have been considered a slight to ir.vite distiL1gui~hed guests to an
exhibition of skill and then to have lost saidexh5.bition, so Brooks extended
themselves and won 14 to 13, though it took three extra innings to make a go of it.
. Then in the evening a most enjoyable dinner dance was. given on the San
Antonio Country Club roof with the 'Peruvian officers and their wives as guests of
honor. The roof was strikingly decorated in rningledPeruvian and American flags
with the Air Service motif featuring in "the place cards and floral. decorations.
The Peruvian ladies had, with much labor, evolved a beautiful Peruvi~~,flag in
hand-worked silk Which they presented to the Officers' Club, together with small
Peruvian coins to each guest as mementoes of the occasion. At the c10\se of the
dinner Col. O'Connor arose and in token of .'appr.ed.atio.rl presented the~ 'f. ficers'
Club with a most beautiful silver eup, Yes, it was a good party, and e eryone
seemed to enjoy "(;hemselves. Hooray for America:and Viva Peru~' ' .
And while we're considering'itinternat-Lon relations", it may not be ~jss to
remark that .two young officers from-the Siarnes~ AJ.r Sei'wicehave been ordered to
report here not later than Sept. 15th. Sub~Lieuts. Visi.tsavas and Sinhaseni are
their names, and Lieuts. White and Young, who were responstble for the decorations
at the Peruvian party have already begun to stock up on white elephants an.d
Siamese colors. . '
Lieut. Bob Ashley just returned from a cross-country out Oklahomaway 'and
brought back with him a wee beastie about the size Qf a starved kitten, that he
claims is a full- blooded timber wolf. We donttk~ow about that part 0 f it, but we
do knowthat the aforementioned small bunch of OY~le.ir4-te has already' cleaned up on
all the dogs on the post, and on being i4'troduced t'o a strange bull-dog bit him
four times before the bull-dog could getaway, ' B.oy'~'some wolf : . '
Lieut. "Chuck" Cushing is cne of the r.eweet"aces'f' of the cl.ass , He was out .
playing with a. Vought the other daywheri he forgot that he was. only an aviator and
not an e,agle. ()r a cuckoo or something li'ke that, and perched his Vought in the~top
of a _::1la~q,uite' 'tree. He' didn rt hurt hi.mself .. mu ch, but with h5.s r.9.tural abihty
and Capt. Thorne's bandages and adhesive, he looks like an irnpro'\Tement ,?n Happy
Hooligan after an adventure.
"To get by Corkille1' - Ah~those magic words - the dream of e ,ery student of-
1
During the past week, under the leadership qff Lt. Wm. C. Morris of the Regu-
lar Army, a round dozen Air Service Reserve officers with their Flight Surgeon
and six enlisted men dropped in on the post' for their two week training par i.od,
and judging from their, schedule and activity their refresher course will be quite
stiff and intensive, for in addition to brushing up ihac sixth sense which tells
a man to correct for an incipient skid or whsn to get his tail down on a. landing,
they are refreshing haH or totally forgotten facts about mot cr-s , machine guns,
radi? I and the many details of company organization and management,
• The post is very glad to have these Reserve merihere t even though for so short;
a time, for men j.n their positions are ,the conne ct Lng link between the Service and
the vast civilian body ,of the Nation; and it is through them and these periods of
training that the vital needs of the Service can best be made known and met.
Lieut. Townsend Griffis is away on a long cross-country to NewYork~ His
leaving is balanced by Lieut. and Mrs. John K. Nissley's return from leave spent
in California, where they report wonderful sea bathing and cool breezes (Gosh:
aren~t some people lucky).
And while tin that topic Old Dame Rumor has it that Lieut. and Mrs. J .G.
Williams and young "J .G." ar e due to report at RockweH Field, but we won't say
good bye tOi'lthem till we have to.
Capt. C.F. Snell is also leaving, b~ his is only leave, so we can cheerfully
wish him a good time. ' It's not all outgo, however" for Lieuts. Dean S. Eller-
thorpe and J. W. Fletcher of the last class reported back from Kelly for further
inst ruct ion. .
Brooks 'Field will be most ably represented at the next International Air
Races in Dayton, for Lleuts. C.F. Woolsey, Hel McClellan and J.B. Haddon are
scheduled as entrants. The two former are to fly Martin Bombers and the latter
a CO4. Power to them:
In the Philippine Pistol and Rifle Meet which was held at Fort Wm. McKinley last
week, Headquarters Detachment won high honors. Private Collins DeBall , Headquar-
ters' entry, finished seventh ouf of 63 entries. Special commendation is due thi~
soldier. During the target practice held at thi's field last year) Private DeBall
made an excellent record, this being his first experience in firing ona target
range. Had it not been for his gun breaking just before the completion of the
record firing it is quite pr-cbab'Le that he would have finished much higher. staff
Sergeant Shaefer ~f the 28th Bombardment Squadron and Sergeant George Bathey of
the 66th Service Squadron were the other enlisted entries from this station. Both
of these men made good records. In view of the fact that most or the entries wer~
from Infantry outfits who held records as marksmen, this showing by the Air Ser-
vice was excellent. -17- V-5289, A.S.,
The Fourth of July was -ee Lebr at ed by the city of Manila with a flying Circus,
du'rin&;the morning and evening, and all organizations of this post participated in
sam~.. Th~ Sixth Photo Section expected to take' some very interesting pictures' ,
d~n,ng th~s celebration. In connection '.'lith the Fourth of July it might be men-
I
t~oned th,:t we have been given two days ho Li.day _ we believe that some of the men
are plann~ng a very interestin~ celebration of' their own _ details will be given
latrer- a~ter we learn the cas~alties. .
, .: The,2~th Bombardment Squadron reports the following operations this week: On
the 25~~ L~e~t. Dunton, pilot, and Lieut a, Maxwell and McIver, pas senger's , flew to
Clark ~l.~ld .~n a Martin Bomber, carrying supplies for maintenance and upk~ep of
the NJ3S1 S an storage at that station, returning same .dat.e ; on the 26th L~eut.
Dunton ;1.na Martin Bomber, and Ld.eut e, Maxwell and MacIver in DH4B's, flew to
Clark Fie~dfor the purpose of transporting enlisted personnel assigned to the
3r~ Pur~ult Squadron, returning same date; on the 27th Lieut. Maxwell made a
fll.ght an a DH4Bfor the purpose of testing flare bombs. the samebeiog specified
as par~ of the cross-country equipment for this Department.
, . The 66th ServdceSquadron is still doing'good work on the construction act!-
vitl.es at this station. The concreting gang had a bad start Mond!;A.y t owing to a .
shut down due to lack (')f gravel. The remaining days more than made up for this
short~ge and a tot a1 of 62.52 yards had been placed when the mixer stopped Friday
afternoon. Th.is made a daily aver-age of 12.50 yards a day, or a gain of .75 yds.
per day over the previous week•
.The mixer has been working eleven days since it was placed inside the hangar,
and l.n that time the whole south lean-to which contains 'the wood-working shop,
generator room and machine shop have bee~ concreted. In adq.ition to this. three
of the gasoline storage cradles were poured as well as a section in the northwest
corner of the hangar adjoining the office and two sections in the metor overhaul
shop. All the machine tools are on the floor of the machine shop. the drilling of
the holes ,for the anchor bolts has been completed. and by the end ~f this week Sgt.
Leary expects to have all the tools in place and the shop ready for production.
One of the generato~s has been running the last few days to furnish power for
electric' drills used on the job.
, Friday afternoon and Saturday morning were spent in moving the wood-working
tools and the Martin Bomber crates out of the North lean ..to. to clear the way for
the concreting of the floor in that section. The tractor did yeoman service in
the moving of the Martin Bomber crates.
, Notes from 42d Air Intelligence Section
Lieut. Kirksey, commandingthe 42nd, was sick 'the past week with dengue fever.
The Section hopes for his early recovery and return to ~uty., '
Letters from f<?rmer members of the organization now in the Uni,ted States tend'
to make us n:ore satisfied with our humble lot over here. True we have our troubles.
dhobie itch being no joke, not to mention prickly heat, but can' these", be compa.red
with the ignominy {~t going into a place and calling in a wee small voice for Ita' .
glass 0 f milk t please?"
When it was announced by the Department that ~oth Friday and Saturday would
be holidays for all troops we knew the Ai.. Service evidenced more joy 'than any
other outfit in the Depart~ent. We notice though, that on return .t o work quite a
number have that "morning after the night before" look and the usual' alibis are in
use. Holidays are more or less disastrous, espe cdal.Ly in the Philippines.
A very good formati,on was flown by Captain Eglin, Lieuts. Maxwell,. Mc~une,,' ,
Carter and Walker in !ive DH's over the Fourth of July parade in ~ranila Fr1day
morning, One of the leading newspapers of Manila .commentedas follows: "To,omuch
credit cannot be given to the U.S. ArmyAir Service for the splendid cooperation
that was shown to the city of Manila and the 4th of July ente,rtainment committee
in helping to ,make the day' 6 celebration a success." ....
In'the. ~vening one of the new Mar'tin Bombers flown by Lieut. Dunton, with Lt,.
Carter as gunner, in conjunction with the 60th Anti-aircraft Battalion B.t FOs't,
McKinleyt engaged in a mimic night air battle. To many this was the ,first time an .
airplane had been seen in flight at night and much interest was shown by all who
saw this. . .
The 6th Photo Section is rejoicing; they are moving in :their new"quarters. this
week. The bUilding has been held up in oom~letion for some time due to some m1X-
up in funds. Everyone however who has seen the new building thinks. it all that
t t ...18.. ' V-5289, A.S.
can be'-expec'ted In the way ofa ph~tographic hut. The Section expects to do
much more work aridb~tter 'work under their new conditions.'
The 66th Service Squadr-on expects to move into their new office in the South
Hangar' sometime this week. The building is al most cOID;Jleted, except.i ng forpe,ir.t-
ing and atew rrd nor deta.i~s~' The Squadl'on is vel'¥ much pleased with their now
quarters. , They say a roof over their heads is much to be appreciated S_n rainy
weather, especially after the oly leaky one. '
. It _appears that the Service Squadr-on is still having trouble trying to dope
~ut their new cost system. About the only encouragement that can be given them
1S the old saying "if- you don ' t succeed try, try again", However, the Squadron
says even that doesn't prove to be true in their cade. .' , .
, Operations tor' the past week consisted of the rollowing flieh'ts: On the
3rd Lieut. Dunton. pilot, and Lieut, MacIver, asst. pilot, flew to Clark Field
in anNES-I' for the' purpose of train:j.ng and transporting enlisted men from that
field for duty here, return5.ng same date. On th'9 4*,h,Captain Eglin and Liede.
Maxwell, McCune, Carter and Walker flew in formation - 5 DH's .. over Manila in
connection with the Fourih of July, celebration. In connection with the aams
event, 3 NBS-3's from Clark Field gave an exhibition of acrobatic flying. At 8
p.m, July 4th, Lieut. Durrt on It. pilot and Id eut , Carter , , gunner, took off in. an •
NBS...1 and engaged the 60th Anti"'aircraft battalion of Fort McKinley in a mmu c
air battle over the city of Manila. ."
Notes from 42nd' Air Intelligence Sect-for;l. ' ,
. Lieut .. Kirksey, cominanding'the 42rtd, Who has been ,ill for sometime in stern-
berg General Hospital, is now back on duty. He reports' a, dengue f evez as no
joke. We'll say'it 's not~ ',' . .
, The 42nd weathered the stormo! three holidays w:ithout~nycasualties, ex"
cept minor ones. and are again back '~o. work. '. " .. ' ..
, We a;l.l: wanted holidays b'l't the three j1.1St passed proved 'that one at a. time
is about all we can stand. The results of 'these ere headachee , a longing for pay
day, and memories ne 'er to be forgotten. Of course ,Private Snead has again
fallen in love with a fair seno ri.t a , but that is no thdng of iIaportance as it
happens every week. '
spendin,g the past week at this station, returned to their home al:Hoope st o n, Ill.
on August 3rd.
Lieut. W,S. Hamlin leU for a morrth s vaoation t 'at Lake ,Champlain, During
his absence Lieut. I1'a L. Koenig will, a at' as Post Adjut,ant.
Lieut., Donald G. Duke , who tel.ried General Pat r a ck-t s airplane from S~n
Antonio to Bolling Field, stoP?ed here for a sho~t tires.
Lieut. Frank E. White, st oppe.d here on his way to Scot.t Field while making B.
regular airways trip. Seyeral pilots from this station expect -to attend the
aerial exhibition at Scott Field.
As soon as the Round-the'"Wflrld Flyers. reach Washin.gton., practically every
officer here hopes to attend' the' b~nque~'whieh will be given in their honor •
.. 19.." V...5289, 'AS
,
,_"';t!\ll( iE,_ ,( k
CROSS COUNTRY FLIGHTS - The following cross-qountry flights were made by personnel
at F~rt Blis8~ Lieut. Weddington and Sgt. Rhodes to Nogales,Ariz., to make a '
me saae of Camp Stephen D. Little, Lieut. Weddington and Sgt. Rhodes to Marfa,Texas,
tor the purpose of arranging for conatruction of dark room for photographic use ',
during maneuvers; L.ieut. Clark and Sgt. Williamson to Lowery Field. Denver ~ Colo.,'
for the purpos~ of instructing National Guard officers during training campi Lieut.
Dougla~ to Kelly Field to fly Private Adams to this station; Sgts. Tyler and Pierce
to Kelly Field, the former to take a photo ship there for repairs and the latter to
bring Sgt. Tyler back to this station; Lieut. Clark and Private Bell to Denver,
Col.; Lieut, Gale and Sgt. Holmstrand to Albuquerque, N.M. and return. .
Lieut'. Gale and Capt. Bender made two reconnaissanoeflights, one to drop mes-
sages at Command Posts and the other to send radi.o messages to Division Hqrs. and
junction of Lei's Well and Newman Road.
Lieuts. Dunoan and Hopkins arrived here from Kelly Field, returning the fol-
lowing day. .: '.'
BASEBALL: The Air Servioe ball team won three games during above period, defeating
the Special Troops 14 to 3, the Second Machine Gun Squadron 8 to 3; and the Eighth
Engineers by forfeit~ that team failing to appear on the diamond.
MISCELLANEOUS: Pvt. Charles H. Oseland left for Chanute Field to take a course in
radio at the Air Service Technical School at that station.
Pvt. Edilberto Rodriguez, 12th Obs. Sqdrn., left for detached service at
Douglas, Arizona, to relieve Pvt. Robert 'volfe from duty at that stat ion. • .
Three photographic flights were made August 7th for the purpose of tra1ning
reserve officers. Tbe first flight was made by Lieut. Douglas and Capt .;D 'Amour,
A.S., O.R.C.; the second by Lieut. Evert and Lieut. Thorpe, A.S.,ORC, a~the third
by Lieut. Gale and Lieut. Foy, A.S., ORC.
Gunnery flights were made August 8th by Lieuts. Weddington, Douglas~LeBreton.
King, Greene, Capt. D'Amour and Sgt. Pierce for the purpose of'training reserve
officers. .
Lieut. Evert returned from a 30-day leave of absence spent in Chicago ,Ill.
and ~parta, Wis.
San Antonio Air Intermedi,ate Depot, Kelly Fieldl Texas, August ~~.
Major Lack Land , the Oommandf.ng Officer, has granted a leave of absence "to his
mother, who is enjoying a two months' visit with her daughter, Mrs. Talbott, the
wife of Dr. John Allen Talbott, of Washington, D.C. Mrs. Lackland, ratharthan
face the heat of railroad travel chose the cool comfort of a sea voyage via Gal-
l . "
veston and New York. While Mrs. Lack Land is the mother of the C.O., she 1S also
affectionately held by all the officers and their families on the post as almost a
mother to themt and her absence at this time is accordingly felt whole-heartedly
by everyone.
At the San Antonio Country Club, the officers of the Depot gave a farewell
dinner dance to officers ordered away and to welcome those reporting. The tables
were decorated with cadena de amour. The decorations were pink and white. The fa-
vors for the ladies consisted of small bottles of French perfume and those of the
officers depicted their favorite sport or pastime. At 11:30 the swimming pool was
invaded by a majority of those present. A very amusing incident 0 ccurred in the
pool in that. Lt~ Powers climbed on to a large inflated inner tube in t he pool and
stretched out in avery comfortable position. Several minutes later someone made
an invest igation as to the cause of his unusual qu.i.e't nes s and found that the com-
bination of good music and the soothing motion of the waves in the pool had lulled
". him to sleep. He was a very much surprised and embarrassed young officer upon "..-
being awakened. We think that this speaks vclume rorthe music, swimming pools
and climate of San Antonio. . "
This Depot has just received an NAU-6 carburetor, especially designed lor use.
on Wright-H type engine. This carburetor is being installed on an ME-3M airplane
With a view of elirnina~ing excessive vibration.
The Inspect.ion Department, recently organized by Lieut. Ivan G. Moorman, Chief
Inspector, has succeeded in reducing the mechanical difficulties encountered in
production to a minimum.
The following personnel, Capt. C.A. Pierce, Cavalry, D.O.L., Lt. Vincent J.
Meloy, Air S~l~Tice. D.O.L., left Nashville Tenn•. on the rr.orning of July 1st at
7:00 as m, in airplane. Air Service No. 68033, f'or'Da.y'~on, Ohio. The trip was made
u~der very favorable weather conditions, with the exception of a slight northeast
~1nd, and at 10j15 a.rrio Standard Time,ll:l5 as m, Daylight Saving Time, the la~d'"
ang was made at McCookField where the 'plane was serviced. At 1:00 p s m, Dayll.ght
Saving Time, the plane took ~ff for Moundsville. W. Va., arriving there at 2:45
p,m. On this trip the new airways map furnished for this ~ript was used by the
pilot for the first time and it is not~d that a r-emarkab.Ledegree of accuracy can
be obtained by the use of same. Due to the good visibility and these maps we
were never at any time in doubt as to our positive location, The plane was ser.
v~ced at Langfn Field and the departure for Washington was made at 3:00 p.m. The
w1nd had changed so tha'c it was almos.t coming from due north and a haze had come
up. With the use of the airways map, just mentioned, the Navy compass and Type B
compass in this plane we were never off our course and landed at Bolling Field,
Washington, D.C., at 5: 05 p. m,
The plane was thoroughly inspectsd at this station and at 2:30 p.m. on July
2nd we took off for Miller Field Staten Island, N.Y., arriving there at 4:35 p.m.
Again the airways map proved its~value, because from Philadelphia tg InlIer F~eld
the haze and smoke was very bad, but the accuracy of this map enabled us to mi.nute-
1y check our location. At 2:30 Pem. on July 3rd the plane left Miller Field for
th\ Bl)ston airport, arriving at the latter place at 4 :30 p s m, This nigh:: waLs
made by a direct compass route. Except for about ten minutes while cr-oas mg ong
Island Sound, the pilot was at all times able to check accurately on landmarks.
Being the first time this country had ever been traversed, a very close check was
made, using both Rand-McNally and airways map, The latter, needIe es to say. .
because of its detail and scale, it was decided would be of greater value, part1c-
ularly in reference to the- location of towns and the main highways.
On July 7th the return flight was started, plane leaving the Boston airport
at 3: 00 p.mo Clouds were about 1000 feet wi'~h the wind blowing from the southeast.
A direct compass course to Miller Field was flown and when in the vicinity of the
mouth of the Connecticut River the haze became very thick I so that the pilot climb.
ed to an altitude of 4000 faet, remaining at this height i.mtil NewYork Bay had
been crossed and the plane was over Miller Field. Tho la.nding was made there at
5:15 p.m~ On July 8th the plane was thoroughly gone over and some magneio trouble
which was noted when it was warmed up was remedied and a test flight of 40 minutes
was made. At 2:15 psm, on July 9th the pla.ne laft for Bolling Field, ar r Lvf.ng .'
there at 4: 35 p.m. During the Las't hour the motcr developed three cracked water
jackets around the spark plugs and this was reported upon arrival at Bolling. On
July 10th the necessary repail"s were made and the f()1J.owing day at 11:00 a. m, in
formation with an airways plane fl'o~nM'J(;ookFielu., pilutad 'by Lieut. Fai:rchi~.dl ~
and a similar type from Selfridge Field I'. piloted by Lieut. Blackburn ,the flJ..ght
-22. V.5289,AS
for Da•JO....,.1:).ri was si ar'te d.' ' 'Mo'
u nds"~l.'
v Ll e was r-eache d at' 1-• 3'0 P .m., were,
h th'e pLan'eB
were serviced and at 2: 00 p', m, ull three planes again left for Da:lt?n, arriving
at McCookField at 4:00 p.m.
The repair work which had been done at Bolling had begun to show evidence of
strain, so that the Engineer Officer at McCookthought it advisable to install a
new motor in Airplane No. 68033.' During the course of this installaidon inspec-
t ors at this field thoroughly checked the plane and condemned:i.t f or any further
flying. due mainly to its age and the fact that it had 400 hours of actual flying
time. On July 17th the pilot was loaned a plane by McCookField in order to re-
turn to his proper station.
The flight was made under favorable conditions and, aside from the action
taken by the e.uthorities at McCookField. nothing of a. notable nature took place.
It is my opinion that wherever possible all planes making cross-country flights
of any length should be equipped and instructions be given to use only airways
maps unless, of course, same are not available for the specific route to be fol-
lowed. The total flying time of the en~ire trip was 20 hours and 5 minutes.
The purpose of this letter is to keep the personnel of the Air Service both
~n Washington' and in the' :field, .informed as to the. activities of the Air Se~vice
an general,and for release to the public press.
FORRELEASE:..OC'rCBER1, 1924:.
r;,f-
plane was gassed and oiled in twenty. minutes.. 'It. was .then t.hat the only meCha. n.i.c....
• al trouble of the flight occurred. An installation had been made on .t~e plane so .
. . that it would be possible I if found advisable, to refuel the plane w~tn~ui stop-
ping the motor •. A special valve .had been inst.alled on the right-r.an~ sd de of the
'. fuselage near the trailing edge of the lower right wing. The valve, ~:tself would.
stop any flow of gasoline, but as a safety precaution a cap was screw?d on the.
valve in ease the valve itself should cease to function. . In tighten1ng up th1.s"
valve at Da.yton an over-zealous mechanic used an '18.dnch "monkeywrench and twist~
ed off the valve from its connection to the'two gas tanks. No.ene canrbe blamed.'
for this incident as the ccnne ct Lon was ordinarily strong enough and the valve
had been tightened before either' by hand or by a'small wrench, and its :tai~ ... ),re i~
this case was due purely to the, mechanic' seagerness to have me on my was J.n..,
record time, The valve was taken from the plan.e, soldered in thesnpps at .l"'leCqE)'~;\
Field, replaced,the plane refue,le~ and the start 'made within an 1';our. r.l.'he~~~,' ',,<
stop at lllicCook Fleldwas on].;l
;I"
one hour
.
and
.
twenty ininI.Ltes,
w From Dayton to s~.JPsep~, Mo., the se cond stop ()f' the flight • no trouble
as encount,e:-ed, except that lot was necessary to fly around thr'ee local thunder
sh?wers. ThJ.s was a~ the same time both the easiest andx he hardest leg of the:
fll.gh1; to make - ,easl.est because se , Joseph lies dire ctly east of Dayton 'and one
ha~ but to tollow section lines. to arrive at hi.:s destinat ion. On the other hand,
th,1S .came from the fourth to the eighth hour of flying, which is usually the
har~est, and. there was nothing to break the monotony ofthe :flight. !t was at this
perl.~d,that 1t was found almost impossible to keep awake. This was undoubtedly
d~e .to the steady purr of the mo'ter' 1 the heat of the day and the early hour ot :
r1Sl.ng.' ,
The following telegram had been received from se. Joseph, MO~, and iwas founa
to ,adequat~lY describe the conditions existing. It read: JField very soft, starid.
ingwater l.n center.' Red flag will be placed on soft spots and hay jnounda," The
landing was made without incident between the soft spots and the hay mounds. "j..
clo~e examination of the .field nOW showed that it would be impossible to clear on
the t~e.ott with a full load of gasoline. The field is 2400 feet long, but water
8t~nding in a'hollow in the center made the availabl~ space only 1200 feet. Aecord-
ingly on~y ll~) gallons were placed in tbe plane, for the take~off'. Even with this .
a~unt of gasoline the motor at full -throttle could hot start the' plane rolling'. '
without the help of six men on each wing. The take-off was made in exact Iy 1200,
feet. the wheelsharely missing the .water and soft mud in the center of the field.
. .The distano~ to Cheyenne. Wyo., was 460 miles arid I knew tbat it weu.ld be ,1m.
, })oss~b~e to make this in one flight without throttling the motor. Under .nor-mal,
cond1t10!}S the motor would have been throttled, but increasing head winds showed
that it would take too long to re~ch Cheyenne with a throttled motor •. A landing
was therefore planned and made at the air mail field at North filatte,Jeb. I had
le~rned from previous experience that the best of service wJ1Salwa~'s' given at the
air mail fields and this was borne out by the fact that it took .but twenty minutes
from the time the landing was made \mtil I was away again upon the flight ; "
It was at North Platte that I first learned the severity 'of the heavy head
wind which was blOWing above 1000 feet, it being reported that at' this altitude
the wind was approximately fifty miles per hour. The flight from North Platte
west to cheyenne was therefore made very close to the ground where the wind was
blowing only about twenty miles per hour. . ' ,,
Cons:Werable diffioulty had been anticipated for th.e landing a:t Cheyenne, 'as
the altitude is 6200 feet and the air very thin and light,. The landing was made
without difficulty, ' however, andthepl.ane iIlJIllediately prepared' fOTcontinuing the
journey. ' During ,the flight of the previous year the airplane had used all but 300'
yards of the one and three.eights-mile field, and considerable worry had, beentelt
regarding the take ..off • The take-off. af.terrefueling, was made without incident
and in :sa!ety but the plane would not have 'cleared the field had the wire fence at
the end of the field been on the ridge instead of in the ~ollow.
The tliglltfrom Cheyenne to sa1duro , utah; was made at, an aver;age . altitude of
ten. feet above the obstacles encountered. This was fou:ndnecessary because at
Cheyenne a weather report was reoeived showing' that at 1000 feet there was a head
wind from Cheyenne to San Francisco ranging between 50 'and 63 miles per hour.
A'second factor entered into the flight from Gheyenne west. '.With a rU1110~d
of gasoline a speed of 140 miles per hour could be attained at 7,500 feet but thiS
speed was'reducedto 127 miles per hour at 9,000 feet. As it was necessary to at.
ti:Utri 9,000 feet altitude to clear the.mo'Jntains), unless the valleys were followed.
it can readily be seen that there was an ever.present dilemma: as to whether to
take the direct air line with its 127 miles per hour and its ,SO-mile wind or
whether to take the lower altitude 'with its. decreasing head wind. The latter
course was almost invariably chosen, as measurements prev~ously made ~n the map "
had shown that slight variations from the. direct air line added but 11tt1e ~o the
total mileage. In following out the latter policy I came out of the rnountaJ.ns at.
Ogden,utah, some fo,rty miles' nortl1 of the /ilirline course. From og?e~ 'to saldu:,o
was easy going, as the altitude was only 4400 feet and there were no m?r~"mounta:ms
involved. ' - .'. . '
The landing. refueling and tak,e-off at 5alduro. utah,' were :n:l:.
hQut 1n~).dent,.
the direct air line course 'being again aisca.r~ed in favor of the loWer alt1tude
with its longer mileage. It.was ,known before I left saldur() that I.WOUldhb:vhard
pressed to reach san Francisco be.tore dusk, but I was hardly expectJ.ng a ea ~ '
.. -b.' ij-:t the .. same t J.me ~
overhanging bank of clouds to shut oft a.ll-, l:1.ght fr,oma ove an a:,
have a ground fog shut oft all light from belOw. It was indeed fortunate that I
-2- V-5294, A S
had flown forest patrol for several years over the country frdm Reno to Sacramento
and that I, h~d flown many times bet"-V'een3acrarrento and ~)un F:r9ncis00, Even under
thes~ ~ond~~ a.ens the flig~1t gr€'N rnnr'e and more diff Lcul t , i.JaC:raF.lent 0 was finally
recognJ.zed an the dusk by the Travelers Hotel and the little church .r ound the cor-
~er, and ]:lare 1s1nnd was r e co z;ni7.sd by the ships in the bay. Guessing was exceed-
:tnt;l] well done, as the st~'.rs from above could not shine through and the fog under-
neath Wa3 steadily grow::'ng he uvi.er , maY.in,~E impossible to tell whether it "was
ground or water underneath. It was impossible to come down lO'N and ascertain this
fact, as there are several mountain peats or r ange a of hills in the Bay region. '
. .A cour-se was chosen to the ri..;ht o f all the lights seen so as to insure not
Ul~i:lS~ngl.lt'\ll i;'rand8c.o in the fogo The lights mentioned consisted not of individu-
al 1:1.0?ts, but simply of a dun glow which could be seen throur~h the fog. Even
fromd~l'e ctly above no light could be seen - just the dull ,:rlo"J merrt Lo ne d, Under
these con~itions, ~nth only twenty minutes of gasoline left: is it any wonder that
I was dp,1~11tl~d to see the beam of the revolving flash lighc on the prison at
Alcatraz: (I hope never again to be so glad to see prison lights). Only then was
I sure that tllS flight was a success.
The wind coming in through the Golden Gate ahead formed a full eddy and split
up the fog alloWing the light to come through in spots so that it was possible to
get below the fo::~ without difficulty and wake a landing in safety. The first
flight over the field was made at 9:4.0, but one minute before the arrival of dusk.
The landin~, however, was not made until some eiV1t minutes later, as it was neces-
sary to circle t~le field several tir'les to be sure that thecrowds had not encroach-
ed upon the airdrome.
The popular interest in the flight along the entire way had been tremendous.
At New York there were approximately 100 people present for the take-off. At
Mccook Field, even though the public ~ad not been notified, there we~e about 200
people pr-euerrt , At st. Joseph, Ho.) the crowd had i.ncreased to approximately 3,500;
at Cheyenne) a town of some 15, 000 t t there wer e appr-oxd n.at e Ly 2500 present. This in-
terest, howover, had not prepared me for the 50,000 enthusiasts who were still wait-
ing "for me at 9:40 pv m, in San li'ra:lci'scO. The crowd at San J!....rancisco was very well
handled and very peaceable; but as 900110.3 the landing was made they became unmanage-
able and rushed headlong on to 'l;hef:i.eld. This latter point is mentioned inasmuch
as the plane, 0 f course , received severe handling. . .
No mechanical .troublo was experienced on the entire trip excepu the one break-
age at j,A:cCook:Field. and t:1e plane "lit11 a slight overhaul at San Francisco was flown
back to Dayton, Ohio, without any fTlrther trouble. At Dayton six valve springs
were changed and the flight continued to l~ew ycrk. Ordinarily, on a flight of this
kind, spark plugs have to be changed, the mo ccr' tuned UPt or the plane adjusted,
but these were all found to be unnecessary. The overhaul of'the plane at Jan
Francisco failed to revea.l an;' trouble except a slight water 'leak which was quickly
repaired. The above is par't Lcul ar-Ly mentioned inasmuch a::; the plane and the motor
had received a very severe test.
From New York to Day.tun the wotor was throttled and tbe average speed was only
1,10 miles per hour. Between Dayton and Gan J?ran0isco, due to the hour's delay at
Dayton, the extra stop at North Platte, Neb., and the 50-mile head wind for the
last 1200 miles of the fliJ;ht t t11e motor ljad been run" practically wide open, the
speed varying from 16S milos between Dayton and Gheyenne and 130 miles from Cheyenne
west to Gan Francisco. The total distance covered was 2,6'fO miles. The elapsed .
time was 21 hours and 48-~-minutes and the total flying time was 18 hours and 36. min.
I had ant icipatAd that I would be extremely tired when I reached San Franc~sco
but I found upon 111'; arrival tl1at t thou,:~h tired, I could siill have continued and
made one more hop had it been necessary or had time permitted. The only ill effect
noticed from the flight was t:lat i was unab I e to sleep more than four hours at
night during the following two weeks. This Was true even the night of June 23rd,
the night tollowinzthe fliSh-b.
For the dawn to dusk fli~ht two wechanics had been sent to each of the four
fields where landings were to be made for refueling.
,;0 One mechanic from eac~ field
had preViously been serrb to Mitchel Field to familiarize himself with the aup~ane
and motor whj.ch was undergo Lng completion at ,the curtiss PIE.nt. After test flJ.ghts
were completed these men joined their- fellow mechanics at the various stations and
rendered assistance on the day of thp, fli.grrL and on the return trip totiew York'.
special mention should be made of iJlr. O.;:c, stutsman. Mr. stutsman was,the
first to reach the Curtiss plant and Was in char ge of all ape ci.al, installat~ons
made on .the a.irulane. Mr. G"',;u'bsmanhad the',ma.tter so well in hand 'that upon my.
arrival at the Curtiss p Larrb some three weeks later, I found every'thing progressing
'-3- V-5294, A.S.
satisfactDr.ily arid se,va,ral changes m"ada.,whi,ch I had 'not pr-ev Lou afy , "t' 'd ' ..
stutsm wh t rre que s e • Mr.
, . an, 0 was s 'It 1.0ned at salduro, utah, during the flight, went to San Fr9.n-
cisco and made all the repaf.r s necessary on the plane fer it s return trip to
New York. ' -
-"--'The dawn, to dusk flight had been authorized by the Chief of Air 'service in or-
der to demonst:ate,what the Air Sbrvice had so long contended; first, that a
standard ~u!'su~t ai.r-p Lans pr-oper-Ly equipped was capable of withstanding such a
s~vere grJ.IHng aSWll'Qld be recehed on a flight of this nature; second, that a'
pl.lot was. a?le to wi'chstand t ne strain i.nvolved - some eighteen hours flying in
type 0:
one day; ~hJ.td, to show cOlilP';erci'lJ. interests
alrplane, and its re:iabHity,
using lt to full advarrtage either in their
'the possibilities
and to:nake
individual
them realize
of the pursuit
that they were not
commercial interests at
present organized or in the creation. of D.ir'lin.es such as are being operated in
Europe. today; and, fourth. that it is possible to have ian air force located some-
where an the middle wesG whicl1can be transferred to any border of the United
stat,~s within the span of a single day. It is of course too expensive to maintain
an aJ.r force on each coast or border large enoug~ to repel an enemy attack of such
magnitude as will be launched during the next war.
R. L. MAUGHAN
1st Lieut. A. S. If
WORLDFLYERS COMPLETE
,-AERIALCIRCUMNAVIGAT
ION OF Tm~ GLOBE. V
After a lapse of six months and six days, the around-the-wor1d flyers return-
ed to Olover Field, santa Monica, calif., the place from which they started on
March 17th last on their hist oric world-encircling flight.
Chalk up another great triumph for America and ~he Army Air service: This
country may justly be proud of enjoying the distinction of being the first nation
to accomplish the stupendous undertaking of a flight around the world by airplane.
Thus far we have received no detailed report from the commander of the world
flight, Lieut. Lowell H. smith, covering any portion of their long and interesting
journey, and so we cannot dwell at this time on t.h e.. experiences encountered by
the Army airmen. It Was not deemed wise to place on the commander of the flight
the burden of writing official reports on such a difficult mission as the one un-
dertaken, r0alizing that all his time would have to be utilized in taking needed
rests and keeping eCluipment in shape. as well a:;: mak.rrig plans for the jumps ahead.
We shall no doubt be fully enlightened on the details of the world f~ight
when Lieut. Smith renders his official repe;rt -Ijo the Chief of Air service. one
thing we can say as to t~e general effect of the world flight is that it created
interest all over the wo r Ld and aroused unbounded enthusiasm in the United states.
We can only hope that this enthusiasm will be lasting and that aviation from now
on will receive the r-e co gni.t.Lcn and support which it surely merits;
In our last ch70nicle of the world flight we left off where the flyers had
landed at Boston. They left the "City of C'~lt'.lrell at noon on september 8th. ~ith
Mitchel Field, L.1.. New York, as their destination •. They were escorted by e~ght
other planes, inclUding General Patrick's plane. At three o'clock the planes were
skirting Long Island Sound. crossing the H''t!'lem Eiver, the planes headed' for ,
Central park, flew at an altitude of about 2,oOOf1get over 5th Avenue~ crossed the
E~st River and Brooklyn, and landed at Miichel Field at 3:20 p,m. The streets a~d
open spaces of the American Metropolis were :filled with excited New yorkers. then
upturned faces watching the flyers speeding over their city.' IDactory whistles be-
gan to shriek, and sirens from fira departments I liners, steamers. tug boats,stc.,
joined in the general din.
There was a crowd of about 5 000 people at IVJitchel Field to greet the flyers,
and as they landed there was a wiJd outburst of cheer Lng, The Prince of ~~alf;sJe.!1d
his party were in the gr ands't and , and che prtnca appeared as much Gnthuseo as l.he
others. After General Patrick landed, he crossed the r i s l.d and 6ho01.< 1"a.1('1.8 \"ith
Lieut. smith and his comp ana ons , Th8re wer-e Cl'Ii"<:Dio,.,ies, speG(,hes and pr e eanta ..
tions at the grandstand. H'.md'''ed3 of teJ.eg:' arne !l;,d c!3clegram0 »ore &.W~l:iti.1."g the
flyers. They received the ~o;'lgrl.tLllE~t l/JJ::S of r~"~ o..Iy the Pl~il'lGe of \fales but of
King George V ,Who cabled as fOllOWrJ 'to Gane.ra.l pe.td::'-1<:
"Balmoral Castle sept. 8.192.1
General Patrick
Chief' of Arnsrican Military Air se;cvice
'I'1ashj.r;g+,o~l ~
Will you kindly convey 'co L:ieiJ+.enant smith and LiE'utenant Nelson my hearty con-
gratulations on completing for the first time in his'cory' the circle of the world
_4d V-52S4 A S
B<imorenewspaper.
FOll~\ving the introductions all around, the stQ..!! of-news photographers had '
, their inru.ng, and for ten minutes or so the president, the cabinet members 'and tile
world flyers ~toO? in various poses for their benefit. The ropes proved no barri;;r
to the enthusl.astl.c crowd, and after the presiden"t; arid-hi.s party left they sur~'ou'.~
ed the flyers, shook their hands,' patted thernonthe back and wished them a;:'l tiO~-c.s
of good luck. The flying Magellans were to have 'flown over the city of Washington
prior to landing at Bolling Field, but 'the lateness o'r the hour and the kncwl.edga '
1hat the president and his cabinet were waiting at the field necessitated the aban-
e
.donm.entof that program. The residents of the National Capital were: however, af_
forded the privilege of wat ching the world flyers circle over the city on Nctional
pefenee Day, Friday, sept. 12th, when the w-eather was all that could be desired.
WhenLieut. Nelson had his forced landing at Halethorpe, Md., he left the
~lane in charge of 1118 mechanieian, Lieut. John Harding, Jr. 'Captain Louis G~
~eister, of Dayton, Ohio, who was piloting one of the escort planes, perceiving
~ie~t. Nelson's predicament, left the formation and also landed at Halethorpe. He
,~r.ned his plane over to Lieut. Nelson. who lost no time, in taking off for Bolling
field. The trouble with the l'Neworleans" was a stripped timing gear. The follow-
!-ttg day, Sept. loth, a new motor was brOUght to the scene of the forced landing,
,,~stalled in the "New Orleans". and Lieut. Nelson flew it to Bolling Field.
- .'. The airmen called on president Coolidge, secretary of War Weeks, and high Army
,rricials. Ne-spaper photographers were on the job as usual. The world flyers are
"0 doubt the most photographed personages in the world today. On their visit to
ttte president they were aecompanied by the secretary of War, General Patrick and
~,nereJ, Mitchell. Theworl,d flyers paid severa1 visits to: ,the Army Air serviee
h~adquarter8 in the Munitions Building and gave us the opportunity ot shaking their
h~ds and congratUlating them.. , '
The original itinerary of the flight across the AI'I'.ericancontinent, from st.
""eeph. Mo" onto the pacific Coast was changed. and it was decided to tollow the
s.uthern route, to\.\ching Muskogee, Okla.; Dallas and El paso, Texas; Tucson, Ariz. i
S~ Diego, LoIS Angeles and San Franeisco, Calif.; Eugene, oregon, and seattle. Wash.,
'tf1e terminus of the flight. The reason for making this change Was due to the fact
that the World cruisers, haVing been !1&Wl'1 under very unusual conditions and being
theretore subjected to considerable strain. have lost' some of their efficiency, and
:I., was deemed 'Wise not to follow the Air Mail route - Cheyenne, Wyo" and Salt Lake
q.ty, utah, to Santa MOnica. Calif. - wh1ch route would have necessitated climbing
19 altitudes of more than 9,000 feet. '
, At 10:50 a.m. september 13th, the worldrlyere took o-1't from Bolling Field for
..,rt
MccookField. Dayton, Ohio. General Wm.Mitehell accompanied the flyers in an es-
plane for a short distance-. The trip to Dayton was uneventful save, that a
.,nse tog was encountered over Uniontown, pa., forcing the airmen to deviate from
their course. They arrived at MCCookField at 5: 33 p.m. Amid the din of the noise ..
~ing devices they made an easy landing and alighted from their planes to receive
lhe hearty handshakes and ccmgratulations of their fellow officers at MeCookField
~d the city officials and business men of Dayton. Newspaper repo~s state that
!tar1y 100,000 spectators gathered at MccookField to welcome the bl.rdmen. The ,
.~ee World Cruisers as they approached the field were in the center of a squadron
".'.'. planes from MoCookField and Wilbur. Wright Field acting as, an escort. The giant
larling Bomber, piloted by Lieut. Harold R. Harris, was in the lead. and olose be-
l'a1Jldwas a small pUrsuit ship. The difference in size .between these two ships
!reated no Uttle comment.amongthe spectators. Lieut. Wade was the f'ifst to land.
~10sely followed by Lieut. Nelson and Lieut. Smith. .
Lieut. Nelson and Lieut. Harding, his mechanic, who are 'both statJ.oned at
Mccook Field, were warmly welcomed by tellow officers who picked them up from the
cockpit of the llNeworleans" and carried them around the field on their shoulders.
All of the flyers were dinner guests at night ot Major John F. curry,cornmat;ding
Officer of MCCookField. Mayor Frank B. Hale, heading a committee ~! 100 cJ.ti.zens,
formally greeted the airmen and, it is reported, each of them was gaven a leather
eu:l.t case, presented by the Dayton Chamber of Commerce, while Dr. HS. MOSS,
president of the Kiwanis Club of Dayton. gave eaeh of the pilots a $50. Liberty
Bond. The citizens of Dayton started a movementto raise a fund to rel.rnburse the
world flyers for expenses incurred by them on their trip, announcement to this ef ..
feet having appeared in the newspapers. '
The Hon. John W. Weeks, secretary of War, sent the following :telegram in
this connection to MayorHa1e of Dayton: '
lIReference your telegram to Chief ATrttY 'Air service about Round...the ..World
-6- V-5294, A S
Fiiers
cit and item'
ro ",', from,-,,'
Dayton ap , '. '.'
,peann~:m ".',
mornJ.ng papers st ' atingcitizens yOl.1.1'
y"~ posed to re~mburse these ofh.cers for exp~n5es incurred'by them'while
O~rFlJ.ght, I am.gl ad to'.informyouthat this matter has been taken up by the
W .:Departme~t •. , We beheve all of the extra expenses incurred by these eUi-
'. o('~~scan bedef:aY~dfrom available fUl'1d~h If not, Congress will be asked to
maean appr-opr'Lat Lo n for that purpose. ""
' Lfieut ", Smith arid his fellow flyers took leave of Dayton at 10-00 a m sept
15th ,. or ChJ.cago
, • D'puri.ng t h'e.i.r stay
" at Dayton the World Cruisers were . ••
thoroughly •
°IerhaUled and reconditioned. Thousands ~fspectators swa~med to the Air Mail
~vald, at Mayw?Od. Ill., 12 miles west of ?hicago, to greet .the airmen, who arrived
fl~r lower Ch~cago a~ 12:34 p.m.T~e resJ.qen"bs of the Wi!?dy City watched their
m t ~t fro~ all pe es Ibj,e vantage pO:Lnts. The World cruis,ers, flying in close for-
ad:LOn, w?re accompanied by five escort planes. The landing, at MaywoodField was
rna e at 12: 55 p. m, " .
shi ;hicago wa~.~a~ura11Y very enthusiastic over the world flight. since the Flag-
ro p as named J.n.honor; of the M~ddle West metropolis, and the flyers were given a
yal welcome. FJ.rst to greet LJ.eut. Wade were his parents who live in '
~iSSOPOliS, Mi~h. Reception committees were swept away in the excitement,and the
yers had a hard struggle to reach the automobiles to carry them around the f~eld
the poli ce b"eang t orced t() make a pathway for them. .They '"
were driven to the " ... ,
Riversid~ Country Club for .luncheon and later were conducted on a sight-seeing tour
~f the cJ.ty_ A reception was given before dinner at the Chicago Beach Hotel where
the flyers received mementos from the Aero Club of Illinois. ' ' ,
Fog?y weather forced the aviators to remain in Chicago an extra day, but on
the morn~ng of september 17th they took off for Omaha and 'arrived there at 12:55
p.m" 4 hours and 44 minutes from the time theY,left Chicago. As was the case at
the other stopp~ng points, the citizens of Omahawere on the lookout for the world-
encircling airmen. Downtown sections of the city were crowded and traffic was'sus-
pended. The landing was made. at the Air Mail Field at For:t crook, ten mi1~s Muth
of omaha. Several thousand persons Were at the field when the planes landed.
In an editorial welcoming the flyers, the omaha BEE concluded same as follows:
"So omaha welcomes these flyers today ,regretting only that under the ci'reum-
at-ancea rths gesture must be brief. \Along with the weloomewill go the Godspeed
'dnd the hearty good wishes of all. Lieutenants smith, Nelson and Wade, ana your
gallantoompanions, we greet you, and send you on with the heartiest of good will
and profoundest admiration for what you have accomplished."
The world flyers . retired early in order to rest up for their long flight the
follOWing day to st. Joseph, Mo. and !.ffUskogee,Okla..~oma. They left omaha at 10:41
a.m, and made the l2S ..mile flight to st. Joseph in one hour and 48 minutes, landing
at 12;29 p,m. and receiving a wild demonstration from the 5,000 people gathered at
the landing field, The three pilots were escorted to the reviewing stand where
there was a brief welcoming ceremony. After' a stay of less than an hour for hinch
and to have their planes refueled, the world flyers hopped off for Muskoge~, Okla.,
at 1:24 p.m., and negotiated the distance of 340 miles in 3'hours and 55,minutes:"
landing at Hatbox Field at 5:22 p.m., Central standard time. An advance plane pil~t
ed by Lieut. R.C. Moffatt,' preceded the air Uagellans'in landing. His appearance
over the city was the signal for all whis~les and sii"ens to shriek a welcome,. arid
the erowdpacked around the field burst into cheering. The flyers after 1~av1ng
their planes paraded thrOUgh the downtown section of Muskogee. A civic dinner in
their honor was held at six o'clock.
Leaving Muskogee at '12:30 p.m, , September 19th, on their ,225-milefl~ght to
Dallas, Texas. the world flyers landed at Love Fieldi3.t 4:23 pvm, They ,fustflew
over Dallas with an escort of five airplanes, while 20 other ships comprised the "
balance olthe ijsco-ttt that trailed the world airmen. The slow speed was caused by
strong head winds. The airmen now faoed the last difficult jump between them and
their goal. seattle, Washington" for the distance from Dallas to El paso by the
right ot way of the Xexas and pacific Railroad, Which the flyers followed for a
guide, is 645 miles. They left Dallas at 9:40 atm. september 20th and landed at
Fort Bliss, El paso, Texas, at 6:15 p.m., Mountain Time. Th~usands of peopl~, in-
cluding visitors from allover the southwest who were attendJ.ng the Internat10nal
southwest Expostion, had waited at the Fort since three o'clock. The flyers were
escorted by seven planes from Fort Bliss which met them at Sierra Blanca. It was
estimated that about 20,000 perspns were on the flying field when the planes landed.
As the planes taxied up to the hangars, the spectators broke through the ropes that
ha" been stretched to keep them off, and i~ was with oonsiderable difficuHy '~hat
\ -7 ..' V-5294, A 5
\
.""
ttltt Cavalry guard was able to hold th~m in check. Major Leo Heffernan, Commanding
~~~~er 0i the Air S~rvice troops.at Fort Bliss, was the first to greet Lieut.
• . A ter the aV1~tors had alJ.ghted from their planes they were greeted by Gen.
R~L. H:wze, Mayor DavJ.s .and Mr. A.M. Lockhart of the Chatn'ber.of Commerce.
l' ~ september ~lst tne around-the-world flyers completed another lap in their
ong Journey, Landang at the Tucson aviation field at l-l8p m Mountain Time after
an uneventful flight of 7 hours andlZ minutes from El paso.' Thousands of per~ons
~ere m~ssed around the held when the World cruisers. flying in' Close triangular'
ormatJ.on. appeared over the Rincon Mountains circled the fieldtwi~e and then
landed
i at .2..mi t . t
nu e an er-val,a, .'.'" ,
A guard 0 f unJ.ted st ates cavalry kept t)'leenthusiast-
e crowd an perfect order. Immediately after leaving the field the flyers were'
luncheon gu~sts of local'reserve officers. A ~eception was held for them at a. local
hqt~l! and J.n the evening they were tendered a banquet by local civic and military
othcJ.als and representatives of Virtually every county in the state of Arizona.'
Blanket s were pres?nted to the aviators at a public meeting held at the'.University
01 Arizona - the gJ.ft s of various Aritona cities. "
Early. the folloWing morning, september 22nd. the world flyers took off for
R,ckwell FJ.eld, San Diego, 'calif., and arrived there at 10:35 a.m. Needless to say,
a large cr!"lwdwas on hand at the field to welcome them. First to greet Lieut~$mith
w,re his mother and tather, and a touching scene followed. The man of steef'}le'rVe
who had pa.s~ed through such a. trying ordeal as a flight around the world,beset. ,
W~~hhardsh:l.ps and dangers, actually wept as his parents embraced him. Anothet Te-
U~:l.O~ between mother and son occurred ~len N~s. Harding, mother ot Lieut. John
HardJ.ng, Jr., flung her arms around her boy's neck. The enthusiasm of the crowd
w~s such ~hat the flyers had a difficult tj,me making their way to the reviewing ,
stand: FJ.nally, Lieuts. Nelson, Smith, Wade, Harding, Arnold and Ogden, with.their
r~lat:1.Ves, were grouped together for the ,official welcome, and they were cordially.
greeted by Col. F.B. Lahm, Air service, Air Officer of the 9th corps Area, Major S, '
Wf FitzGerald, Commandingoffi.cer of Rockwell Field, and members of the reception
cpmmittee. . . ". . .: , .
, On september 23rd the worid flyers landed at santa Monica. Calif:. , at 2:47 p.m.,
thus actually completing the circumnavigatio~ of the globe. The home. coming was wit-
,t
~essed by What traffic officers declared to be the largest assemblage ever gathered
santa Moniea, We shall no doubt get reports. from our Correspondents on the
pacific coast giving the details on the reception of the world flyers, in which event
~~ shall quote them in our next issue.
McCookField is feeling sorely the loss of Lieut. Alexander Pearson, Jr., who
was killed on the evening of September 2nd when the plane which he was flying crash-
ed at Wilbur \i\TrightField. Lieut. Pearson had been eno.sen 'as one of the pilots to
compete in the Pu~itzer Speed Race on october,. 4th" and the Navy Curtiss Racer R..8
had been assigned as his mount. He was making a practice flight in the Racer when,.
upon putting the plane into a climb 'after having flown level across the field for
~~out a quarter ('If a mile, the left wing failed at an altitude of about 3?O feet.
A sket,ch of Lieut. Pearson's life, which was rich in courage and dar Lng, and
u,usually crowded with aviation adventure, is given below, as folloWS: . ,
Lieut. Pearson was born November 12, 1895, at sterling, Kansas. He gr~duated ..
~~ Bachelor of scienee, University of oregon, and also graduated from the AJ.r servJ.ce
~ngineering school at Mccook Field, Dayton, Ohio. Thougb one of the younger f~ye:s,
Lieut. pearson's record is one of the most highly colorful in the annals of aVJ.atJ.on.
Me was a senior in the University of oregon When in 1917 he enlisted in the' Army,
geing to the Officers t Training camp at the presidio of Sa.n Francisco, calif., where ,
on May 13 1917 he received a commission as 211dLieut. of Infantry. But LJ.eut.,
r~arson h~d his'eye on flying and requested a transfer to the Aviation secti~n ~f the
itgnal Corps. \fuenthis did not. seem to be forthcoming, he resigned his c?mmJ.ss1o~,
e~listed forl,ground school work in the Signal corps; and upen the ~omp~et:Lonof h1.s
ttying training was commissioned. During the war he served as flYJ.n~ 1nstructor at
v~ious fields, returning to the University of Oregon after the sign1ng of the
Armistice to complete 'fork for his degree., .
He served at carlstrom Field,Arcadia, Fla., from January 1 to July 1, 1919;.
Scott Field, Ill., from July, 1919, to January,'. 1920; on Mexican Border patrol duty
at Douglas, Ariz., ~ogales, Ariz_, aad El paso, Texas, from Janus:y 1, 1920, to
N~vember. 1922. Thereafter he served at McCookField. Dayton, OhJ.o•
..8-
~ Sis approxima~e flYing.~ime totalled +830 hours and he has flown all types of
suanda~: and exper~~entalalrcraft in the U.S. Army Air service.
L Ut, pearson s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Alexander pears.on, Sr., are residents
o~ Portland, Oregon. A brother, William pearson, also held a lieutenant's commis-
non and was a flyer during the iv/orid War.
m 1921 Lieut. Pearson married Miss Margaret Shannon of Douglas, Ariz. Mrs.
P:arson holds the unofficial world's altitude record for womenin a Martin Bombe~.
L~:ut. pearson haVing recently taken her on a !light in this type of ship to a ~
he~ght of 9,000 feet.
In October, 1919, Lieut. Pearson entered the first transcontinental air contest
held in the United states, . It was a round-trip reliability contest from NewYork
to ~an Franci~co, or vice versa, and it was open to all Armypilots recommended by
thelr respectlve commandingofficers and to all planes of 100 miles per hour apeed
or over •. There were 74 entries, Three classes of competition were to be recognil-
ed: (a) tlme competition, (b) speed competition, (e) handicap competition. The
flyer who crossed the continent in the shortest time irrespective of stops and rae-
tual :lying time was to be the winner of class (a), the one making the fastest fly-
i~g tlme.was to be the winner of class (b), and the one making the fastest flying
tlme tak1ng the normal,speed of the plane into consideration, was to be the winner
of. class (c). Lieut. Pearson Wonboth points (b) and (c), crossing the continent
tW1ce in 48 hours, 14 minutes and 8 seconds flying time, which was a transcontinent-
al record for that date.
Even the few years that have elapsed give the accounts of that internationally
~nteresting event, -with its uncharted airways, with. its lack of parachutes, without
~mpro~ed ?ornpasses to give accurate direction through fog, with its old DeHavilands
1n Wh1Ch1n ease of crash the pilot was caught between the gas tank and the engine
and in which the mechanic slid down the tail to give stability for landing - a
quaint tang of bygone flying times. stormy weather, treacherous landing fields and
a forced landing were incidents of Pearson's flight. Toward the close of the trip
he took advantage ot a rival whose motor was faster than his own but who traveled
near the ground to be sure ot landmarks, by roaring through the clouds until he
strUCk. a favoring wind and by keeping an eye on the flyer beneath him, with the
wind giving him added speed, he had his direction charted for him. When asked if
he had ha~ any remarkable experience during the trip, Lieut. Pearson laughed and
said: "Yes, I got there and back, I' This is typical of his brevity, tor he has
even more than the typical flying man's reticence and embarrassment about discuss-
ing his own exploits.
It was While he was with the Mexican Border patrol at Douglas, Arizona, that
/ Lt. pearson met with an experience that the most adventurous of us would prefer
f ~
hazarding Vicariously via a novel and an ea~y chair to encountering personally.
Authority had been obtained to attempt a two-stop coast to coast flight from pablo
Beach, Jacksonville, Florida, to Rockwell Field, san Diego, Calif. It was hoped to
cover the 2079 miles in twenty-four hours, establishing.a.new transcontinental
speed record. Special work had been done on a new DH, installing extra large gas
and oil tanks to give the neoessary capacity for such a flight. Lt. Pearson took
tff from the field at Douglas, all preparations having been completed, intending to
fly to pablo Beach by easy stages. He was forced down, however, near columbus,New
Mexico, by engine trouble. Help was sent him and it was thought that the trouble
was corrected. He took off again, flying to El paso. Texas, where he spent the ni~
The next morning, February lOth,1921, he left El paso for San Antonio. H~ pas8~d
over Sanderson, Texas, and that was the last seen of him for six days. ~~xty~flve
airplanes combedthe country in an effort to find him. The giant Capronl phO~~-
graphic plane was chartered to the cause, hoping that enlarged photographs woukd re-
veal some trace of a fallen plane. Editorial writers waxed eloqu3nt upon young .
soldiers giVing their all "in the line of duty". His friendS who had te"lr. r:1C st op-
timistic began to speak of him in the past tense. Hope was well-nigh exnac st.ed when
gaunt, ragged and unshaven on the night ~t the sixth day he rode into S8~derson and
pronounced himself alive. Owing to the aforementioned re~ic8nce, t he pr s ss ?ould
never make the rr:ost of what had happened during those six days. We suspe ct J.n many
cases they resorted to their own imaginations. B~t e few facts crept cu~~ Dueto
continued engine trouble, Lt. pearson had been f orceti to Land in the barren wast~
Lands of the Rio Grande valley in old Mexico, acre ss :f'!'<Jm WhSi.t is known as the BJ.g
Bend Area of the Texas desert. For three days he had 'NaE~ed wi.thout food 01'" water
seeking some sign of human life. Then the third Say the ~~eilt . .)1' a s~unk had told
him water was near and he had come upon 'the Ric Grande. The fl,rst dr Lnk of it had
-9- V-5294, A S
s~cke,ned him, but aft'er several hours he had Tound a raft and hadstar-l;e'd down the
r~ver. J.-cde in the .aiternoonhe saw two trappers,whotook him to their cern:' . fed
h Lm l:U1d let him sleep. 'Lt. pearson had leftEI paso' Thursc:ay mOl'ning,ThJ.s-';'<iS
SU:1day.. By Tuesday morning the trappers decided that he was able to "trevf;} t,IO'i
one of them set out 'wHh him, They ro de burr-o e.and traveled OV3r 1'0<'::":8 anc cJ..:lf's
t~at it seemed impossible even a burro couf d manage. The camp was so.ne rrinef y
m:l~s . from Sanderson but. capably gudded, it Was simply avques't Lon of time to roach
c1.v111zation. Lieut .. pearson f s plane was rescued and flown back to the statos i;h.e
follow~ng May. The difficulties enccunt ezed by the expedition in reaching the in-
access1.ble spot where the plane :rested is mute testin:ony of Lieut. pearson's lone
struggle back to his fellows. His; transcontinental flight
, ()f course had to be
f
abandoned.
A picturesque and hazardous opportunity for further adventure awai.ted ju.st .
around the corner. howeverQ In' June. 1921. the Air service at the request of the
Department of the Interior made pl~lS for studying and charting air currents in and
about the Grand Canon. Lt. pearson Was detailed to this dut y , also he was to fly
the territory surrounding the Canon to locate possible ,landing' fields. At that
time it was thought highly improbable that an airplane 'could fly into the Canon be-
causeo! the treacherous air conditions~ For two weeks. in good weather and bad,
Lt. Pearson flew over arid into the canon, being the first in all its age-long ext s-
t.~nee to make the attempt. For the first time' air pictures ot the magnificent walls
and tormations were obtained. The theory of treacherous air 'currents had proved a
f~llacy. the'only' rough region being abllve the rim of the ,Canon 'walls. Another fal-
l'acy that Lt. Pearson 'exploded during these flights Was tha:t,coneerning the impossi-
bility of taking off in high altitudes because 'of the rarity f)1' the atmosphere. Lt.
Pearson landed and took off' with sUl.prising ease itl Big park. near the Canon at an
altitude oi9,000 feet. Landing f'ields were char-t ed and have been used!requently
since. . ,
About this time Lt. Pearson made many'night flying tests. night flying being .
then in its infancy. Since his arriv.al at Mccook Field his eareer has been no less
active. Upon the completion of his course at the Air service Engineering school. he
WaS appointed test pilcrt in the Mccook Field Flying section. On March 31, 1923, he
broke the World's'speed record for 500 kilometers. held by Boussotrot of Frrance,
by 1 hou~and40 minutes. This record was held by Lt. pearson until June, 1924.
when Sadi Lecointe regained it for France. Another record flight wag~trtadefrom
Dayton to NewYork, when testing instruments. in 4 hours and 4 minutes. the fas~est.
time at that date.
Last year Lt. pearson Was an entre.rit in the 1923 Pu+itzer Race. flying the
Verville Sperry monpplane, and greatdi.sappointment was-his when engine troub~e .
forced him out of the runnang, In a letter of cominendationtrom General. patrJ.ck .on
his conduct in that instance he Was promised a billet in this year's pulJ.tzerRace.
He Was to fly the curtiss R-8 and, from the speed of this plane and Lt. pe~rsonfs
skill',in handling it. there was little doubt but that he would have -e aken fust .-
pls:ce in the pulUzer Race this year.
----------
The untimely death of Lieut. pearson deprived theAr~y Air service of a ster-
ling pilot and an excellen-tyoung officer, and his loss is keenly, felt by all. The
Air service sends its condolences to his bereaved family.
AIR SER'VICEACTDTITIESINHAWAII
During the preceding six months, the 5th Composite Group at Luke FieldtH~waii.
composed of the 23rd and 72nd Bomoe.rdrnerttsquadrQns, . 6th and ~9th pursui~ squ~~r~ns,
65th service squadron nth Photo Section and 41st AU IntellJ.genee sectJ..on, wJ..t f
several detachments. hew a total of 3000 hours and maintained a monthly average 0
8010 ships in commission. . . . .
From the fa..rst inter-island night. after a lapse, of two years. to MOl~kaJ..~~a:'
April 1923 landing fields have been g~adually establ1.she~ on all,of the fJ..~~ k ~
islands of the ar chf.peLage, from Northwest to southwe~t. Vl.Z; KauaJ., ,Oah~. ~~.t'~n~~'
Maui and Hawaii , which from the star.dpoint of populat1.on,
and comm,erc1.alamp ': '
1 k' F' elds were a' co cS-
are ranked as follows: Oahu, Hawaii, Kaua.u, Maul. and Mo 0 aa , 1. .•~
tablished .,n Lanai and Ni:i.hau. " . d "manv spe-
Monthly i.nter-island fl:i.gjJ.ts are scheduled in tra:LnJ.ng,pr-o?rams, .an.\. ".d
eial fli,.,.\o,"tsare made in addition. Theail"'way system is atJ.ll ,1n thebrl~'''~'i., :'. De
0" .' t' t d ulatJ.ons pu 'Si'dO,"y -
the slowness in development haa been due to 1'8 S 1'1.Ce reg ... .' '.• ~.+ " . '
1-.t .' ment It 1.S expected ttl,1- Jy
partment Headquarters and shortage 0 f cornea equ1p. V ,. "Otl AS
-10- -o~~z,
October there will be as coIIiplete an airway system as there is in the states.
The civilian population has coopcr~~eQ fully wj~h the Air service in estab-
lishing these fields, and the Airway~ Sys'te1l1 is well sold. It has been easy to
demonstrate the saving of time, as t:16 Islands are separated by channels ranging
from 15, 20,40 tp60 miles wide and traversed by slow and small boats.
DOUGLAS
WORLD CRUISERf.iFOR THE PHILIPT'INES. V
Our Correspondent from Kindley Field Fort Mills. P.I •• states that official
information was received that orders have'been placed for six Douglas World
Cruisers (modified) to be shipped to the squadr-on stationed at -this field. He
~tates that this is, indeed, good n&"\'!~and that with such equi.pmerrt it will be pos-
sible to do some real WOI'k and make acme nice inter ...isl-al1d trips. While -t.he old fl-
Boats are reliable, they have served their pur-po se and deserve to be reth'ed. If
some means is now devised of launching seaplanes f r orn either 'side of the island r:f
Corregidor it will be possible to fly almost daily the year round, which is essen-
tial. At present, for at least three months. flying is pToblematical, due to rough
seas on south side of island. If a' track system were installed from one side of
the i,sland to the other whereby planes coul.d be :readily transfer:l'ed from one side
to the (')ther the problem would be solved, This seems 'co be the better mabhc d and
would eliminate building hangar-s on both sides of the island. due to the fact .that
any numb'er of nl.anes could be transferred 'back and forth wUh the track syst em,
, "
The following resolution was adopted at the 6th Annual Convention of the
American Legion held at zanes'd11e, Ohio, on August 18'I;h and 19th:
"WHEBEAS, There will be held in Dayton. Ohio, 00\;01er 2~ 3 and 4th by the In-
ternation' Aeronautical Asso ciu.t,ion the InternaJci-<lna1 Air Races. including twelve
events for all classes of Aircraft, and
"VffiEREAS,such competi"cion develops types (If airci"af't best fitt.ed for military
defense, as well as .typGS for advan0ing ~mmercial aoronautics, end
"VfHEREAS, The American Legion 'l1elieves 'the defense of this country rests to a
-11 .. V-5294, A S
r-
)
j
large degree upon the proper development o~ both military and commercial aircraft,
now therefore,
. "BE IT RESOLVED, By the sixth Annual convent-ion of t~e American Legion of Ohio
th~t endorsement of these races is here:hy gi.ven , and all member-s of the Legion in
th1s Depar ment are urged~o cooperate to the fullest
7 exten~ in making such races
a s~ccess an order, thereby, that not only may the development of ai.r cr-af't be ex-
ped1.ted, but also the American pu,blic educated to the military and commercial value
of the airplane." .,
SA1\f
DIEGO'~ PREP ARATrONS
TO WELCOME
LIEUT. SMITH.
TYPHOONFLYINGIN THETROPICSV
By our correspondent
The Island of Mindoro, lying off the southwest corner of Luzon, although only
seventy miles. from Manila, with exoeption of a few flat miles edging the coast, is
practically unexplor.ed. Whenthe field at San Jose, an the estate of the Mindoro
Sugar company was first established, the primitive natives on ("observing the planes
flying above their jungles. were terrified. believing that the ~onstrous Winged ani-
mals would SUbjugate and devour or otherwise annihilate them. One instance is re-
ported where a vener-able native dropped dead with fright.
As the San Jose field with its large area and sloping sides provide an excel-
lent landing place in all seasons, and partiCUlarly during the typhoon season it
has proved a cross country destination of exoeedingpopularj.ty. It provided It some
place to fly" and an opportunity for the C~p Nichols officers to keep their "hand
in" as cross-oountry pilo.ts I wh;j.chthe layihg of concrete, and more eoner-et.e , erect.
ing hangars, building roads and incidentally an airdrome worthy of the name does
not. -13- V-5294 AS
. .. .~
Although the airline distance is o,nly one 'hundred fifty miles 'the flight to
San Jose is full of interest. To the west' of the course, before J.~avi~g Luzon,
i he Planes.pass 1ak: 'raal, in the center of which is the Taal Volcano, now peace-
ully r8o~~ng bu,t always .a menace, and which c@~sed a considerable Joss of life by
its e.rupt~on in .L912 , ~-Jea7ing INl;on near Bat angas the .cour se lies oyer the verdi
Isla~d 'pa.ssa.ge) a wa'~e:r hop of' some tWGnty miles, and through a pass in the Mindoro
Moun"Ca~ns, "lihence sout h en the west '.coast 'of Mindo':ro -Co San Jose which lies on the
southwes" coast ..f ....116 .,. ',' . d ,,, .h d ' , " . .
d ," II, v ,u ,..L&J.a~.,[' rom II e eep green of the [ungl.s ..mat t e d mourrc ai.ns,
eel? canyo ned r1"I}'e1'6flow U\FC th!'o':.lgh, t he co gon gras S 0 f the coast 1and and empty
throl1g" h ., ,.', . t. " C>"
ge~\las, u. c ;;h3 Cl'1:i.f"a, Seu~ Tile 'I'urquc.Lse gr-eens of the subma: r ine growth
are eleurly seer. th'.-r"ugh ~he clY.Bta1. 'CJ.t:3rlr wa-ce-:o, whi"l.e hare and there
L a number of
bea~tihlJ.slllan isJ.ands and ancn or ed close by occa,sio~al til'lY fishing boats with
the~.I' odd shaped GaLLo '\\;i1.:.. a'Jpe~l,l"•
. Oo.i ono I ,Johnson;' e :"ow ra:;J1hUng plantation home is famous rorit s hospitality.
Transportation in the :'o:rm (of rand car s., propelled by husky little hombres, are
sent to meet the fliers soon: aHer landing and 'the:'; ride through wavi.ng fields of
s~gal' cane and bananatre0s ov~r tracks especiaUy' laid for convenience of visHing
Pl.lc\"t~ to -'"he genial marage!" i 'J casa, Col, Jchiu~on, who has received-the highest de-
cora:honsfrom. all 'i;r.e lJl~ied c01,;l'r~ries whiloin command of t,hs Allied Military
Police F',rce at Vlad.ivo:Jsbd{, gr eeta the pilots and provides, quanti.ties of food
and drink of the. very'Jes;,j and insiststhe,t"l'.hev.isito:rrs treat the. house, swimming
tank t "pet" crocodiles, mer kay and r.n.<.chach(,s as thei.r own. ' ,... . .
~xoellent hurrt Lng (If de.::!!'.. and ducks abounds , and Lieute.Mccune and Weddington
experJ,enced the rare pr.:l.viJego' at sho,yting two 'I'amaI'ao, a f'er-e cd.cus small' wild
cousin of the carabao wb,i.::h is f()u'16. lbwhere al se in the wo,rl'do The Air service,in
con~unotion with the I1'lsular Gover'nm(~:nh, ccndu cue d a locust campad.gn during the,' "
apr ang I:'f this year wHh San Jose Field as h"3fdqu13.l'te:s.. The Bt'l,"eau of Agriculture
has erected two hanger-s of niFfk i
pa:J.m at.> the' fi:eld, in ':meof Which. ,is housed the
"Jenny" owned by the Insular a.
Go'vcT'l"'lf)t'ri; .and nd~"n by' Fil,ipinopi:ll't,for use in , : L
EDDIETELLSALICEABOUT
THE AIR CARNIVAL
AT FRANCEFIELD, PANAMA
Ther Major sez hits a shame we ca.int heY a ress afore the next bat ch comes,end'
Captain set the folks in Dallas is restin 'easier now thet.his bumbers he! quit .
bumbin c~mp stanley •. I agrees mit him too, cause me and the Maj~r has been turri-
bly busy mit these yung hieeners, what mit serapin em out of there gu.rls back yardfl
en everything. 'Whenone of these bozos sees a skirt hangin out the close on Monda}\'
mornins While pushin a bumber, he he! a fitt 'en 'thenks he is Persuitin. .
Sgt. Kenyon sez he i-8:leanin ahead mit a laid in the grave an thenex class
will sho butt him plum in it. He sez he is patient as Job, .strong as Herculees, ",
good as a Nunn. and ki,nd as Me.jor Hickam or, he wood hev commit murder long agn,
Hates himself dont he? Kaydets aint no ~oft snap at that. .
A chicken farmer neer heer sez ~ "A lettle airyplane flue inter my yal'd en iihe
--blankety ..-blank- feller in hit leaned out, swiped two uv my hens, winke4 at my
purtiest dauter, blue doun the Chimbly, turne.d ther hayrick over on ther hogs, an,d
then, by gum, he frisked his ta:il at me," NowI asks you, Silas, What can me and
the C.O. do mit a feller like thet?
The C.O. sez erbout one in five of the Kaydets they get is worth keepin, but
I sez wash em all out. Thenk of makin twenty five M.P.' s , I mean A.P. •s at one
time. Hits too-iUch. Not to mention the six others who is struttin aroun the~e
nobil halls uv lernin from graduatin lass weak. 0, well. there will b? e~~out
sixty more over here erbout september fifteenth. Easy come, easy go, 1S m1ne an
the Benzine boards motto.
Will close" as the Cheef wants me to shOWhim a reel good way to teach t~ese
new Kaydets what hits all erbout~'
yours fer roodern Kulture an eddiquit,
Hennery.
P.S. I hev larned a awfurl ll'lt sirise bein in ther army: The only reason capta.in
Giffin didnt take me on thet x..country t~Boston I tole you erbout WUZ' because he
sez they caint spare me'from the dura, I meen bum, department.
. -17- VM5294 AS
Kelly F'ield, San Antoni(»i;\Texas.I.j}!,pteIll.b.!:._~
Lieut. James A. Doolittle, of Mccook Field, Dayton, .Ohio, with Lteut •. Ewart
Plant as passenger, using a DH4Bwith a~ oversized gasoline tank, 'arrived at this
field from post Field, Okla., at 5:30 p.m. August 13th. Lt. Doolittle took off
~rom San Diego, calif., August l2th and landed at Lowrey Field, Denver, Colo. ,about
tel) hours later, then t,o this field by way of post Field on the following day. They
left t,his field at 7:20 avrn, August 14th, en route to their home station with'
Kansas City as 'their next stop •. ' ,
, 1"~'Lieut.. Charles 'G. Pearcy l:recen'tJ.y a.ssigned to the 41st School Squadron was
re 1e.ved August 15th. Lt. Rocert B. vvilliams was assigned to fill the vacancy , .
~ett,bY':Lt. Pearcy., ' J . •
.' 'Lt. ~hom~s M. ~onroy, Air Service ,a; student at the Advanced Flying 'School, and
Pr1.vate H1.1ar1.')or'tu of the 42nd school Sqdn. were killed 'when a OeHavilandwhich
Lt. Conroy was piloting crashed abcut one mile'north 'of Kelly Field on Sept. 2nd.
Lt..Conr..oy t' who was ;assigned ,to Pursuit tra~ning,was flying a .DeHavilland ,plane
because of the lack of Pur sui t planes at this field. This oUieer was to have '
gra~ua~e~ with the rest of hi,s class on September 13th and had practically ,complet-
edtra1.nJ.ng. Lt. C,onroy is survived by his mother, Mrs. Mary Conroy of Brooklyn,
N,. Y " , and the body was sent there for interment • Private Ortiz's home was in
'tictoria, Texas,: .
" On AU~. 28th 270 students ot the C.U.T.C. were given flights at Kelly Field.
Abpu,t. 25. a1.~plan.es were used for the purpose, both DeHavilanda and Martin Bombers.
The pro~am went. without a hitch and in all the 270 flights ,ther~,was not a single
bl~~ t;Lre, f.orced landing, or indicatipn of motormtrouble. , "
. , f,{, On"Au~st,18' and ,19, the' 5th Corps 'Are'a Golf Competition was' he Ld at t.he COl,-
umbus Country Club at Columbus, Ohio. It was open to Regular, ,fteserv~and'National
Guard officers, A total of $80 was offered in prizes .and o( t}:1is,amount~63,. was
taken by Air Service officers as follo.ws: Lt. H.A. Bartron ~23.00i Major A.W.Robins,
$15;, Lt,. E.H. Bl.lrksd~le, ,$15" and::Capt. John Davis, O.R.C., ~~10. Lt. Bark,s'dale and
Capt. ,navis were scheduled to represent the 5th C'orps"Area at' the Army qolf Champ-
ionship Competition' t,o be held at Ft-. L'eavenworth, Ka.ns." sept, 1 t'o' '?';' "!t' is 'con-
fidently expe ct ed th~t all th~ honors will be carried away by the Air' service.
Major F .H. Coleman and L't. Vi.A. Hayward of Langley Field traveled by air to'
W~lbur Wright :llield, stopping here on August 4. ",
Li,eut.' C.A. Cover just compl~ted' a regul.ar airways trip.' ,,
Capt. E,E, A.~;J.erand Lt. G.E.""Thomas flew to Washing~on on August 7, returning
tp. ~heir home station a tew 'days later. . ,
Lieut. : G.V. Mc;pike flew to ;Bolling Field on August' 8.
on'Augu5t 12th Lt. and Mrs. L.E. '$haron and Lt. and Mrs'. L.p.Reese went to
Baldwin,. Mi'ch., 9Y automobile, expecting to spend ten 'days fishing in No'rthern'
Michigan. . '. " ,
. LieQt. G.V. McPike made a flying trip to selfridge Field Augu'st 12th arid 13th.
Lieut.-Col. \v.E. Gillmore, new chief of the supply Division, was at the office
of the .\Field service section August l5'~h for a brief conference. '
Flying time for Reserve officers at' Wilbur wright Field for the month of July,
1924, was5.~ hours and 30 minutes, '
Lieut .. C. McKellogg, of the Chemical Warfare service, was here for. a few days
and lectured to the Indiana National Guard on the use of gases in war t~me.
Lieut., John R. Drummof Langley Field was here for a short time on Aug. 17th.
Lieut. Devereaux Meyers of Aberdeen, Md., s.topped here on Au:g. 17t-h enroute to
Chicago.
Thef'ollowing account of the visit, orf Maj. den. C.A.' Devol 'appeared in the
Dayton Herald on Aug. 21:
, "GeneralDevol'Dr'ops In" on Friends at Marietta - First visit to Birthplace in
30 yea~s is made in airplane. Surprising his old friends by dropping down in their
front yard from the sky, Major General O.A. Devol, retired, father-in-law of Major
Geo. Brett of Wilbur Wright Field, flew to Marietta Tuesday from Dayton. It was
the General's first visit t e his birthplace in 30 years. He was flown the.re by Lt.
C.A. Cover of the Field service Jection. Major Brett accompanied. the par-by in ,
another ship. General Devol is 'v:Lsiting with Major and tus. Brett on a tr1.p back
fItom Europe. He Was retired from active service several year-sago. He has been an
air enthusiast since his first hop on the l-'acific coast while s'till in service •."
Oapt. E.E. Adler and Lt. E.R. Page were .transferred to MCcookField Aug. 15th.
-18- ' V-5294,A S
, Wilbur 1,'!right Field, Fairfield,Ohio, sept. 5.
~---------
Maj. G.li. Brett f Lew to Cl'8'Veland Aue. 28th in co nne ct Lori with Air Service
contract s •
. . On AUG. 27th Lt. -en. spth 1,;. cook, Ai!'- Officer of the 5th Corps Area, ac com-
panaed by Lt. A.\i'. Motley, proceeded by air to this station, r-et.ur rri.ng to the
corps Area headquarters at columbus, Ohio, on the following day,
capt. Wm.D. Vlheeler of chanute Field, accompanied by Lt. Dawson made a brier
visit Augo 27th to this field, returning to Chanute by air on the sa~e day.
Major H.J. Knarr, accompanied by pvt. Filler, made a complete airways trip
in what is perhaps the shortest time on record en August 26th and 27th. His r out e
w~s as follows: Fairfield, Langin Field, Bolling Field, Mitchel Field, Bolling
F?..e Ld, Langley Field, Boning Field, Langin Field, Flilirfield. The actual flying
time was 18 hours; the total time consumed by the trip was 36 hour s ,
capt. T.F. Weldon was transferred to the Army Medical s cnoo), at \fashingtoh,
D.C., effective bep'~ember 1. He left Wilbur wright Field <In August 23rd and ex-
pected to take a short auto trip thru the Berkshire Hills before reporting at
Washington.
Lieut~ G,V. lilcPike, accompanied by Mr. W. Longletz, flew to Cleveland on
Aug, 25th, returning the following day.
On Aug. 25th a pursuit s quadr cn from ~e1fridge Field stopped for a short time
at Wilbur vvright Field on their way to ~olling !<'ield, Major carl bpatz being in
command. The, other pilots were Lts. oliver VV. Broberg, L.C. Blaokburn, Thomas K.
¥at'thews, bpace and \iai"ner. '
Major Fred H. Coleman of Langley :F'ield was here for a short ,time on August
24.. He ferried a considerable ,quanti.ty of supplies' back to his home station.
on sept. 1st Lt, ii. J. Hanlon left for a t.hirty-day detail, atvvashington.
On bept. 1st the following pilots flew to Findlay, b., and gave an aerial de-
monstration in honor of the reunion of the 37th Division: Major H.J. Knerr, capt.
Jack Colgan, Lieuts. C.A. Cover, G.'f. McPike and C.E. Thomas.,
Lieut. H.H. ,Mills and p.sserve offic<er Jack Laass, the latter piloting a DH4BP
and Lt. i,,1ills a DH4B, flew to BollinG Field Aug. 30th. They left the photographic
plane at Bolling and returned in the other ship on the following day.
Hajor G.H. Brett and Lieut. C.A. cover vl18nt to Bolling Field by air on sept.
2, Dur'ing Hajor Brett's absence Lieut. G.V. McPike was in charge of the Field
service oection.
capt. Henry Pascale and Sgt. Goldberg went to Bolling Field on sept. 4th.
Lt. Arthur E. Simonin ei Langin Field arrived on sept. 3rd, bringing with
hi:m a special DeHaviland 4Br.ll which he left here for overhauling. He intents to
!ly this plane in the Liberty Engine Builders' Race next month. '
Lieut. E.P. Gaines, accompanied by sgt. Heinye, expects to :fly to Lorain,O.
and Erie, pa. within the next two or thr'ee days on specialpp,otographic mission.
Capt. Jack colgan proceeded by air to Middletown, Pa , , <In sept. 5th.
... >---------_._._--_.-Depot,
San Antonio Air Intermediate Kelly Field, Texas, sept, 5th.
On the evening of Augutt 15th the A.I.D. Officers' Club entertained with a
dance and SWimming party in honor of Kelly Field's new commanding Qfficer, Lt. Col
Fechet, and Mrs. Ii'6chet. Approximately fifty, couples from Kelly and Brooks Field!
were present. Fruit punch was served during the dance and at 11:00 o'clock a
lottery was held. First, second and 'chird prizes. were awarded to three Lucky
ladies as a result of the drawing. Iwmediately after the lottery all adjourned
to the sWinnning tank for a cooling dip.
Major Lackland and Lt. Clark participated in the recent 8th corps Area Golf
tournament. Due to 'the stress of duties lvlaj. Lackland dr-o ppe d out a!ter -jjhe
.first day's play. Lt. Clark completed the 72 holes and finished fifth out of a
field of 266entries.
Lieut. Edward H. power s was relieved as Engineering Officer, this Depot,
Aug. 31st and departed for Chicago, Itrl., for 45 days', leave, On oct. 15th he
will leave for the Philip:,>ine Islands, reporting for duty to the commanding
(fficer. camp Nichols. Lt. powers C8,i:Jeto the Depot'inDallas, 'I:exas: dT:'ing
1920; was transferred from the Aviation Repair Depot to San Antonio Air jirc,erme-
diate Depct, where he has continuously served throughout the var Loc s c1sparcments.
in the Engineering Dept. of this Depot up to the time of his departure.
Lieut. clements McMullel'l reported for duty at this Depot sept. Lst 'frr,rJ.
Dl'ooksField and was appointed Chief Enghleer ,Officer. Lt. Mc!1t.;,llen was Engi-
...19-' V-5294 AS
neerofficer at carlstrom Field and was trqnsferred with the prj.mary Flyin,g'Schoo;, J
fro~ carlstr~m to Brooks Field durin;:; June 1':J~2, where he continued to ser-ve as '
Eng~eer off1cer until he was transferred to this Depot.
Lieut.-Col. ,G.C. culver, Air Officer, 8th Corps Area, paid this Depot a visit
the.early p~t of the week. The Colonel flew here in a DeHaviland, in which a new
eng1ne was 1nstalled during his visit •
. Lieu~. V. Hine, Post Adjutant, has been granted a month's leave. Lt. F.vv.
Selfert, an addition to his other duties, is Ac"Hng Adjt. in Lt. Hine1s absence.
vvarrant Officer John W. COTJOran of crissy Field was a visitor at this field
the past week. He mot cr e d down frol!J San Francisco for the purpose of getting Mrs.
Corcoran, who was visiting friends in San Diego for the past month.
Due to the beginning of the typhoon season it was impossible to launch sea~
planes the greater' part of June, In spite of this, f act , considerable flying time
was obtained by all pilots. The s'.u'f st ar-t ed kicking \.\p the latter part of May and
it was entirely too rough to launch seaplanes .the day the 'fTh'JmasH arrived. This
was a disappointment to all pi1o'~s as i-~ is cust omar-y to meet the trarlsport well
out at sea and escort her into ManiJ.a. This is the first ~dme in a year that it
has been impossible to meet a tl"anspcr'~.
. one seaplane is now being kept, in the unused balloon hangar on the north side
of the Island, which makes flying possible at nearly all times. During the typhoon
aeason it is always r-ough on the south side of ~fjhe Island and the remaining six
mDnths it is rough on the north side due to prevailing winds. A track was install-
ed into balloon hangar, which makes it an~asy matter to get a seaplane, in or out
by using a balloon winch to pull it up ste~p inclineo
During the rainy season all time is devoted to classroom work. Training
schedules are followed as laid down in letter of instructions from Chief of Air
service for Observation Squadrons. Especial attention is given to details of ar-
tillery observation and two-way radio comrnindoat Lcn, Due to the wonderful success
of this work during the last two years by the 2nd squadron, it is very essential
that no failures occur) as we have a reputation to live up to. As a staff officer
from Department Headquat"ters who obser-ved the practice this year stated - liThe
artillery observation and use of the two .•way radio by the 2nd observation Squadron
has been so successful that failures seldom 0 c cur , and we have come '~o regard them
as the exception rather than the ruls, while in the states radio failures occur
often and are expected."
The commissioned personnel was increased by capt. Buckner) Flight Surgeon,
Lieuts. Niergarth, Beaten and umstead with the arrival of the last t:ransport. We
welcome these officers and their families to our midst. ' One officer, Lieut.
Barrett. was "10 st on last transpOl~"t. Also our genial Flight burgeon, "Doc"
Bedinger. He and Alice will be greatly missed.
Lieut. Gullet returned from leave of absence 1:\.nChina. He does not report
bagging tigers or lions, but from all accounts many de( a)rs were victims of his
wiles. He reports a wonderful time and states that the Army is missing a bet by
not having at least one aero squadron in China - this from the bachelor's view-
point, of course.
The rainy season is very backward this year. To date we have ha? no rain to
speak of. although considerable wind. The new arrivals have been adv~se~ to calm
themselves and have p~tience and -they will see that the reports of ra~n ~n the
Islands are not at all exaggerated.
The squadron has several applicants cr aspirants for the cadet Course. It is'
hoped that they can all make the gr ade ,
Dame rumor still persists in closing this field. As a matter of fact) we,ex-
pected to be moved by this time to the mainland. However t it now apP?ar~ we w1.11
remain for the rainy season at least. We would all hate to v~cate ~h~~ l.deal 10-
c~tion and living condition, but unless new equipment is obtul.ned wl.th~n.a year
this will be necessary due to the fact that present seaplanes have b~en l.n ~se.
since 1920. There are now available seven Hb2L:',s, of which six are a.n comnuss aon
and the seventh under course of assembly. This will finish the seaplanes, as no
more hulls are available. Plentynof wings and other parts are) however',on hand.
\~e also have the famous or II inf amous" L'tlening Yacht which is flown occal:nonal~y.
Due to the small aileron surf ace this ship is very difficult to manewver and a,n a
-20- V-5294, A 5
bank is sometimes almost impossible to right. This little ship can 00 some of
t~e most startling things imaginable and surely would make an old lJlanout of any
pl.lot. The controls) lateral and rudder , do not work in unison and when turning
it a small amount of rudder is used) like as not the yacht fli8& sideways and in-
cidentally loses altitude very fast. Due to this side motion forward speed is
not sufficient to get action on lateral controls, which is di~quieting t~ say the
least. AS a result few pilots care to fly this freakish ship. ~ecently while
Capt. Burge wa.s teaching Lieut. Burgess the intricacies of the yacht they received
"a thrill they will not soon forget. A turn was attempted at an altitude of about
500 teet. A gentle bank to left with slight rudder and the yacht started off
sidewise as fast as forward. Due to loss of forward sneed the ailerons would not
act. As a result the yacht continued "turning and settiing rapidly toward the
water. Heading down did not seem to overco~~ this and the pilot fully expected to
touch water Which would have been disastrous traveling at that speed sidewise. A
few feet from water the lateral oontrols began to act and the yacht was headed
straight horne, that being sufficient for the day. Lieut. Burgess statedafter-.
wards he thoUght CSflt. Burge was trying to give him a thrill but when the yacht
settled to within a few feet ef the water he realized something was wrong.
Due to the recent typhoons it has been impossible to launch S ship on the
south side of the Island for the past two weeks because of roughness of water. The
waves have been coming in several feet high and have deposited. the usual number of
rocks. on the Patio. Luckily a ship was placed in the balloon hangar on the north
side of the Island which will mean that in the event a seaplane cannot be launched
on the south side that some flying at least can be accomplished from the north
side of the Island.
The new arrivals now feel sure that it really rains in the Islands, The
month of June was not true to form. but since the rain really started they all
agree they have seen enough and will welcome sunshine again. .
With the transfer to Camp;~ichols of Master sergeant v'Iinters, the 2nd Squad-
ron loses one of its old "stand-bys". sergeant Winters came to Corregidor in 1919
with thelst Company, 2nd Aero Squadron, and has been here since. He has seen
many changes take place in.",?ianes.personnel, etc •. At the time he arrived they
were flying trom Barrio Hangars and Kindley Field had not been built. Sergeant
Winters is one of the real old ,t:imers in .theAir Service among enlisted men. He
served at North Island in 1914 and 1915 and has only two years to serve before he
retires. \fuile the organization regrets to lese the services of so valuable a
noncommissioned officer it was felt that he is deserving of this transfer. inas-
much as he desired to transfer to mainland and finish out his time around land
planes. Everyone wishes you the best of success "Doe".
CM~ NICHOLS: The recreation hut wa~ completed this week through the combined ef-
forts of the 28th BombardmentSquadro.n and the 6Hh service Squadron. A cement
floor was laid and chairs were purchased. The new building adds much to the life'
of the post during the rainy 66a30n. It is an excellent gymnasium, and the entire
personnel is counting on the many hour-s to be passed by moving pictures and ath-
letic training. \le have been ..,e~'yfortunate in securing good, new pictures which
are being shown every night. . ,
The 28th BombardmentSquacron reports the following 6pe~ations for the week:
, On the 23rd Lieuts. Maxwell and Dunton flew.two DH's to San Jose, Mindoro, for the
purpose ot terrying Col. Johnson to Manila on cfficial business; on 'the 24th ~ts.
Maxwell and Dunton returned from San Jose. Lt. Ma~rver with Lt. Redman,observer.
flew to Clark Field on offid~l business, returning same dat e; pn.the 25th Lt.
Walker tlew to Clark Fie*d and return.
The 66th Service Squadz"onmoved into its new barracks which have just been
completed, This is very welcome. A number' of men have been living in tents and,
while they find these very comfortable in the hot season. they are not so good at-
ter a month's rain.
The new machine shop in the 66th hangar is almost completed. Those who have
seen it declare it is one of the best in the Islands. They expect to begin turn-
ing out work soon.
Major G.E.A. Reinburg, Air Officer. returned from leave on the PRESIDENT,
..21- V..5294. A S
:;-
MC~INLEY, a:t'te:: an extended tour throuf,h Japan, K,orea and China. While in rrorthJ
ChJ.na MaJ. ReJ.nburg flew an airplfUle belonging to C\1ines8 Air ~ervice at Md:d.,'l".
M::"s.R.E. :.:>e1£tentertained at the Gor1J'lunityClun Friday af't er nccn f r-crn4 to 6
to cel;br:te the third, birthday anniversary of her little daught er 11e"18a M('O.
' FJJ'18.UH and HI'S. MJ.lo McCuneent er-t ai.ned at toa at the polo Club in ho nor of
MJ.ss :t' anccs '11"'"
, • ". .. J'lvvu,ne. wne wJ.tu her mother recently ar... r Ive
• d ';11 '"an';1 a '''''~s
L.' t.. .
H" V .J •• ,b.a
-t.
J.J. F""'~
........'. ~.lVJ,. ..
.1 .....
A
f!" "Y"I • DJ.nger were hosts at dinner Thursday evening at their quarters in hvTlor
of Ma,am McCuneand Miss Frances HcGune.
. £i!l"s .. ,Morris Berman cif, CampNichols entertained with a deli ght fu::'l y arranged
brJ.dgl),tea Wednesday morning at the Elks Club.
M;'"ss Lola LaValley arrived on the ?HEi;)!DENT ADAJ\~ t,o visit with her 13ist8r
and brother, Lt. and Mrs. Norman D. Brophy.
CL.~ l'r;:;;'L~ I CAMP. S~O~:':>EN13URG. '
ra::tnJ.ngwas lJ.IIlJ.ted to ground work last week on account of rain.
An intere~ting and instructive cour-se .1inparachute folding and maintenance was
conducted by LJ.eut. J .D. Ba~~riger. '
Capt. E.G. Reinartz just returned from an inspectiCln trip to Gt.1lion!.,epl)T
Colony (the largest in the world) and reports a ~ery i!(;ercsting trip.
Lieuts. Redman and McIver flew in from Car.1PNichols .Tdy Z4'~h. They we."e de-.
tained here during the day on account of rain and enjoyed the hospitality of our
golfers tor the afternoon, shooting at the entire 18 holes. .' .
Maj. McDonnell is s'till in S'l;er~erg Gen. Hospital and is reported qui.te sick.
NOTESFHOM THE42nd .nR INTELLIGENCE SECTION
Since the 6th Photo Section started their fish pond 'just outside our door,
Private Trengaris has been anxious t~ transf9r~ yesterda~ ~he reason leaked oui~
P~. Trengaris has hopes of being put on special duty feeding the rfah.' W'~ 'Lell _
him he stands no chance in a competitive exa~1nation with some of the more recent
arrivals from the states who are in finep::-ac'tice, havd.ng ted the' fish. all:th~)way
over. The above merrbd cned gold fish affect t:1e)ersf)n~1el of this office I'n quite
different ways. Sergeant Wilkins has been anxio~sij ecanndng the F:D:.';;D.\.AND STREAM
magazine to find. out if gold' f ish rise to a dl'y ny, while Pvt. Endler has been ob-
served slyly glancing through "Household Hints on Cooking".
The following operations ar e reported by the 28th Bombardment Squadron for the
past week: On July 30th Lt. Maxwell, transferred to the 31'0.Pursuit sqdn., Clark
Field, flew to that station to arrange for quarters prior to moving his ramll~
there, retu~'niag aame date; On July 31st Capt. Eglin and Lt. Walker took off at 9
a.m. :tor San Jl.Ise, Mind\lZ'o. On A1.\gust1st Lt. Walker returned from'san Jese, re-
porting that aiter leav'ing Mindoro Capt. Eglin and he encountered heavy rainstorms
and were separated, J,at. Walker arriving here at 1>2-: 15 p.m. Later in the day a . '
radio was received !:I-omcapt. Eglin stating that due to motor trouble he had retum-
ed to San Jose. On the 2nd Capt. ~glin returned from San Jose. Due to heavy and
continuous rainstorms very little flying was engaged in during the past week.
The 66th servi.ce 8qdn. progressed very rapidly with work during the weel~with
9 generator sets in,stalled, 4 motor switch boards for the power and lights of the
shops. and completing the ceneret e floor with a total of 192 cubic feet. .
. The electrical system of the shups and nangar will have 895 feet of condUit
when completed and will oper at e machines of all types for 'me-tal and wood wO:k, An
up-to-date blacksmith and welding shop, motor overhaul, aero repair shops w1th
equipment to maintain, repair and assemble ships of all types.
The supply Dept. is very busy gettin~ in readiness to furnish Bupplies.for the
shop,- under the new supply and ma:i.ntcman.cesystems. A supply room is being install-
ed in the hangar, and the supplies will be issued as needed •.
, . NOTESl"ROM THE42nd AIR INTELLIGENCE SECTION. .
Two most noteworthy events in the cal encar of a soldier happened this week -
Payday and a mail boat from the- states came in.
The near-by presence of a typhoon may have moistened the atmosphere but did
not dampen anyone's spir it s • . .
Other posts may have their mules that bray when it's di~~er ~J.me, but we
claim this is the only post t.hat has a ~~I)rdthat knewe when i'~S.time to go home,
The other day after recall,' mosf all t he C6.1"S had left "the ~adang space, leaving
one poor lonesome looking F'ord f'tar.d.ing there. It was g::ttJ.ng al~ng towards
siesta time and the Ford I:!ust he.vBg1'0wn inrpatie.nt, for:d suddenJ.y,gave a".co~Pl~
of preliminary snorts with tne horn and then steauied d~wnto e. pr oLonge d voot 0
-22- V-5294 AS
annoyance which it continued until ,Lieut.brophlT came al.o ng and shut it ot~', We
had vgot.t en out a COUfh of lassos to catch it in case it' started horne by H~el:p.
Fo~ the rea-del" s benefit we wish to state this happened before payday and weC"3r-
ta:;nly weI'en't hear i ng things. '
SOCIAL NOTES: Major and Mrs. Benj. G. vfeir were dinner guests of Lieut. and Mrs.
James L. Alverson at Camp Nilch.ols. .
Liet.:t, and Mrs. Delmar H. Dunton were dinner guests of Captain and Mrs.
Rosenham Beam at their, quar t e re at Camp Nichols.
Major and Mrs" Geol'ge E. Reinbt:.rg fmLer'tained with a "surprise birthday din-
ner pe.rty" for 1'J1ajor Char Le s T. Ri:;hm'dson last Sunday evening at their home Of'
Calle Gral. Luna. The t ab).e was attractively decorated' with "ki.dl~ f avo r-s at each'
place and the birthday guest received a number of appropriate gifts.
During the past week cur Cormnanding Officer and Adjutant, due to ,return to
the Urdted states on the September t.r anspo rt , were advised of thefr' new assignment,
to stations in the states ~ Majo'r B.G. Weir being assigned to Marshall field, Fort
Riley, Kansas, and Capt. LI. Eglin to Kelly Field, Tex. Both of these officers
say anyplace outside of the P.hi1ippines will compensate. Five of our privates of
Headquarters Detachment, also ret urrri.ng t'o the states on the same transport, are
daily looking forward to the day' of thpir departure for the homeland. Those of us
who are not so fortunate as to have completed our foreign tour can only sigh and
wish them luck.
Thl;! post school will reopen Septembsr Lst , To date a large number of soldiers
hav~ submitted their nane s for the pur-pose of finishin,g their education. With a
competent in.structing staff, rapid progress will be expected.
The new arrivals in this Depar cment se-em very disappoin-ted about, the "rainy
seasontl• Unfortuna+,elythey nave only a short ~ime of waiting to be convinced
that the "rainy ae as on" is net all "sunsm.ne", '
Much interest is being 'shewn ;by 0 if Lcers an~ enlisted men alike at this sta-
tion in the progress of the" Around the ilorld Flight II - a very unique map has been
made by the 42nd Air Irrt e lliger,ee sect ion with tiny airplanes to showrthe daily
progress of our nyo~'s. We tal<e pride in seeing these little ships moved up each
day. After an it takes Uncle Sam's boys to "br ing the bacon home".
The 28th Bombar drnsrrt squedr on repof'ts the :roHowing operations for the past
week; On the 7th Lh)ut .• skanse , pilJt Iand Li.eut , Fox, Infantry, passenger, flew
to Clark Field in e. DE on \Jff:i.cial busd neas , returning the next day. On the 8th
Lieut. Maxwell, piloti~g a Me.rtin Bomber, and Lieuts. Kirksey and iiedman , piloting
DH's, flew to Clark Field for t.p:'3 purpo se of ferrying enlisted men to this station;
the enlisted men being ~nrJ~led as students in the Radio Class, Post School. On
the 10th Lieut. McIver, pi:,Dt, and Co,pt, tVlarsh, Medical Corps, flew to Clark Field
tor the purpose of tr8.nspo~'t8.tion and t r-a.l.nd.ng, Lieut. McIver returning same date.
On the 12th Capt .. EgJ in flew a .DH to Clark Field and return.
Lieut. D.H. Dunt on was ill at Sternberg General Hospital for the past few
days with dengue Ye ver, It seems that most of our new officers are being initiated
into this Department by t.h i.s me ans s - no t a very pleasant one, however,
~OTES FROM 'L'HE 4?,r.d AIR INTELLIGE:'JCESECTION.
The Section will move in.to its new office (the.old Phobo Hut) sometime soon.
In the meantime we wish to insert the iollowing notice: The 42nd Air Intelligence
Section and Provost Annex will be at home and receive friends (and enemies) bet\lleen
the hours of 7:00 av m, and 12:00 noon, anytime af t er the 20th of the month.
Private Snead is really enthusiastic over the change as due to the present
lack: of space it is impossible for him to draw a deep breath without first moving
a couple of map cases and t he safe. .
After contempla'c.ing the joys of moving safes and desks and large sa se map
cases. Private Highfill has made up his mind to put in for a furlough. "Can't
blame a person for trying" he says.
FLYI1~G: Cross-country flights during the above period were as fo~lows: Major,
Heffernan and i.Jtaff Sgt. Jensen to Tucson, Ariz., and return, t~ Lnspe ct l£1nd.~ng
field there; Sgts. Tyler and Pder ce made a number of fUgtts, gl.n~g r Ldeo t~
Cavalry officers of the ;.ri:t:ona i{ational Guard; ce,p"i. Fe(lse~ and LJ.euts. pf;l1:'~er
and bperry made a solo formation flight; '.capt .. Bender and L~euts. Gale, D~l..'g).:,G,
'-23- V-52~4 AS
Wi~tman and Hantsche made liaison flights with the 2nd Cavalry Brigade; L1eut.
sm~.th and Sgt. Tyler made flight a for the purpose of giving rides to N&:tinnal .I
Gu.e:-d of!icers; Capt. Pursley and Lieut e Clark 'flew to he:1.:::; :;";6:d (j;, ~);'LL:.£l;.
business.
Flights were made on Aug. 25th to demonstrate to Air Service Reserve~fficers
an attack on two-seater planes by pursuit plane and defense against attack by pur-
sui.t plane.
Col. Culver, accompanied by Lieut. C~ark, arrived here Aug. 25th and left
same day for Tucson, Ariz.
Ten flights were made on Augo 25th for the purpose of training Air Service
Reserve officers in aerial gunnery, firing at ground targets at Donna Anna target
range.
BASEBALL: During above period the second Division, Air service, ball team played
three' games and won two of them, defeating the 'Nm. Beaumont General Hospital 9 to
4; the Second Machine Gun Squadron 10 to 4; and lost to the 82nd Field Artillery
9 to 5, Which eliminated the Air Service's chance for the chffi,~ionship of Fort
Bliss. The 82nd F.A. is scheduled to play against the 7th Cavalry to decide the
champi.onship of the post.
MISCELLANEOUS:2nd Lieut. Milton J. Smith, transferred to the 2nd Division, Air
Service, from Kelly Field, reported for duty. '
The second group of reserve officers in training at this station participated
in a number of training flights. They departed for their homes on August 30th.
PriYate John Bush, 12th Obs. S4uadron, returned to duty from a 45-day fur-
lough. , ,
Master Sergeant James B. Premo, 12th Obs. squadron, discharged August 21st,
relmlisted the following day for service in the Hawaiian Islands.
p.,ivate Robert B. Maples, 12th obs , Squadron, left on a two months' furlpugh.
staff Sgt. Dewey H. 5impson, 12th Obs. sqdn., returned from a 45-day fur-
lough.
Pvt. Cliff ord E. CUlnmins, 12.th obs, t> quadr on , reported for duty at this sta-
tion August 22nd •
• -24- V..52Sl4 AS
.'.
-LIBRARY SECTION
VOL. VIII A I R
Information Division
Air service October 20, 1924
------------._--- ,--------------------
The purpose of this letter is to keep the porsonnel of the Air Service, both
in vvasl1ington and in the field, informed as to the activities of the Air ;~ervice
in general, and for release to the public press.
Companx Trophy_Rage. J
National Cas_~.!..&.ister
The program opened brisk).; Thursday morning wi.ththe National Cash Register
CGmpany Trophy Race for civilian pilots having two-passenger planes of loW horse-
power and 510 cubic inches, or less, piston displacement. The Trophy went perman-
ently to the winner and ~~500 in Liberty Bonds were divided between the first six
leaders. The distance was 90 miles, or siX laps over the 15-mile course. The race
was one Which tended to bring out the maximum performance from low-powered engines.
Of the 13 entries, three did not start, one 0 f them, a Farman special sport plane
piloted by Robert Hewitt, suffering a broken landing gear while taxying for posi~~
,. last minute entry of the Rinehart-'Whelan Company made the total number of raci:t1g
planes eleven. There were nO unusual features embodied in'these planes. They were
Ibostly of the "Jenny" type, and all were powered with Curtiss OX-5 engines. Walter-
Leas, flying the same Har~zell Fe..l plane with which he won the Flying Club of. st.
Louig Trophy last year, was the winner, at a speed of 97.45 m.p.h. Leas' speed
Jast year Was only 89 m.p.h. He explained the faster time this year by the fact
~hat ~y trying out the different wind levels over the course he had found the most
favorable, flown loW, so taking' advantage of the unusually high wind which pre-
vailed. '
Though on the ground the weather conditions were ideal, all pilots reported
extremely high winds and bumpy air during all three days of the flying. Perry
Rutton, of Chicago, in a Laird Commeroial plane, led the field in the first two
laps, but lost speed in the third and came in second'winner, having made an average
~t' 93.2 ,m,p.h. R.G. Page, of Chicago, flying a Yackey Sport OX-5, Which appeared
,uspiciously like a remodeled "Jenny", made third place with 87.4 m.p.h. Page V!S\9
~he only Air Mail pilot tlying in the Races this year, his service, of course,beiag
~ unofficial capacity. A.E. Johnson. Dayton, of the Johnson Airplane &, SupplJ Co"
lor which Mr, Leas, the winner, is the chief test pilot, claimed fourth pl,ac~". Mt".
~Ohnson !lew a new Swallow at 87.2 m.p.h. \ialter H. Beech and W.A. Yackey fJ.nJ.,chad
fifth and sixth, . I
pentral Labor _Uni:..()..n_~
'Dayton Trophy Race. ~ .'
This race WaS a free for all race for ,civilians in l1ght aupla.nes of two t three
or four passenger capacity and engines of 800 cubic inch piston displacement (~;out
200 h.p.), or 1ess. A contest load of 340'pounds was obligatory. This is tte :irst.
-4- V~5304,A.S.
, ,I •
time 'in 'history that a Labor or garri.zat Len has donated a trophy fer an airplane
race, and it is hoped may be t.ak en as a symboL "t hat aviati'b'n is beginning to be ra-'
gar de d as baving some trade significance. A.-:permanent'tro'phy and '~3500 in Liberty
bonds composed the prizes fen: the fi:cst six.pilot s finishing. A distance of 120
miles, or'S laps over the l5-mile course, was specified. The same "Casey"
(Charles s .) Jones in the same clipl)ed wing Curtiss oriole that proved a wilmer in
the Qn..to-Dayton-Race took the Le-ad in this race held it without difficulty and
finished a full lap ahead of his nearest competitor, Walter H. Beech, whom it was
supposed'might be a likely winner. Beech was forced down bya broken radiator af-
ter two Laps , Five oi'the entries, J .C. Diss,ette (VE-7); J .L.Burns (LePere);
Harold Hartley (Yellcw Aircab, Type A-l); G.B. Post (Huff-Daland Petrel Model 4})
and R.H. DePew, Jr., (Huf'f-Daland Petrel Model 5) were unable to start, cutting
down the number of entrants to eleven. J .C. Ray in a Curtiss Oriole, powered w..ith;
a Curtiss C...6 engine, took secondplaee at 107.22 m~p.h., while Cyril C. Caldwell,
fly.ing a G.L. Martin Company Model 70, finished third with an average speed of .
103.34 m.p.h. Walter Leas in his Hartzell FC"'l. Perry Hutton in the Laird Commer-
cial, and \i.A. Yackey in the Yackey Spott plane came in fourth, fifth and sixth,
respectively. Casey Jones said that his plane had used but 11 gallons of gasoline
in the 120 miles of travel, which is not such a bad 'record for many makes of
automobiles. '' ' . . '
Liberty Engi~ !3uilders Trophy B.ace.
The Liberty Engine Builder~Trophy Ra~e was the first of the perpetual trophies
competed for, as this race is rep~ated each year, the trophy being passed on to the
new, winner~ The distance w~a ~80 rni.Lea, or 12 laps' over ;the,l5-mile cour se t and,
was tor military and c:i.vilian, ent r ans s •. , Al~ .'~he .cC?m,Petitors this year .were, Ail' .
Serviee offieers, and all t-he p'l.ane s ,were DH-4; s ,:eq~ipped with ,standard Liberty.iei'l~
gines. Besides the .trophy t $3,.000 in LibertyB(lnds were Prizes promised to the
five making the highest apee d.- All the DeIIavilands had :the strut~ streamlined and
the cockpits covered with veneer boarding 'with an opening in the top just large f'olll .:'.
enough to admit the pilot. All mounted Engineering Division metal propellers, ex- .
cep1tthe ship flowlJ. by Lieut. Brown, wl1ich h~d a Curtiss
Aside from a slight difference in 'the )t-reamlining,
metal. pro,peller.
the contest, was one of in-
' , .
,.-;
dividual pilotage and keep~ng ~o. the course. they were a goodly ,lot of ships ,to . ,
see lined up for the battle, and their s'amenessof. type gave a aenae of friendly
competition to the evsnt , Lt. ~.G. D\A~afrom the Office of the Chief of Air'Ser-
vice, Wash;ington, D.C., came in for the trophy arid first money" ,averaging 130.34
tiles per hour, While Lt. A.E. ,Simonin, Commanding officer' of Langin Field, Mounds-
Ville, W. Va., followed with 128 m.p.h. average. These two flyers were the last of
the ten entrants to take off $ Third,fourth and fifth places t respectively. were
gained :by Lt. C.A. Cover, W~lbur Wright Field, at 124.13 m.p.h.; L"L R.D. Knapp,
1~3.4m.p.h.; and Lt. J.B. Haddon, 119.95 m.p.h. ' Lt ....Colonel Harold E. Hartney,
b~oked to enter, did not start. Lt. c.v. bteiilmeti had a forced landing, but had
been previously disqualified for fouling a pylon. Lt. Bobzien was also disquali-
rl~d for the same reason. Lt. Duke said tha~ he eredited his winning to flying
the straightest course. He had traveled; the "cour-se daily for a week in pra.ctice
apd had marked out a memory route of neuset cpa and' clusters of tree,s. He also ~ook
full advantage of the Wind at different etratas t flying low on three laps and h~gh
on the next to add to the speed of his plane. '
Aerial Garnival of _~ob~r ~~ ,
The Air Carnivals Which were under the direction of Lt. E.H~ Barksdale of Me
Cook Field, were all unusual.Ly coJ.orful and crowded with surprises. The .pr-ogr-am
listed smoke writin6, a free balloon fligh~. a flight of the Barling Bomber which
had been newly silvered. for the occasion, with the Sperry Messenger tagging along,
, reminding one of a veryb;l.g par~n't with a very little Child, for the Barlin? is the
biggest ship in the world and the Sperry, the snal.Le st. in the ArmyI s possef18J..onj
some unusually skillf\.ll :formation maneuvering by the First Pursuit Squac~!'an of .....
Selfridge Field, Mi,ch., apr-on string flying, with three planes tied -tcgE:t~lC'r,~l),,,h
a cord, balloon snipiniJ' a smoke screen and a miniature pulitzer Race~ Tne ac.r was
too rough for the live o~arachute jumps tha:t had 'Deen promised. Cap'ta:l.n Skeol gave
a demonstration of acrobatic flying that wili,long be remembered for it.:; .techr-.ical
perfection and beauty. ''
Martin Bomber Breaks World Record.
NoW andthen officers would forget their interest in Air Carni"la.l arid P8.l~eS,
however, to peer up at a tiny spe,ck in the cl"uds" ~t was Lie~t~ Macr(l~3.y He a
supercharged NBb-l, gone after a weight oarr'yitig altitude rec'otd:, Ti;,e p Lane 1 0 oomc
rack carried 1500 kilograms 6r 3306.9 pounds of dead weight, 'consis-d,r.got' fourtoe::,
100 and 600-pound bombs. -5- V-5304 A S
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J.M. Johnson in his Eriggs-Johnson airplane, was the winner of the race,ha?-
tng traveled the 25 miles at .an average speed of 64.07 m. pvh , This ~~s also a, ,
monoplane, mounting a Henderson motorcycle engine. The fuselage, wh~~h was wel~
streamlined, was of triangular cross section, the pilot. sitting inside it w~.th
glass in the bottom and sides tor visibilitY.. The Wing was tapered. The m1d~}:3-1;
loaded tor the race weighed. with pilot and gasoline, jusj 490 pounds. It rogue t}r
-7- V-53~t A G
cLfmb to the second pylon q'uite readily I using up just one gallon of gasoline ror
its 25-mile trip. flrr. Dormoy finiohod ae corid with 50~05 m.p.};. aver ago , In fact,
,they wer o the only :t wo planes to f i.nish at v.11, Of the eight entries, three were
unable to start. Lieut. JJja~ready I s Baby Bomber, a tiny biplane, built to t ake
apart for easy shipping, with an Indian engine connected to the propeller by a i.t ,"
chain drive, pHotud. by }i~,M. Laird, was forced down almost immediately by engine
t::ouble and cracked up on landing. H, C. Mummert) from whom we were to hear as the
wJ.nner of a later race, was forced down in his M.Jmmert Sport Plane, powered with a
Har ley-Davidson engine, during the second lap I with engine trouble, aft er hav i.ng
. made the first lap at a higher rate of speed than Mro Dormoy , Mr. Mummert 1 s plane
was an in~ernal~y braced monoplano, well streamlined. Gerald Dack was also forced
down in his Fasig-Turner.
Air Carnival of O,:::tobe:r 3rl •
•-'The~'~ni":',~i';r.Qct;'ober 3rd duplicated to a great extent tha.t of the day
before, inclUding the ou~standing featu~es and some not on the program. The live
parachute jumps were made i.1 spit.e of rough a,ir and elicited many gasps from the
spectators. A trial flight in the baby blirrtp was made wHh Mr. Frederick Patterson,
Pr asd derrb of the :JRtional Aeronautic ASS();,ci13.tion, and Iv!':'. Dwight L. Davis, Assis-
~ tw:t ?e?~'etary of Wf~r;, a.s. pas~enger'~. Gasps o~ eur-pr Lse g~e8ted Lieut., Macready's,',
, fll.gh1i an a 1910 rJIoGel old Wnght ad.r pLane , whd.Le. the Barl:L1:1gB.)mber, Just to offer
a bit 0:£ contrast, ker,;t neat in all her stateliness. There 'Wl~:re1'10 more absorbed ,
witnesses 0 f this st.l.'l::l.r:,ge flight perhaps i:.han Miss Kat he rd ne 'Wrig.'lt and her brother
Orville. Lieut. Macr e ady gave a br e ez y de s cr Lpt Lon later of the strange s,ensa~ions
experienced in flyh,g p, 'p}.ane of :1.91) vintage when he said: If Can you imagine Sl.t-
ting on the edge of the Grand Canyl')l'}with your feet ,jangl:b"lgover and the wind'
threatening to throw you cver bo ar d every mim.::te~ That I s 'the way it felt.. 1f
In 15
minutes at 1000 i'eet he 'got more thrills tha.n one 0 f the rnodern planes could pro-
duce at 35,000 feee,
The :3elt'ridge Field Gro1.1p again put on a demonst.r~tion of their distinctive
formation flying, ending up with a 'mock combat that was th~illing to the last de-
gree -. But the most significant per-f or-mance io r the afternoon, perhaps of the whole
three days, typifying as it did the very latest advancement in combination lighter-
than-air and heavier-thar.-e.ir cooperation, took place when Lieut. Finier of Langley
Field rode aloft in a. Sperry Messer.ger, hanging from the rrC-5 hel:Lum-filled train-
ing airship. The great ship rose easily with its weight and passed over the.
heads of the crowd. At an altHude of about 1,000 feet, the engine of the littla
Sperry was st~ted and the airship released it, dropping it into the air. It fell
but a few feet before Lieut. Fiil.ter had it under complete control, r.ighting it easi-
ly and flying awa.y. The effect was one of unbelieva,ble ,ease and realiability.
('BarEn&, B_om'?.e.!'_~~.!...~v0r:li..Reco;,d~ J
C Although most jf the gc'oat ga"ihering was unaware of it, the Barling had weight-
ier business on ~~riday af't er no on than chasing Lt. ~~acready about ,the Field in the, .
old Wright plane. :.ihortly after this prank" Lt. Herold R. Eeu'ris, Chief of the
Flying Section of iv1cCookFi.eld,took it up to 4000, feet for one hour and 47 minutes,
and when he brought it '.down agai,n I two WOl'ld Re.cor ds had been shattered and two new
ones e st ab Laahe d , The records broken were French duration records for' 2000 and
3000 kilograms (4400 and 360() Lbs , }, and the new records established were duration
and altitude records for 4,O'JO k:i.10[;rams (88J.8 Lba, though to make very sure the
BarJ...ing actually carried 9034 lbs.). The load consisted 01'25 bombs r.angi.n g in
weight from 100 to 1100 pounds. It was the first time in history that such a load
was ever lifted fron the earth in a heavier-than-air plane. It was evidently no
effort for the Darling, for she took to the air exact-Ly 26tseconds from the time
('If the final "r-ev i.ng' up ef .the not.or-s , So anxious was Lt. Harris to make the dura-
tion as hard to break as po s s tbLe Uat he'did not r e tur n to earth until he was out
of gas, but without engir.e aid he brought the great plane, weighted with its 4t
ton load, down without apparent difficulty". Dougl.ae .Cul.ver , as usual, acted as
engineer for the flight. The fligt1"t. was witnessed by a.ccredited representatives of
the F.A.!. This test had been in prospect for some tirre but was held during the
Air Races so that General Patrick and Mr.. orville Wright t the man who first flew an
airplane, might be presont for it.
October 4.
Most-of the longer races had been eliminated by Saturday morning, leaving cr\~j
the two high speed everrc s , the Pul.Lt zer' and the John L. Mitchell Trophy t and a se c-
ond race by the motorcycle engine planes ~till y ,~i\i,torm6dfl The program was
_8. '.'.L r
'. V-S304, A S
\>r
S~"::.. e
tn:ned .to ,lighter an,d.more popular key ,and quite early the grandstands began to be
f111ed w1th a crcwd.1n the gayest holiday mood. Lcu~~ Meister's quips booming
over the throng through t,he magnavoxs wer-e cau ght up with laughter. A threat of
storm had been blown away and from a sky slightly overcast the' Sun poured forth
genially. . The program opened with an Aerial Gymkhana in which Capt • 'Skeel 's work
was again netable, and pursuit groups of planes in ,the ,distance loomed up like
flocks of birds.' ,. .' . . '
Ha~e. f~r Da ~icy.cle e,J.ub.and E~gine_et:'..s_~Club_6f ,~Dayt~l'1'TrOJlhie.s._/
C1v111an - Trophy Permanent •. , Eri.~es ~5,000 i~iperty Bonds~
This was acombinatio,n speed' and efficiency.' contest the latter to be deter~
mined by dividing the miles per hour Bp~ed ~d the 'n~mbe; of gallons of gasoline
consumed. The four pilo'~s: making the highest efficiency rating were to divide
~1~OO, the remainder to be the speed awards. The dd st ance was 50 miles, or 10
laps over the five-mile course.
~f th's n~ne baby plane8 powered with motorcycle engines that were listed to
start, in t1:J,is race, four did not start. One started and failed to pass the first
pylon -. E.B. Heath ;,n the- Heath Sport plarte started across the field smoking like
S bon' fire. Final;Ly, the ,left wing dipped and the little eraf'\:. nosed ()v~r while '
t~e pi'lot. scrambled from underneath. TheambulanC?~ appeared, but when questioned
about~he 'scratch on hd,s . face', Hea:~h'said he had dope it that morning himself,
s~.aving,.. . The little planes Ln the high windswe:re)'lhipped about' like drift on a
heavy. sea an}! this, together with the temperamen;tal engines,' kept their pilots' ,
busy and 'was the source of much amuseinentto 'the: crowd. The elimina.tion' of Heath,
lef~'onlY J~M. J~hnson,'E. Dorrtloy,' arid H.C. Mummertin,the race, each flying the'
plane h.e 'had flown ,the day -bef cr e 1rt '~he Daily News Trop~y Race. Each was forced
down.beforethe third lap. J'chnson , -the first to descend" landed safely and ven-
tured a new start. He faile.d, '~hen repaired h'is motor and took off, but 'Was forced
to' land again in a t.ew minutes.' (in anet her' attempt to start he .landed irt rough
ground. Nothing daurrt ed , he pulled into a smoother part of the field andthenrf;'':'
mained in the race to the end •. Dormoy made two landings and new starts I not be-
cause ot engane trouble - DormoyIS engine Was the only one not' to give trouble
throu'gh the whole two races - but because the rough air was too much for him.'
Mummert, though forced .,downt.wice, found a level at about 500 het above ground at
whi,.chhe coulq navigate his plane. At the start the pilots,were making better than
45 miles 'per' hour. Mummert's speed decreased on re-starting to .about;26 miles per
hour, and he was unable tp better it much ~hrough the race. The landing and.
starting of the planes took more time than had been allotted for the race,'and .when
Mr. Dormoy was ready to make his thir"d attempt to take off the pursuit .planes were
circling prep'aratory for their flying' starts. The officials decided tha.t Mr. r:
Dormo,ywould be decidedly in the way in the air in his little plane at ,that,time,
and since he would. have kept on until his fifty miles was completed if. i:t took un-
til night. he Was offered ,third place if he would consider the rac~ completed.
H. C.. Mwmnertwas declared .t'he winner at '38.,24 miles per hour 1 Johnsen second with
22.48 m.p.h. and Dormoy th:i,rd. ,The efficiency prizes were awarded in the same
order.
Lt. :Oakley, Kelly Lan9,S,.,
In the,mean'time gr-eat excitement had, J?reva~l,ed over a new plane that hE\dput'
in an appearance, and 'Whoshould step out of the p~l.ot.'s cockpit but our old trierid
Lt. Oakley Kelly, Lt. YAacready's partner in the ce1.ebrnted transcontinental non..
stop flight. helping a very old per-sen wi'thS~nta Claus WhiSkers from the rear ,
cockpit. In atrice.the'two were placed in an autom~bile and paraded down before
the gr-andstand, while the voice of Louie Meister gave the information that Mr.Ezra
Meeker, .94 years old) had accompanied Lt. Kelly across the continent in, his air-
. plane, .and was a guest of the Air Races. Thereby hangs a tale •. When Lts~ Ml1cready
and Kelly landed in Calif<lr-rlia a'c the succeasrut compl,eti,on, o.f their t.ranscoritin-
entalnon ..stop flight. one of the first telegrams to be given them was from Mr. '
mara Meeker, stating that 76 years 8.-:'0 he had crossed the continent over the old
Oregon Trail by ox car'~ i that it had taken him five months to do it i and that he
offered his congratulations to the two who made the trip in a day. "Next time'
take me With you", the .~elegram had concluded. So Lt. Kelly had taken the old'
man at his word. Lt. Kelly said that when they started out he had told MT.Meeker
that When he was 'tired, they I d stop& Mr. Meeker,haq. responded. "When you get
tired, we'll st".p." Ee said the trip had been a wonderful experience. '1'heyhad
flo'lin Se.attle J \fashington, to Dayton, ;n 1* ;fly~nghours.
~9- V-5304, A S
Joqn L. Mitch~ll TroF~ Race I . " ', ;l
The t~oup of P\y-S pursuit planes, which had been slightlY delayed in starting
by ~hea:rJ.val of I~,Meeker with Lt. Kelly, began circling for altitude fO,r their
flYJ.ng d1ve into the course. The trophy 'which is perpetual is given by General
Mitchell -in honor of his brother who was killed in action during the world war. It
is a strictly military event for pilots O'f the First Pursuit Group of 'the Army Air
Service,. standard pursuit planes were used and the race flown in the manner of
the Pulitzer event. The distance was 200 kilometers, or 4 laps over the 50-kilo-:-
meter. ~31.07-tnile) course. The plane Qom.pleting the' race in'the shortest lapsed
time J.~ the wiJnner of the trophy and three cups go to the winners of first, second
and thud pla.cas. Eleven entries, all atandar d PW-8 planes, started and completed
this race, which because of the flying dive and the speed maintained was unusually
spectacular to witness. Lieut. Cyrus Bettis Was the winner at 175.43 miles per
hour. This was a new speed record for pUTsuitplanes, being almost 28m.p.h. faste,r
than that made by Captain Skeel who won the Pursuit Race in an MB3Abiplane last '
year. Close behand Lieu.t. Bettis was Lt. Donald Sta~e, who finished second at
173.7 m.p.h.' Even harder fought was the ..competition between Lt. stace and Lt.
Thomas K. Matthews, who finished third with 173.32 m.p.h. Other officers taking
part were Lieuts. Hobart Yeager, Leland Hurd, J. Thad Johnson, Thomas Blackburn,
George Tourtello1; ,James D. Sunnners, Enni~s G. Whitehead and Reuben C. Mdtat.
World Flyers ~rive. _
'About this time came the announcement that the Wo-rld Flyers, who had arrived
in Dayton the' night before, were on'their way from McCookField and in a very few
minutes with the noble escort of the Barl:;ng and its t-agging Sperry .:and several
group formations, three DeHavilands appeared on the horizon. These came to earth
first and from them there emerged six immaculate officers Whomall the orowd knew•.
They'had just completed the enoircling of, the" globe for the first time by airplane.
, In autom~b£l~sthey were conducted to the .grandstand, ~here they were welcomed by
cheer Upt1l1cheer ,and greeted by General' Patrick and General Mitchell, and present-
ed to Mr. Orville Wl'ight and Miss ,Katherine Wright and o'ther notables aasembledto
do them honor. Only the announcement th:a:t the pulitzer Race was about to start
eut sh~~ the ceremony and sent the crowd'who had surged forward back ,to their
places.. J I ·
.The PUlitz~ Race. '
The Pulitzer Tro:phy, donated by RalPh and Joseph pulitzer, is competed tor
annually in the International Air Races and is awarded to the pilot maintaining the
,highe.at speed. Singt.e, seat,er planes capa:~le of at least 175 m,p.h. and a land"ing
speed nClt to .exceed 75 m.p.h. are eligible.. Ten thousand dollars in Liberty bonds
were prizes •. divided among the first {out'winners, with $5,000 going to first
place. No new planes had been built thii year for the contest by either the Army
or Nayy, so nothing was looked for in the" way of high speed records being broken.
Early in the spring the Armyhad purchased from the Navy. tor the sum ot ~l.OO,one
ef the Navy Curtiss Racers Which in the Pulitzer Race of last year proved a winner.
This plane, which was to have been flown ~y L~eut. Alexand~r PearSon, was wrecked
early in September. This left the two Army Curtils R-6 Racers which won the
Pulitzer Race in 1922, and the Verville-Sperry Racer whieh was also built for en-
try in the Detroit Races. To take the pl"ace ot the Navy Curtiss which was wrecked,
a lew compression small bore motor had be'en placed ina PW-8 pursuit airplane. It
had been streamlined and ~therwiee improved for racing purposes. New.curtiss D-12~
engines ,had been mounted in the Curtiss Racers, new struts had replaced the old
hollew spruce ones, and in every way possible these little ships had been renewed
tor thei~ battle. The Verville Sperry Racer had been really re-designed at the
Lawrence Sperry Aircraft Corporation under the direction I'd Mr. Alfred Verville. A
Curtiss D-12, 500 horsepower engine had been installed with wing radiators replacDg
the old ~iright ~OOh.p. engine, and the two Lamblin Model H radiators. The wing
tips had been changed to an ellipt ieal form which slightly inc~"eased the wing -area.
In ~ests before the race the Verville-Sperry showedl4 percent higher efficiency
than th3 tld racer. Grea'tl:lr power and less parasite resistance c"ntributed to ihis
result. These were the four sole entries- all Army planes - Which were to be
piloted by Captain Burt E. Skeel and Lt. \lendell H. Bro6k1ey in the two Curtiss R-6
Racers, Lt. H.H. Mills in the Verville-Bperry, and Lt. Rex st~ner in the ~W-8A~
Captain Skeel was the firsttn take off and he immediately rose steeply e~r-
cling for altitude. He had started his dive from approximately' 2.000 or 1,500 ft.
when the fabric was seen to fly from the wings of his plane, The great bod} ,of,
people watching him gave a quick gasp of horror" _w,.,u.nds grasped the purport
of What their eyes had seen - and the heart was .... "",the pulitzer Race. The
..10,- V-5304.A S T~'.',
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plane fell swiftly beyond view. Lieut. Brookley rose, circled for altitude and
came into the cour-se from a much lower altitude than Capt. Skeel had attempted) rOJ:'
lowed by the Verville-Sperry monoplane, which from the beginning showed the greater
speed of the two planes over the 50-kilometer course. Lt. Mills completed his firm
lap at 214.1 m.p.t., while Lt, Brookley in the R-6 made but 212.2 m,p.h. Lt.Stoner
in the PIt-SAWas hopelessly outclassed, making but 166.4 m.p.h. On the second lap
Lt. Mills accomplished 216.4 m.p.h., Lt. Brookley 213.5 m.p.h., and Lt. stoner
167.5 m.p.h. By an increase of 1/10 m.p.h. Lt. Mills finished the third lap in the
lead, his plane'looking especially bird-like with its retractible chassis drawn up
within the fuselage. The first two planes finished a whole lap ahead of Lt .stoner
~ Lt. Mills makang an average speed of 216.55 m.p.h., Lt. Brookley 214.45 m.p,h., '
and Lt. st<lliner107,95 m.p.h. Lt. Brookley and Lt. stoner, having witnessed Skeel's
ace ident from the air, flew the race under nervous strain. Lt. Mills was the only
one of the flyers unaware of what had happened when he landed. All the pilots felt
the effects of the unfavorable air conditions, Lt. Brookley commentingthat it was
the roughest trip he had ever made.
October 5 Air Carnival.
Th6hourwasgrowing late and the elaborate flying that had been planned for
the Air Carnival was somewhat curtailed. There stood NewYork City) however) pa-
thetically waiting for her bombing,and the bombing planes, escorted by the valiant
pursuita,rose nobly to the occasion. If tJ:1erace had brought to light nothing else,
wh~~hit did, the emphasis it placed upon the marked pursuit development in the
last year would be worth vvhile. In the race of the pursuit planes, there was not an
entry which fell short. All that were listed to enter did enter and there were no
forced landings. All of them finished the race, pushing each other hard for' speed.
All .records in speed for pursuit planes were broken, and foreign representatives
were agreed in that the United States might boast of the fastest fleet of pursuit
planes in the world. Together with their bombers they were an impressive sight as
they went ahead to signal that the way was clear. Several bombs were dropped and
the Woolworth Tower careened precarious~Yt showing that the great steel girders sup-
posed to repose in its innards were really of wood. Next the citizens might be sup-
posed to be worrying about their Municipal ~uilding from the limp manner in which
it folded over. But it was a great city, this condensed NewYork, with its towering
sky line, and it took several attacks to completely demoralize it. FinallY,however,
with the fiercer attacks of the larger bombs it gradua~ly gave up the ghost to
modern warfare, and under severe bombardment its mighty buildings heaved themselves
desperately in the air, fell apart, and 'the city was razed.
Mr. Meister announced that the ISliiO~{er" Which had been planned for Saturday
night at Memorial Hall to close the thl'E:e-days' celebration, at which the World
Flyers were to have been guests of honor, together with the winners o~ the various
races, to whompresentation of their trophies was to have been made, would be called
off owin; to the regrettable accident. The trophies and prizes would be distributed
by mail. This presentation wOt:.ld, of course, .have been informal, as under the rul-
ing of the P.A.I. formal presen~ation of trophies or prizes for events cannot be
made for three weeks after the event to permit of the filing of protests should such
come up. Immediaitely als~ there azo se the rumor that an effort would be made to
permit the thousand dollars which was the uncontested part of the pulitzer prize
money to be sent to Mrs. skee l.,
The .ur Race meeting was over. Hushed by .the sadness that had invaded their
holiday, but pervaded with a sense of the magic that the air had held for them
during those three days, a magic that in their childhoods they could have known
only in fairy tales, but which had. become strange reality to their adult-hood, the
crowd turned homeward.
National Aeronautic Association.
The National -Aeronautic .A'SSOciatiortheld its second annual convention during
the three days of the Air Haces and it is to i'ts president, Mr. Frederick Pa-l:;teroon.
his untiring encouragement and ~upport of a.eronautics during this past year I and es-
pecially in the preparation fol' the tAir Races, tha;; much credit is' due t or their
success. Hr. Godfrey Cabot, of Boston, and 1:11'. R.W. Schroeder, formerly a Maj"r in
the U.S. Air Service and past holder of the world's al'titude record, were elected
president and vice president, respectively, for the coming year,. At a br Ll.Ld arrt
banquet given during the Meet a letter from President Coolidge was read, and re~r~.
sentatives of. aeven countries, the World F'lyers, and the foreIT.ost national expert,c
on aeronautics, were guests of honor. Plans for eliminating the dive in air races
were drafted a.nd forwarded to the F .A. I. for aiJproval during one of the mee'Ufiget
Major Schroeder claiming that the true performance of an airplane ..can more aocurE:l.to,
ly be obtained without the false stimulation of speed gained through the dive.
-11- V-5304, A S
11.'SSERVE
OFFlCE1{0 COMPLETETHAINING
Two groups of ~ir Service reserve officers each spent two weeks of training
at Fort Bliss, El Paso, Texas. The first group finished their training August l1t;.,
and the secondgroup started their training two days later and finished their course
on August 31st. ~he names of the reserve officers of the first group were mention~
ed in a previous issue of t he NEWSLETc1'EH..The reserve officers of the second
group are as follo'!lS: :Aajor Barnard Cumr.tl.ngs, Cruig, Colo. i Capt. Ii'red :feasel,
Albu4uerque, N.M.; Capt. James 0. Nabours, Jr., Tucson, Ariz.; Capt. James a.Espey,
Trinidad, col. i First Lieuts. stanley P Ricketts I !<'ort Collins,
f Colo.; Albert A.
Sperry, Douglas, ~~iz.; Louis C. Geisendorf, Eastland, Texas; Second Lieuts. Char~
M. Wightman, Dewey Bartlo and Charles G. st arrt on, phoenix, Ariz.; Harry \iT.Hantsc~e't
Hurley, l~.M.; Earl L. Byaers, Breckenridge, c,2exas; John P. Hausner, Gallup, N.M.;
and Earl K. Parker, Denver, Colo.
Wilbur Wright field, Fairfield, Ohio, took part in the Defense Day Parade which
marched through the main s'l;reets of Day.ton at 4:00 p s m, The parade included a lartfl
representation of patriotic and military organizations of many kinds. Major A.W.
Robins, Commanding Officer of Wilbur'IJri.ght Field, was in command of the Air Serviee
unit s, which included 1',~cCookField. Both I./IeCookand Wilbur Wright Fields had sever-
al interesting floats showing the work carried on, and practically every officer
and civilian at the two fields marched in the parade. One interesting feature was
the complete truck train gf the 88th Squadron which was all polished up for the oc-
casion and made a snappy appea~ance.
At the conclusion of the parade, a patriotic service was held at UcKinley Park.
After singing "America" and listening to an excellent address on preparedness and
the constitution, all who were present took the oath of allegiance to the flag and
country.
BA.i1.:'ING
BOlJiBER
MAKE:JFJ.JIGHTAFTEBLONGREST
The Barling.Bomber recently made ita first flight since the fall of 1923. For
the past e~ght or nine months the big bomber has been in its hangar at Wilbur
Wright Field, where it was thoroughly reconditioned. The huge craft took the air
on the afternoon of 3eptember 11th with Lieut. H~n'old R. Harris, of McCook Field,
as pilot. It has flo\vn several times since that date, being very prominent in the
Pulitzer Races, again justifying the faith which has 'aeen placed in it by its de..
signers, its pilots a~d the Air service g~nerally.
!<'HA1IJC:>£
FIELD FLY::I:RS
PAY VISIT OF COURTESY
TO COSTARICA
'Minister, and Col. Bor!iHia, Chief of :itaff. The hip to San Jose, 350 miles,was
covered in 5 hours and 35 minutes. A slight rain was encourrt er e d on -the return
trip, Which was accomplished in 5 ho~rs and 40 minutes.
In the Panama Canal Zone an emergency flight was recently made to David,
Panama, from France Field, in a successful attempt to save the life of the son of
Mr. and Mrs. Hodges , who had been stricken with appendicitis, The father's appre-
ciation of the services rendered by F~ance iield is best described in an extract of
a letter from him to General Samuel D. Sturgis, commanding the Panama'! Canal Depart-
m&nt, reading as follows:
. "The experience brings home in the most forceful manner the eff ciency
of the Air 3ervice, the wonderful progress that has been made y its per-
sonnel in recent years in the entire field of aeronautics; an from the
willingness of its members to perform.any and all duties th • may be
called upon to perform, one can readily understand why the Air Service
has the enviable reputation that it holds in the U.S. AT' ,"
- - --_ ..~----
{ )( i THE END OF A LOi~G JOURHEY 1/
The aerona~iC~ achievement of the age .. the circumnavigation of the globe by
air .. is now a closed chapter. We can think of no better manner of summing up the
result of this flight than to quote an article by Major-General jAason lilI. Patrick,
Chief of Air I;lw'vice,. Which appeared in the October issue of the U.~. AIR SERVICES
magazine, viz: _ .
Wl'.en the World Flight landed in Seattle recently, the mos t conepa cuous avia-
tion undertaking since the war came to a brilliant close. The Flight is ended.
There remains only to chronicle properly this remarkable exploit and to draw from
it the lessons it has taught •. The success of 'this flight depended upon three
things: The personnel, the airplanes and the or-ganf zat.Lo n 1;)$Qk of t~em ~o ~ tine
I
detailed planning with all Which this entailed and to care f~r thed:Lstr1:.birtJL~lm a!
supplies so that at no point should there be, anything wanting. .
With a1y~ne ef these lacking this Flight would have been impossible. The
personnel of this ex)editiQn consisted of pilots and mechanics. In the Army Air
kh-.- ~\'yq -13- V-S304\ 3
r
service there was no dearth of either, In :act, thef inal choice was made more di-:'~ ""
ficult by t~elarge number available. All events transpiring since the Flight left
seattle have' proved that those selected were well qualified for the work required
of them. This little group, whose names have been on every t ongue and are fa.milia::
to nearly every man, womanand child in the country, has carried out its dangerous
mission, brought' it to a triumphant end, and is unspoiled by its successful accom-
plishment.
~fuen the idea of circling the globe by air was first conceived, it was at
once realized that we must have a suitaole plane, one designed for the unusual re-
quirements which would be demanded of it. The recital of a few of the many charac-
teristics which the "\jorld Cruiser" must possess will serve to illustrate 'the task
confronting its designers and engineers. It must be capable of landing both on
land and water iit must have a long cruising radius, particularly for crossing the
Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, and other parts'of the route where supply bases were
widel~ separated by geographic barriers; it must besturd,ily and staunchly built ,
to withstand the rigors of all climates and the strain of more than 26,000 miles of.
continuous air passage. The type selected met well these requirements. Those who ,
viewed these planes when they landed at tieattle at the end of the journey were sur-
prised at their excellent condition.
More depended on the planesthall is generally understood. In past explo'ration
and discovery the result was lar~e;I:,y dependent on the ,personnel. Early explorers,
when one mode of travel failed, seized another method of transport and pushed on,
the final result depending upon the resourcefulness, stamina, and courage of the
individual adventurer. In this Flight, however, the planes were the only vehicles
Which could pe employed and unless they could stand the stTai~s to Which they were
subjected the task, given the pilots could not have been completed.
But even with such excellent personnel and equipment this circumterrestrial
journey through the air was an impossibility without an adaquabe , efficient organi-
zation behind them. All too fre4uently we ()verlook these men "behind the scenes" ....
they who plan and work without any hope or desire for persona.l recognition or glory
that' others maysuc~eed.Upon them tell the burden of selecting the planes, secur-
ing the cooperation of other bureaus and departments of our own Government and of
all ,foreign nations Whose realms were traversed;' selecting the route. establishing
the landing places,and shipping the ,supplies to all the odd corners of the earth
where our Fli&1tiwas forced to stop. In short, this littie group was the General
Staff, the ~ignal Corps. the ~uartermaster Corps and the Air ~ervice ~upply Divi-
sion for this mite of an army which was sent around the world; and yet I doubt if a
score of men in or out ot the service could recite their names. However, I kr;loW
them and give them great credit for the admirable mariner in which they performed'
their task. They began work long before the :night started, they will be at it
lon~after the Flight is ended. But they have worked with a purpose and their work
has been well done.
his outlines the method of accomplishing one of the ~ost important single
military missions since the War. A few words may not be amiss as to the influence
Of this flig,1t. It has taught a number (}fworth while le5;80n6. FrOma military
standpoint, this Flight has shown that no distances or no difficulties are great
enough to make any country immune from attack by ai~craft. On the other hand,this
same flight has shown how commund cat ion between the nat ions of the World can. b~ im-
proved, hoWparts e f theeurth ot.herwl se almost inaccessible or without sufhcl.ent
means of transportation and communication can be brouV1t nearer, thus enabling men
and nations to know oath other better, so th{lt aircraft, while potent engines of
war;; may likewise go far toward bringing about the much desired era of universal
peace. "
Mr~ Wm. D<Ken~1l3dy,assistant Chief of Maintenance Branch of the F'i eLd Service
Section. returned to Fad r f i.e.Ld after spendinp several weeks on the cruiser"Milvmukee"
wh ioh carried supplies to the Round-Tho-Wcrld Pl.y cr-a at Greenland, babrn.dor, iJew
Fou ndl and and Nova Scotia. .!VIr. Kennedy reports a nost enj oyab I.e tdp. Not the
least of his interc1sting »xpcr-Lo nce s vras his so j ourn in an Eski.mo village on the
coast of Greenland vrh er-e he had an excellent opportunity to observe the customs of
these simple and kindly- po opl e ,
Major H~j. Knerr and Lieut. G.V.McPike st.nr t ed on .Sep"':ember l6t~. forIV;B,r8hall
Field, Ft. Riley, Kansas 88Ch ferrying a DR pl.ane for use at that Fic!d. Lieut. Mc-
Pike returned by rail. lViajor Knerr remained (tt l\i1a.rshall Field a few days longer and
was rret by Capt , John S. Colgan of Wilbur Wright Field '7Hh another p'Lane Ln... which he
was ferried back. .
LisutQ and Mrs. Donald G~Duko arrived on Soptember 16 from Washington, D~C.
Lieut. Duke is an entrant in the Liberty Engine Builders 1 Race. Other Air Service
a ffi cere who expect to fly in the sarne r-acevrho have ard_ vo d at Wilbl1t' Wright Field
rocently for tho purpose of preparing fot that event are Lieut .. Edwin B Bobzien of
o'
Chanute Fiold, Ld eut , Robert D. Knapp of Maxwell Fi,eld and Major C.L. Tinker of Post
Field. Fer tho benefit of -theso and other .visiting Qfficers and their families an l
Officers t Mess was established at the Officers' .C'Iub under the ab Le vd.i.r-ect ion of
Lieut. Wirtfi old S. Hamlin formerly known as Side Slip Inn. Among the features of
this Mess ~(in addition to th& e x ce kl.orrt food provided) is a six-piece orchestra
which 'Jvill .play each evem.ng until after the Races,
Li.eu t , GoE. Ballard r-ct urn ed f r om Mi dd.Let own, Pat whcr-e ihe has been inspecting
Air Service equipment. .
On September 14, Lieut. C.E. 'I'hcrpas , Jr • "7ith Id out , G.E. Ballard .andthree
~ parachute jumpers from the enlisted personnel went to Selfridge Fi61d in a fu~rtin
Bo roe.r and participated in an ae t-Lal, dereJn8t)"F..:.ticn~
Capt. David W.Bedinger, Flight Surgeon at MarshallField,anrived by air on Sep-
tember 18«- .
Lie'ut~. Wallace G. Sn:ith from Chanute Field arrived on September 18. Lieut.
Srrath is proceeding to Bolling Fiold via tte Airways Route.
The repair shops. are, working ove r-t Lme togJ:t the planes tuned up- .for tho Races
and the mechanics arc taki:1g their mea.Ls when they can grJt them. Grandstands are
being erected, the hi gnway o bEHling from Dayton have been pr-ac't a csLl.y rebuilt and
it is ocpected that everything wi.Ll, be in readiness for the big Races on schedule time.
No, Cyril - Brooks Field has not dried up and b Lown away, tho we do live in
Texas. We have morely b e en too busy gr eduatd.ng one class 0 f future aces and making
preparations for the next to tolk ITllcheAnd truthfully, ~ilr. Noah's concentrated
efforts to tot his ark bu'i.Lt bofore the rains began had nothing on the. ear-neat en-
deavors of Ldeut.e , Wililsatt and WaJ.te, in charge of Mess and Quarters) and Ldeut ,
Horn and his staff of Ground School expor-t s , And then the deluge o~ students be-
gan - and it's still coming - 54 Second Lieutenants, O.D. complete - just out of the
Point, with the original creases in thoir uniforms and boots still refloctingthe
elegancies of their firf3t shine; 57 0 fficors from other grades, branches and pre-
vious conditions of ser-vt tude , The t rana fnr-e from other branche s, politDly super-
cilious, taking elaborate care not to be taken for any one of the 54 of the varioty
first mentioned. And those who have but newly exchanged "cits.' for uni rorrss, carry-
ing themselves a bit .stiffly - as tho asking themselves whether they leok as funny
as they feel - ( and gener3.11y they do) .
And then there are s Lc Cuban 0 ffi cers, t brae fromvarious branches of the Set'-
vice and three fresh from their military academy) all Second Lieutenants and eager tc
fly, for as they explain, t he Cuban Air Se:rvice is just being born, and if they can
beat the'Bellzine Board t a glance into the future S;lOWS their path fairly sprinkled
with prorr.otions. In ciddition there are the Sin.mese, two sub-lieutenants who have
reported, and two CiJaptains who as yet have only been reported as coming.
And finally Z8 Reae r-ve Ufficers, 11 Nat.Lona'l Guard officers and 121 Flying
Cadets, including men franl tho non-conmdssio~ed ranks of the Army, youngsters from
ci vil life and even no S011 of a Danish Admiral
-17- V-5304A.S.
Of course, too -' there are .i.ncl ud ed in the above l1U1Yl":',erc t 18 holdovers
who, thru illn8ss or other reasons, have had their training'deL<.yed. And. s.i r.o..; -to:.
fly and know' ill tho r0!"lcs~ may he nicked out as wear i.ng the w,311 worn 3.i1C ;:~0a.T,r
6c'?trcJ ..1G w;th hel mct and fog[les on all occas i ons , The;l are J~h(, ones 3..1'01.,
wh~.ch absorbed and open-onout.h cd ~~roups will gather in the quar-t c r s f'or ,1 8',)"ldn!i
of marvelous "bar-r-acks ayiiIg" i .. ta16s, before wh.i ch those 0 f Sinbad and Bar-en
Munchausen pale to tepid irldgnificance~
And there with a tot::tl of 279 is a layer of future Air Servico personnel -
Power to themJ
But preparing for students :i,.sn't all th",t Brooks Ficlld has been doing by a
good deal. Niajor Royce and Lieut. Fred 1JI!oodc~ard just r'etul"l1ed from a ton day crOGS,
country to Austil'l~ JljIinn.
Capt. Paul Buck a-id Lieut. Har-Lan T. ]~cCormic:c, 011 Reserve Officer instrue.tion
duty at Denver. came horne as lIall at.at e champion <3..... 1" r-ace r s ' and "pr ocd sx ori and
acrobatic flyer", r'.'l::,p'3ctively. They have th(,: cups to pi-eve it too. (rrhey1re
really cock-tai 1 shakers. but it s ounds be t t.e r to f'!ay \ cups').
McCormick wasn't satisfied with all this, hovevcr , 80 he went off and annex-
ed a lady to 'help him share his honors. The Post extends their' best wic,l,:es and
accepts the explanation of a great many a f the Li.eut.enarrt is puat c!'or.;s'.countries.
Lieut .. Stanley Ellerthorpe let Dan Cupid score a direct hit on ni m, too , and
has precipitated the necessary prelirr~naries to changing the name of Miss Dorothy
Vernon (not of "Haddon Hall", however) to El1ertho!'pe~
Also Li euf and 'Mrs. R.G. Br cene have returned from leave and are establishing
themselves in their, new quarters.
A;.ar:ul flurry was occasioned when Li eut e , C.F. Woolsey, Hez McClellan and J .B.
Haddon took off for Dayton to fly in the Pulitzer Races, the two former, piloting
Martin Bombers and Lieut. haddon a new D.H.That the aforementioned flurry 111}as-
n't solely in the minds of those'that saw the racers off, is pr-o ved by the fact
that Lieut. McClellan went off leaving all of his toilfJt articles carefully laid
out on hi s dresser. '
With the beginning of the new class, the Post's social "'h801;3 begin to turn
again, an indication of same being the appointment of Lieuts. Griffis and Young
as committee to ~rrange for a dinner-dance in the near future. From all advance
notices it should be a good part yo
Li0ut. Clark leads the flying time of the Second Division Air Service for the
month of August with 69 hours and 35 minutes. Lieut. Douglas camo in second with;.
24 hours and 22 nri.nut es ,
Lieut. Clark and Captain Pursley made a cross country flight to Albuquerque,
New Mexico, Tuesday. Li.eut , Clark l'oturned to this station- the same date.
Fi ve re connaa asance fli ght s were made ",i th the First Cavalry Division Wednes-
day while the Cavalry units were on the march~
Lieut. Weddington and Serge'll''.G Rhc de s made two photographic flights Wednesday
one for the purpose 0 f taking ve r-t i ca.l photos of Caur ehe sne Bridge and troops en-
route thereto from i<""ortBliss over- s ce nd c drive, and the other to take oblique
photos of po Siti0118 occupiod by the First Caval.r-y Division oas t of Caur chcsne
Bridge.
Sergeant Tyler made a cross country flight to Douglas, Arizona for the pur-
pose of bringing Liout. Ballentyne to this station.
Lieut. Evert, Captain Bonder. Sergeant Pierce and Sergeant Johnson made a
cross country flie:ht to Elephant Butte Dam to search for Land mg fields in that
vicinity.
Lieuts. Cl ar-k and Smith made flights for the purpose of giving rides to en-
Ii st ed men 'who do not ordinarily have an opportunity to fly in tho course of their
duties.
The personnel all this field have be eri kept busy for the past ten days reaktng
preparations for the bombing and machi.ne gun nat ches to bo held here beginning Od:--
bel' 8th. Targets for the gunnery ver e erected and concrete dug-outs built fo,'
the scorers. Tarp,ets for the bombing were ~uilt close to the mouth of the Yc~Y
river and provisions made to maroon a couple of officors on an island close to
the target to take care of the acor Lng, The last mentioned job did not seem to :')B
cherished by the officers solected for tho dotail.
-18... _v__ r~_. ,,'-",", ,-~
. Provisions were made by the Quarterma3ter to quarter all visiting pilote and
bombers in the bachelor o f fd cer-s quarters at ,the lighter-than-air station on this
field. Among the'officers who arrived from Panama for the match are: Major Jones.
LtE. Selzer; Boyd, Ndnt~r, Shankle, Certer and Watson.' When these officers arriv;'
ed they were given two Martin Bombers in whach to go to the International Races •.
Major Jones and wife proceeded to Dayton by rail to attend the races.
In addition to the pilots arriving from Panama, others are expected the last
of the week from Aberdeen, Kelly, and a pursuit formation from Selfridge to take
part in the gunnery.
The officers who were allowed to attend the races from this field were afraid
they would not get to go during the first part of the week, the prevailing bad
weather making fiying conditions impossible, but on Wednesday morning when all cor.
corned awoke and found a cl ear- sky sighs of relief were heard all over the fieldo
The ships started leaving at daybreak, some leaving as late as noon.
The personnel of the group were kept on their toes for the past week changing
motors and giving the W~rtins all the attention and repair they needed so as to have
them' in perfect condition for the night cross-country to New York, to be made Oet.
lOth, if the weather pernuts. The present plans for the trip are that the ships will
t.e.ke off from Langley at 8 o'clock on the night of t'he 10th, arriving at Mitchel
about midnight. The shipe will be serviced early Sunday morning and all Martins
that.reach Mitchel will.procoed to Hartford, Conn, , and then return to the home sta-
tion the sarr,e night.
No little interest'is being taken by both oHicers and enlisted men of the
group in connection with the proposed flight" The present plans are fOI" two officers
and two enlisted men to' be in each of the nine Jtartins •.
..
CROSSCOUIITEIESi".
Capt. E.E.W. Duncan made a trip to Washington and return in a Martin; Lieut.
Drummmade a trip to Middletown in a Martin for the purpose of bringing back supplies
and land at his home stati:on with 1500 pounds of freight aboard; Capt. W.H, Hale::t .. "
flew a Ivartin to Camp Vale, N.J., -to have radio installed on the ship.
Seven M~rtin Bombers left for thenaces at Dayton, five of them carrying 600
pounds of smoke bombs each which will be dr-opped at the Army Relief Show at ...Dayton~
The other two ships were taken by officers from Panama. The pilots of the artins
were Capt. W.H. Hale. Capt. E.E~W. Duncan, Capt. E.C. Blank, Lt. Williams and Lt.
Davies. Officer.s who were also aboard the ~"artins as bombers were Lt s , Lindenburg,
Finley, Rodgers, Brady and Atkinsono
Others who left for the races were Majors Lyon and McNarney, Capt a , Quinn, 1,;" '" .:
Clinard; .Easterbrook and Lie).lts. Stoner, Finter, Ford, Case, Bertrandias, Cook,
Puryear, and McDonald. Lt. Kaufrr.an made a cross country to Bblling 'Field and return
for the purpose 0 f ferrying J..t. Zwiker to Washington.
ELEVENTH SQUADRON ..
It seems that the 11th Squadrun is always after records, espeoially when it.
changed six motors. Receiving the rr.otors one day, the Squadron pulled the old ones,
and intalled the new ones, putting the shi;ps beck on line, ready for flying, the'
follOWing day Co-operation between t~e crew chiefs and men, created the synchroni-
zation that effected this work.
The 11th Squadron Athletic and TrackTeam arelimbering up t.heir muscles prepara-
tory to the coming Field and Track Meet, to be held on this Field, October 8. The
Track 'team expectlrto have new material which will be used effectively in gaining
more laurels for the banner of the 11th Squadron.
The 11th Squadron furnished fOur planes for a cross country fligh~ to Dayton,
Ohio, taking a number of pasaenger-s to visit and wat ch the Internatio8-,1l\ir Races
held there. The Squadron furnished a ~artin Bomber. NBS-l type, for the gaces,
which is being piloted by Lieut. H.D. Smith. This is the only Martin Bomber repre-
sentati ve 0 f this Field.
Outside of being a passenger air J,ine. the 11th Squadron carried freight to
the extent of 1500 pounds, which was brought from Middletown. Pa., by Lieut. Drum,
in one of the Squadron's bombers. This was made in about four hours flying. the pl ano
stopping at Washington, D.C., for gasoline service.
-19- V-$304 A.S.
Theil th led the' other equadr ons in the Cr-oup in flying tiine' for Sort~rr1:)A")
Even though bad weather p!'ov",i1cd 11:ost of t~e month the 11th bombers put" in '~.:\;~
hours flying time. of t:hich 59 hours wer-e on C:~08.:) country flying, covering 3(;;:'::
miles.
TWENTIE'~~~~KR~ft-89UADRON
FOrth€' wMic ending Sept. 27tb the Squadron was J.oo1o efficient ;vith all ,
ships in comnis s.i on and 58 hours flyi~g timo, rna.king the fourth conse out.f ve week
the Squadron reported all ships in commission, which is eert.ainly a boost for the
mechanics upon who se integrity and e.bility the Squ2.dron relies to keep the ships
up to the standard of efficiency the organization r..a's-thf reputation of doing"
Capt. Willis H. Hale, Squadron Cornmande r , flew the ship of Major.-Pir:i,e(the
Group Commander)) to Camp Vail for, tho purpose of havingme,ta.lled a Radio Broad-
casting Set to be used in conjunction with the proposed' night' flight to New York.
Lieut3. Whiteley and Rogers roturned from 3el fridge Field, reporting 28 hours *
flying time. They tQok par-t in the Aerial Cncus at that Field,
Our Squadron En spe o'tor , Liout. '1r"ilker,rather surprised the Squadron by em-
barking for ports unknown upon tho sea of matrimony. We all wish Lieut. and Mrs.
~~lker the best of luckv
Toda.y finds the 50th Observation Squadron quf.t e busy on the Lines. They will
be well r'epresentcd in Dayton this '<leek." We have three DH4B planes there this date.
Capt. Eastcrbroo~{~ pilot,I,iajor l\ilcNarney" observer, and Lt.' Cook, pilot, Lt. Pur-
year, observer and I.,t. McDontLld, pilo't, Cpl. W~lrd, obeer-ver , have gone to Dayton to
attend the Races. . , ,
Lt. Sessions, pilot, Cpl. 'I'ho mps on , observor, leItThursday for Aberdeen, Md.,
to take tpar-t in maneuvers there, consa st.Lng of Artillery Adjustments and Chemical
~J!Tarfare.
This squadron is makd.ng pr-epaz-atd on s for fixed Gun maneuvers, to take the,
form of a gunnery competition. Tho teams are entered from the Air Servico .at large
as far West as Cali f'or-zii.a and as fo;i.1" Soirth as Panama.
The 50th Squadron now has on hand one JNS-l equipped for Glider Tests. This'
'lll7ill prove to be Vf5ry intf)resting wor-k, y!E think •. Another new proposition has .come
to t'his. squadron. in the form 0 f tow-targets.' l~re had two new ships assigned to us
equipped with teleasing dovi.oas 10;:' thes,; targets. Thes,o seem to have created a
nr3?r interest arcong the p er aonne.l as this is something new' to. most 0 f them.,
. Libut. Bur-t , recently .of this ouJcfit, h'as been transferred to'He~dquarters
Group at .t ht s f'i.;.ld. Lieut. Foster is n01'Ton leave of ar s ence ,
Dear Sir:
Please to
forgive presun~tous on my part at offering comrmnt on perticular
trip in motor kites sept. 12 F'riday wru ch are :moV111 as 'de fence day in Sticktogether
States of America. . with
Sple~did honor are donated mebJu.s~ ArITrj in ride 'r"l Lewtenant Morgan on
which we have been told to go to find Padfick Float vrha ch are s orre . place in o cean
by same name ,
Throught have run thru rD.y idind which' sa.y'~locoan are perticularly lar2:9
body of wat ervand fl€:et ar-e more small so to I ook very little if in middle of o cern
Fog 'are very evedent in vcry li1a~lY da r e ct i.on when make start toward we.'U-JP't
part. Motor sound very substantial while near fT,il'ded-gate but after boutt .....
;1:.;';.y
minutes more :throughts are in direct,ion of what are going to happen if Histandup
Squeeza motor are to become sudenl y dumb.?? .1 speckalate to myself:- 150 hor-s es u f
die sudden death become all SUddenly one i.nert partical of metalic subet ance whi ch
-20- V-5304 A.S ..
will float about so long as hOl1orab_J,.~stre.d.mlin~il brick I sink. After' bout hci.
and' fifteen minutes ,whil~' in whi ch we think we sink Hon, Omaha and several smal.J
boat who are known aa-.dey at r-oyer-, and who'a,r'e gain name from perticule.r habit of
destroying <lppe~it8' of sailor who ci.Vor,f6'rttf11ate to be on top side, we decide by
Capt. Potta .to go to land side of. ocean •. But when mako to turn around compass
seem to be affectc:.d by, Nierican. probit1on' problem and aer-cu'l at e in i'ncertain
manner like saiior on modern Bar-bar-y Coat and not can find directtion to point.
After few minute which seem plfmty, wh i.Le both cart. Pot,ta and han, observer make
funny signs like deaf and dumb school, pannik seem to come in my 'throat. I
look for boat, hope to join Navy. No boat --- fond glance at pair of boot who
cost 27$ which are hard to get and more hard to gd off. Take out knife to see
if sharp to cut lace. Look over side of mucilage to sec if water are still
,there, -- oh yes plenty. Wonder if can able to swi m wt t.h airkiteplane strapd ar-ound
belly, sank you i dont sink so. rrhought have run thru my mind then wha ch I bet 11'0
are now in hell' of fix. All pIanos now sircle around in no direction and Hen,
Morgan and little & Lewt , Eaton go one direction for minute. I say to me -- come
on 2l-2l-oy06 look, for land for papa--save new boot. (270 Keep no11" uniform from
being e e par-at.e , I' have on pant but codt with brass button are on shore •
., Suddenly I arc related to Hen, Columbus. I see land -- wor-th bout
lOOOO(~ per' acre. Point rays I sink. oh happy fe<:lling -- Have never been in, love
but I sink know how how fcel-- be atrt.i, ful feeling "'hi eh tickle. Final V:TO arrive
home dry. Sigh ascape from diafram. Ploase to excuse all unosessary talk -- whlit
wanted'to say when be gt n are this:- I have made invention out of my O'tm,niind whi,cl
.I wish to donate' 'to u , s.a.A~S. free of cost for nothing. Invj9ntion are' 'pair
common water Wings in,~:~,efasten aroun body sn'all tube are: .c onncct. to' fliers t .
mouth. V~en flier'~ecome lost at see and compass'have go hay wire -- flier becorre
nervous and 'are'prea~ed, t o. pGrspire.' That "'Itlt w~tGi. Wing,'. and, tube connect, .with
mouth to water w. .ar e. pum~ ~p ,'P~.w. due to heavybreat,hing,""hich 1"i11 undoubt
~e. ~resent.' •. . • c- .; ' .
Ho'Ping yot.).,Are the same, .
o
Much exca torrent was e vi derrt in Headquar-ter-s' t'his week - the first thing
that happened was tho appoa rrtmcrrt of our Sergoant Ma'jor as 'I'e Sergeant.
chni.cal,
This was welcome mews to all of us - we have congratulated him and .wi shed him
well -' on the side we have wished he'd give ul!l'C'o'ho.riday or a party or something
to suitably celebrate this everrt , So far it does not seem to be f or-t hc ormng, .
Our Cost Accounting Clerk, Corporal Dava daon , r-cce i ved his warrant for Be r gearrt ;
he has been subject to the usual, jokes on this, i.o~ , tho sowing of his new
stripes on hisnif.hi-shirt ot c, , but he emphaticaIly denies overy charge.
Private Cottrell, one of.ourStenographers, was'ma:<i~ a Corporal, It appears
that almost ever-yone moved up a notch or two. Well, prpmotions come so seldom,'
that it does make us. >ul feel good to know there fS a fe,iT more per cent.as on the -.,'
old payroll for us., .
,Another week of ~ynshine was enjoyed in a'very rainy season ~ all the
pilots were anxious to do thQir flying while the flying was good. A party of
.MB3A's from Clark Field came down and gave us some thrills :r'ith their "cute
little planes", as some one was hoard. to remark. "
Letters have begun to arrive from some of tho Headquarters Personnel who re~
turned to the States on the last transport. ;1t seems that they want tocOJne
back to these dreamy far away Isles. Those of us who have been unfortunate enoug
to ~B left behind, do not understand this. ~~at's happened to the States si~ce
'!!le were there -it'.suitedusall right! Well, perhaps we shall see. .
The 28th Bombardment Squadronrepo,rts the following opor-at Lons for this'
week. On the 11th, Id eut , Dunton flew to' Clark Field in a ~Jartin Bomber. Lieut.
Mc!ver accompanied ham for t110 purpose. of ferrying to this station, a Martin
Bomber vrhich was in 8t'Ol'agO at Clilrk. Field. Both returnod same date. On the
14th, Lieut. Harper, in a 1m, ,flew over Fort William McKinl\:3y, Camp stotsenbu'rg,
Manila and ~anila Bay for the purpo~e 01 reconnaissance. Due to the continued
good weather for the past few days, thB Squadron was enablEd to speed up on the
construction of -t he new Post Exchange and c orapke-t e the ;'~otl.ndation. .
The 66th Service Squadron is still actively engaged in comploting their
new Hangar. The vror-k on the t e s't blocl{s is progressing very rapidly. Saturday
closed with the two end walls and a good big part of the back wall poured and '
the forms on the end walls romoved.
-21- V-53Q4 A.,S."
~es from the 42nd Air Intelligen~e Sept!!»)
During the past ~eek the 42nd hav~ng tired of a steady diet of eontr~band
gold fiSh. de ct.ded on a little shark steak, ,
So artrd.ng themee,lves to the teeth ahd with a number of unfortunate dogs labell.
ed "bait" they set forth. each with amerttal vision of shark -8 teeth. necklaces and
shark fin soup. . . ' '
A flanking plan or e:ttack was decided. on in which the element of surprise was t.
ti gur-e largely. (It did.)
Aft&r crawling to a position of advantage behind some bushes on the beach and
taking a last hasty inspoction to make sure the various armament worked, the word wat
given and the gallant "shar-k shockers" went over the top, in ( or rather loto) three
separate waves.
The banca pron~tly foundered forcing the crew to walk ashore,
A Il10stundignified retreat, as it were.
Whenasked about their luck one of the members was heard to say "Not much. We'
waded out as far as possible but as we saw no shark we decided, to come back."
Private Endler says this typhoon weatber comes in handy, when ho runs out of
gas on the road with tho motorcycle, just hoist a sail and comotearing back.
The 5totsenburg Golf Tournament is well uner way. with a total of 30 entries,
and Irllchint.re st is' be i ng evidenced. The Air Service has been eliminatod to one
'.entry, Lt. Williams. However. the bets are on him as a winner.
Flying is being curtailed on account of Slortage of enlisted personnol and the
difficulty being encountered in securing r epedr-a for the MB3As.
.: The Squadron is losing 43 men 011 the September boat •. Thislloss will be a ser ..
ious handicap until replacements arrive. .
The Clark Field Soccer team has turned out fairly succe8s~ul up to the present
date, having won two games, drawn one and lost one. A game is scheduled to be
played on the 26th of AU@Jstbetween thQ Air Service and Battery E, 24th Field Artil~
lery, the leading team in the League. it is hoped the game can be so scheduled as
fo giVQ the men 16aving on the next Transport an opportunity to play in a last atb-
letic contest in the Philippine Islands.
CAMP NICHOLS
During the past week the Inspector of the Philippine Department gave CampNichol:
a surprise party (not the kind one would expect , but a \;~Orkingparty). Coming'Jvith
his assistant early Thursday mor-ni.ng , he -anneunced that they were on thei'r annual in-
speetion of the post. Frantio last minute sear:.ehes of records be.gan .and with a
last look at them~hGartily concurred with that person who said unever put off:un.
til tomorroW'what you can do todayllT it devel oped that Borneof us .had "puf off""\1ntil
tomorrow" and were caught in the act. However. Hoadquarters was f"O'rtunate this' time.
___ ,.-we were the last Organization to be inspected and we did have a fe.w hoursgl"'ace any.
way. Saturday morning a little eJ~eitement was had when fire drill was held. this
completed tho inspection. At present wo arc waiti~g for thr; inspe~tor's rOPQrt~to
come in - we might add tha~ the suspense is terrible - in lieu of the many demands
"to reply by indorsoment her-eon" which lifO :are liable to r-eeed VEl we have' already dop-;
~d out suitable replies.
We thought' that instead of taking a vaoation Old Sol had abandoned his duties
&ntirely, but everyone was agroeably surprised last week with a few days sunshine.
Much activity was noted among the pilots who had beenfr.ounded on account of the wet
woathor; everyone was trying"to get their hops in".
T~c Si~~h Photo Section is rejoicing over a large shipment of supplies and.
working materials which they received on the transport "Meigs" a short time ago.
They are busy fitting up the copying 'ro om with Cooper-Hewi.tt Lights and also the
Mosaio board. The Section, which has just moved into their new Photo Hut, expects
under the improved working conditions to turn out some excellent work.
-22- V-5304 A.f
'Inadditiori to 'their 'regUlar duties. the Section has a'school period from Ie (if;
A.M•• 'to 12: 00 noon, daily , on photography conducted by stan Sergeant McAl!<o, 81'):: 1.
this way every nnmbe r of theB6ction Ls given instruction(j"on the branch he work s J!~
as well as general inst~uctions on al.L branches of tho wo rk ,
Several crates 0 f spare parts of the Douglas Cruisers uaed in the Round-The «
World Fligh';; wore received off the "President Jaoks on" f r-on, the advance officer in
Japan. If pontoons would' fly - We would be fairly well equipped with sea going s:ips.
The sailing list of the transport ,"Thomas", which left the states a few d ays ag'.I:-
shows we arc dele to receive some two hundred odd recruits, The question upper mosc '~n
over yone vs mind at present is "what will we do vri t h them?li. So many casuals at Ot~0
time doe a provide food for t.hou ght , As regulations r e qua.re that we hold them in c;,:.3Z-
ant i no for thr-eo weeks, we only hope for their Bake,s t hat a wet spell doesn't set in ...
t hr-ee weeks rain in a loaky tent would be em awful reception for those homesick and
(sea-siCK) fellows.
Owing to the continued wet weather little flying Vias carried on the past week. ,,-
On Saturda.y Lieut. Carter made a cross-country flight to Clark Field in a DH, return ...
ing same da-te. On Friday and Saturday local flights were made for training pur po s e s ,
Private Endler, our dr-af't srran, is figuring out (on his own-hook) one plan for
the dr ai.nage vo f the flying field and another Whereby it could be used for a seaplane
harbor. He says that if it keeps on raining much longer, he knows blamed well one plan
or tho other will be badly needod~
Privato Sneed compl a i.n s tha'£ it's necessary for: him to carry a bar of Vlool soap
at all times so that if it starts to rain he can g~ckly rub it on his O.D. shirt to
keep it from ~ecolmng a vest instead of a Bhirt.
hiJost ever-yone seems to think t.ha't it is his special privilege to knock the
Post Exchange. We wish to give tern a boost ior a change. As an example of their
thought,fulnoss and business astut~ncssthey h avo inaugurated the ALL PURPOSEbel tt
s'ad db o.Lt was designed primaril,y as a waist belt but can in a pinch be used for a hat
strap. razor strap, a boot st rap , chin strap I leggin strap" wri~t watch strap safety' I
belt, nec,J:tie. muzzle for the dog. halter for the old gray mare, gar-t e r-s, su spender-s,
or for disciplining little Johnnie. Truly a boon to the business worJLd and an indi:s-
pensable article for housohold use.
KINDLEYFIlNdl
Lieut. and Mrs. F,D. Lynch sailed Satu.rday On tho "Sui sang" :Cor a month in
China, after which they will board the September transport for tho home land" Lieut.
Lynch was stationod horo for the past two yoars e.nc;lwill be greatly missed by every'"
body~ He was always on tho j0b and had a ploasant slmlo for every ono. He will be
stationed at Chanute Field, Illinois, where he oxpect.s to pursue the festivo eloctron
during the next commmi cata one course and knovd.ng his ability and persistence we are
inclined to foel he will overtake it.
With tho arrival of tho next transport all organizations will b~ filled to full
strength. inasrruch as 248 casuals arrive4 This will be good news to us as we are
approximately 3D men short. Wo lose some val.uab.l e non-corns and only hope that the
replacemtmts are as vabuabt o, .
All pilots arc greatly onthused over the fact that Douglas Cruisers aroTto bo
shipped to this station, and are looking to ErOlTO nice cr-o s s-ecourrbr'y trips. It is
also felt that somothing of ~ilitary VLuue can really be accomplished with this type
of plane. Here's hoping they arrive soon. '
The new officers are now settled and se cm to enjoy the Rock, after realizing
that it is not half as bad as it is sometimes painted. At. least we are not lO~i:i~tl'd
in a swamp and under water during heavy rains. We are also pleasantly free fr:H1J mos-
quitos. Thi13 is be Id eve d to be the healthics'l:, and most dos i r-ab l e station in the rhi:~
ippinElS4' _
It is hoped that some of tho now type Radiotolephones will be available f or "!'h,'
next Artillery Pr-actd co , With a reliable typo of radio phone the Air Servi(~f~ ':'t.:''..l}C'
add laurols to its already wonder ful rocord of co-operation with Artillery Ln +110 Is-
lands. Tho telephone would surely co very valuable' if. it proves reliable e nou gh -~,Cl
depend upon.
Ldout , .Gullot has boon transferred to Camp Nichols. and the FiGld thereby 10JE';'J
onr! of its most officient 0 fficors.
-23-
RranceFic1dt Panama Canal Zonet Sept. 15.
Tge spirit and confidence' with which the France Field Pi stol 'I'oamtde par-t cd
from the Canal Zone for Camp.Perry,Ohio, left tho ont.i.r-e personnel of the Field :.n
high hopes for a suro victory. Tho members selected to represent us successfully
weathered the ordeal against a large field of local competitors, whose export aOJ.li-
ty with a "45" together with ihe high scores attained gave the meet the appoar-anco 0:
a championship match.
Tho France Field Five made 0" victorious exit from the basket-ball aoaaon de-
feating ~i.uri 2't-to 17. Tho superior t.eam-wor-k and speed of the Franco Fiold 1i!ard-
ors hold for them tho load during the entire game. After a season of stronuous pl:'ly
and training. tho team finishod' in third place, '''inning 10 games and losing 3~
On',Labor Day tho Balboa Club held a one-day registered trap-shoot. Tho France'
Fiold participants wore, Capt. William M. 'Randolph, Ldcut s , Walter H. Rod.d, Roderick
N. ott and C.S .Johnson. 'I'hr oc prizes were gi von according to the Lowi.s System of
Division. Those vrcr-c won by Capt. Randolph, 1st Prize, Class "A", Mr. Strauss,
Class "B" and Liout. ott I Class "C'", Capt. Randolph made 94 out of a possiblo 100
in class "A" ""Tinning two points on A.T.A. yoarly record. Lieut. Ott in class "C"
made 66 out of a possible 100. In ordor that all shooters would have an oqual
chance at the four othor additional prizes) the fo l.l.owi.ng manner, ,"Thich was vfJry
unique f was adoptod in choosing the winners.' Each shooter was gi von a number- to cor-
respond with his rolati va score a f tho day. These numbers ws:,o put in a hat and a
child was selected to 1T!ith<lraw:rour of them. 1'hn owner-s of tho winning number-s wer e
each givon a t hc r ao s bottlo as a prd ze , Li out , Rciid, whoso score was 72...100, receiv-
ing one. ,Tho optional shooting was not parti cipatod in by any othor 0 £ficor save
Capt. Randolph. 'I'hor-o were 10 shoot or s in the options which wer-o di vidod, $5.00 on
each 20 birds, divided, 50%. 3010 and 2010, Capt. Randolph winning a total of $8.~5.
which was more than any othor shootor of the day. On tho doublos which wer-e 25 pair
divided in two evont s , Capt. Rando'lph broke 37-50, Lieut. ott 26-50 Lieut.'Reid,
23-50'arid Lieut. Johnson 22-50 •
. There will be 9. one day registered shoot hold at France Fiold on Oct. 5th and
th9 program 1[7i11 " be" sJ.rrilar to that 0 fLabor Day.
Franco Fiold to a casual observer, resomblos, and in fact is, at present. ~nc
of the busiest points on the Lsthnue , ' Tho dredging opor-at Lone of pumping coral
from Limon Bay. to bo used as a ood for tho Flying Fiold, has beon carried on both
night and day. The coral will furnish a foundation for the sand. which after filtcr-
" ing thru 'vill form a solid bod and b o idoal for taking off and landing. The work on
the two now hangar~ for the 25th BombardrrDnt Squadron is near completion and tho Or-
ganization will take possossion in tho ncar future. Those hangars aport a new fcat-'
ure:::Imthcir novol conno ct.a on, A dist ance of 18 feet aoparat Lng tho, two hangars' has
been cove rod by a roof about tyiol ve foet from t he ground and this space is divided
into rooms for numerous purposes. Tho advantage is the utilization of sp~cc which
would o'th crwa so h avo been left unused. It also aids in ventilation, .al.Lovn ng a. cir-
cuit from one hangar to another.
France Fd.oLd cnti'ies in the bom'bine and gunnery competition to be hold at
Langley Fie'ld, left hor-o on the transport Chateau Thierry on tho 15th. inst. The
team consisted of cloven officers as follo~8: GUNNERY - Major Junius W. Jones,
Liouts WarrcnR. Car-tor, Jamos T. Curry, Jr., Charles W. Sullivan. Rodorick N. Ott,
Arthur G. Watson and Hugh C.Mintcr. _ BOMBING - .Id out s , Claronce E. Shankle, WilJLiarn
L. Boyd, Francis P. Booker and Edgar T. SeIzor. Lieut~ and Mrs. Ulysses G. Jones
and fami,ly departod for change of station, going to Bolling Fidd. Lieut. and MrG~
Kellogg Sloan, Captain Char-Les E. Rust and Lieut. Amberg aLs o wor-e passengers on the
same boat t ogot.hcr with members of tho families of the gunnery and bombdng team and
so in all. we foel very mi ch depletod in p cr aonnal , We have high hopes for: the r c -
sul ts of the competitions and. since t he se are based upon the personal atti t.ude, , tho
hearty ef f or-t s and the excellent showing made in practitro,wo fod that we may OXpi"C"!,
a goodly share of tho honors to fall to tho France Field contingent ••
Lieut. Frank P. Albrook who 16ft Franco Field, May 12th, ~tor threo and on6-
half years of untiring effort as Engineering Officer, and whose accomplishmo:r.tJ
whilo here deserves tho highost commendation. was the victtm of a. serious ac c.tc cn':
.at Chanute Field, Illinois. vrhi ch resulted in his death, VIi thin thro~ months ar+';J
hi.a arrival. Word of his death 'was received. her-e by Cablogram and tho porsor,nol ()f'
tho Field wer-e grievod to learn thats,uch a dear friond was lost to them, f or-ovor ,
-24- V-5304 A.Se
The loss to -the Service. by Lt cut , Albr ock t s d6dh~ is to be rc.grcited. He has
the distinction of having flown more hour-s than any o't.h or Officer while at Fr-ance
Field, "vith 'c record of 766 hours and 40 minutes. The memory of tho rugged eve ..!'-
smiling c ourrt enance of La eut , Albrook 'fiill r-oma i n forevorNith his numerous friel."d,:,
and aquad nt ances whose ber-eavement is deeply fol t.
The departure. of Genora.l Stutgis on the 8.8. Cristobal, September 19th, was an
occasion for a flight of 6 ~f~3A!~,11 DH4Bts and 5 NBSl's (Martin Bombers). The
planes took off from Fr-an ce Field at 3: 00 P <M~in the followingordor: Two "fortlk1.-
tions of 3 MB3A&e, two formations of 5 DH4B's, one formation of 5 NBSl's ~nd one
DH4B, equipped with radio which trunsnuttod to Gcneral Sturgis a message of faro-
well and the well wishos uf the Command for 8. pl c.raant journey. Each formation.
flew along the st.ar'bo ar d side of the s t oamor , from stern to bowt making throo Laps
each and returning to Frll1ce Field, with the exception of th~ formation of Bombers
which accompanied the vessel a short distanco out to sea, All Squadl~ona on the
Field par-t.Lca pat ed in this complimentary flight.
Our Education and Recreation Department is succ e s s ftzl Ly accomplishing tho
huge task uf k~cping the boys entertained. It's monthly dance and vaudoville show,
by local talent, was the best that has over boen presented on tho Isthmus. It WaS
highly ontortaining and the skotch on recruiting carried the honor of being the
best numbor on the program.
The purpose of this letter is to keep the personnel of the Air service. both
in Washington and in the field. informed as to the activities of the Air Service
in general, and for release to the public press.
THE LUKEFIELDPOSTEXCHANGE
By ~ieut. O.L. stephens. Air serviee
Ed. Note: The phenomenal success of the Luke Field Post Exchange prompted us
to write to the Com~andingOfficer of Luke Field, H.T., for a story. on the opera-
tion of same, believing that it would be of general interest. part.icularly to post
exchange officers at various other Air service fields and stations. In this artide
Lieut. Stephens has endeavored to. give a general idea of the Luke Field Post Ex-
change. statistics covering the administration of t'19 pr eserrt Exchange Officer. and
a few points which have been learned in his 22 months' experience wr.ile on this
duty. Due to the fact that this article is quite lengthy. it is necessary to divire
it into two installments. The second installment will appear in our next issue.
In the first place the Post Exchange at Luke Field is operated under conditiaa
different from any other Post Exchange in the AT~!. '
Luke Field is situated on Fort Island a little island of about 500 acres.
which is used jointly by. the Armyand NaVY.AirServices. The Navy has one side.the
Armythe other, and a Joint flying field is in the center. Ford Island is located
in Pearl Harbor, about 10 miles from Honolulu. To get 1:0 HonoJ.ulufrom Luke Field
one must take a boat to the mainland dock which is at the Navy Coal Dock and abou'b
15 minutes from the dock on Luke Field, ~d then either drive by ,automobile or go
by train to Honolulu.
At Ford Island there is just one place to obtain the supplies needed by the
officers and men, namely, the Post Exchange and its concessions, thore being n()
Commissary on the Post.
A large number of our men seldom go to Honolulu, and necessarily depend on the
Post Exchange to supply all their wants. Manyman prefer to stay at Luke Field and
enjoy the excellent swimming, which is only a few steps from their barracks. or
many of the other outdoor sports, for there is practically no time in the year When
outdoor sports cannot be engaged in.
The present Exchange Officer took over the Exchange in october. 1922. On the
following day, ~gt. Joseph Costello, known by manythroughout the Air &ervice. was
assigned to duty as ;5teward. At this point it migh-~be we l L to say t~at the Ex-
change Officer considers an efficient and dependab l.e steward one of t'hs first and
most important assets in running a good Post EX':::h.a.~?,ec This Post is particularly
fortunate in that respect and also in gaud help Jchri)Ugncut the Exchange, thanks to
the Sq'J.adron and Detachment Commanders. The help i:-> animportwlc factor in operat-
ing an EY.~hangeand without go ed, dependab~e. hard",wol'king help an Exchange will
not be S11CCI'H:l:.!ful.
Undar these conditions ~ i-c can readily be seen that condit ions here are allin
favor of '~he Post Exchr:tuge ac;;t,:o.vitiasand. eonsecuerrt Iy , a Lar-ger business is dOne
than would otherwiae he .tjh~ Cal% were we located ne ar ez Honolulu and were there
better conne ct Lons wi-/; 1'. th€ d3JY' To giY6 an idea of the scope of the Luke
Field Po sb Zxc:han3s, ~:\; ro:'.ght 'oe divided as f::>llows;
I. The Po~t ~x(,h~:~n?r~er.
~- Thc--maili's7t,'J l~e->- --
This is the place for the procurement of all merchandise and
generalsupplies.
2. The barber shop
The barber shop was purchased from the Concessionaire by the
Exchange in June, 1923.
II. - 'l'k.e Post E~(chn.'.1ga C:,'T.':.es5ions.
1. The Po-;;';-.;;~~-
••..
..-:;-;;:'-;::':--;::1--;;
\I
t::-;\::"
\j.~~_~.....r.r
_.~"V.l.Jj,~b.7
tain chirt, manufactured by a Los Angeles firm, has been st o cke d., This shirt was
adopted as a standard after a careful survey of the market hsr-e had been made.
It has been found that the Exchange can sell shirts abo irt 5C~ che ape r than the
identical shirt is sold for in Hcnolul~. This is made possi.ble by the fact that
this merchar.dise is bought df.r e ct, and that usually a disco'.p!tior cash is allowed.
On shoes all orde~s are import orcers as far as possible. For an import order
it is ne cessary to place it at least three months ahead, since all sho s s OLl import
\ order are made up after receipt of the order at the factory and sh i.ppe d by freight
I from the East, requiring about 3 morrths to get. them over her-e. AnothtJr e.dvo.ntage
lies in the fact that the cartons all come marked. "made for t!1e Luke Field Post
Excha.nge". This is a good point in interesting the 1(,3nin the Excha:1ge, and in the
business has its advantage as an advertising 1\~at',)re. At pr-ec ent amport or-der-s for
40 dozen shoes are outstanding, and these shcu l d reach here abotrt the latter part
of September. The chief advantage of the Lrnpo ...t ar de r is t.hH,1;f;,'om jl to ~L50 per
pair can be saved, and on 40 dozen pairs this saving is consid'3r~.ble. The offj.cer' s
shoe Which is carried in stock can be purchased in Honolv.lu for i~9.\)O per pair. The
Exchange sells this shoe for 06.00. On all shoes, the savi:r..g is in about the same
proportion.
Two or three numbers are always carried that can be filled from stock in Hono-
lulu, so that a good assortment of sizes may be had at all times. Impo:..t or dera nr e
placed through Honolulu wholesale houses as t.he policy is to do as much business €'.S
t1This'yearis training camp for the Air Service Reserve Officers at ,P6s1; Field
Okla., was: a. distinct credit to1.ha Army and probably one of the besf in the
cOl,lntry. II
.' This is the consensu~ of op~nion of the 33 reserve ~ly~rs who attepded,the "
course. : The sky was the limit and almost all a v aile~ thelns.elves of plenty of fly,,:
ing. time.' 'There were. ,332 hour-a and 45 rniJlutes cha.lke d up t'o '~he credit of tbe '
reserve. officers alone. In. addi"don~there were apProximately-200 hours, gad.ne d by
the Regular Array instructors during the tvio weeks j C,Ot'.!'3e. .,:. ,.' ,
Trainingcomrnenced Au.gust i7th E},z:1,d ended.' 0 fficiallY, ~u~,~~ 31st. +nthat'
time almost thirty cross-country' fi.igh~s were made by t.he flye'rs, includin,ghops
to Dallas, KelJ.y Field, Tulsa, Oklahoma City, j'!oJ.den,vil1e, Glinton,Bartlesviile,
McAlester and a number' of other Oklahoma tClwns and' citi.es.' " .
Nearlya,llthe office,rs, with the excep'tion i)f' .the, :rive obs~rvers.in t~e
group and, those Who failed, to pass theil'physical examlnat.Lcna, weresploed, and
o'f these about five gained the rank of tI Inat ruct.cr'", Thare were no, serious ac ca-
dents. One officer cr-acked up' as he Landed from a cross ..coun.try fHght to Dallas,
another taxied. into a ship o-n the line and anothersv.tfa,red a br-oke n tooth and
split Chin, ,involuntarily biting an oblique ,camera while,pn ,a mission ,in the air.
"The .cour-se was: the most instructive" i~tensiva and best held since the wa,r '
at ,this field", was the ,characteriza'tiongiven the' camp,by, the of.ficers. In ad:-
dition to their official duties, there was plen"tyo( .tlnig~.tfly,ing", mostly o.llal."
at the Popular IAedicine. Park resort"w.ost of the time was gained at this part:i c-
ular sector ot' the camp. '
It was the first qamp in which thereS~rv.e.officer,s ,w~re 'allowed to solo at
-3- V-5319, AS
this field. For the ,last th~ee years they have ~eengiven only hops in DH's, be-
cause "Jennies" were not cava i.I ab'l e bef or o , ,
There were eight ships with which the flyers hopped about. Some even had
nerve enough to jazz the reserve officers camp nea:r~py by blowing dustin the tent.
But only those who had not lost thei7 youthful inspir.ations dared the f e at o .
In the two weeks a large number,ot Infantry, Cavalry, Artillery, Medical,
Finance and Ordnance reserve officers from the adjoining camp were given hops.
These flights chalked up cone Lder-abke time.. "
Some outside of the ranks Lnqudre d as to the treatment accorded the reserve
officers. It was gratifying to learn that not a single complaint was made,though
the mess was hard to take some days and 'the mosquitos difficult to kee~ down at
night. ~uarters were in good s~ape and\everything~possible was made easy f~r ,~he
officers. '' '" "
A good cry of approval has already started to wing its way over the state fOl
the regular officers who conducted the course. There,is Maj. Thomas G~Lanphier,
the commanding officer, considered'one of the best ~Qs the o~ficers ever had.
There is, Capt. Charles B. Oldfield. senior instructor, ,Qn~ who probably had a
great deal to do with the success of the camp. He ismore popularly known as
"Barney" and will always be remembered as such. Then comes Capt. Richard Ballard,
otherwise known as "Dick",' another good sport throughout. Li~ut;Donald stitt,
Photographic Officer, was not so much .Ln o,n the "night flying'!, but he will be re-
membered for his energetic and, untiringeffort~ toward 'making the photographic
missions a complete success. There is Lie'ut. Thomas Gilbert', radio officer. The
reserve officers did not get an, opportunity. to Lear-n much;about him. but when he
was scheduled for school, he wasrther-e iike all therest.,"ready ,forsorne more,
sleep. Next comes Lieut. John F • ..I.:cBlaUj; thene,.ily:wed •. He saw to it t~at hlos
pilots flew, but his biggest 'concern probably was in his new found 'wife. 'But
"Johnnie", an old-timer at Post Field, was ano ther- of the darn gco d spor-t.s , Lt.
George S. Pear cey , just up from Kelly, was always there when it came to flying a
DH or strutting out for the night flights. ,A hard-boiled cookie, put oh, how they
liked him I Last, but not 'least. comes sergeant Fredericks,an e~cellent pilot and
a very energetic instruc'~or. Too much creditc;'annot: be given hdrn f.or his methods.
From. .amcng ,the group there was only one bf .t he reserve p:i,.lotswith an Air-
plane Pil'ot rati-bg. ' Nearly all the others were wartime flyers, a few of which had
distinguished themselves overseas. ',
In addition to the flying in the mornings, there were long hours 0 f class
work, trap Shooting and pistol shooting. There would have been a parachute demon-
stration. but none of the reserve 'officers were inclined to trust the sheet of
linen or chances of the rip cord.
But most of all, the officers will remember the flying instruction. The
class work probably slipped in one ea:r 'and went out the other. "We're here to fly
so What's the use OJfthe rest?" That's the way they took it.
"Two weeks seem hardly enough; Why'not mllke tl1Jl 'camps a month in length?"
the officers have asked. "The' Army -"vou:Ldgain more and would keep its ~f'lyers in
much better shape. And Why not change the dates of the camps in Oklahoma, 11, they
ask further. "August ls, a poor month ror flying~, 'The' ai'r is bumpy and it's t~o
hot for comfort." S,uch matt'ers are being considered for petition to the Chief.
Two nights before the camp was at an end', a dinner was given ajr Medicine
Par-k, All the officst's' attended. Wha.t was most surprising. however, was the",
eloque~e and sJooothness,with which Major Lanphier and Captain Oldfield spread the
need for more airplanes. Of oourse. the officers 'know that, but it all was good
to bear, just because it was something about flying. Soda pop wasn't served
either. .
Next to night flying, more interest was shGwn in the citati~ns each morning.
As sure as there was anything going on in the way of live missions over the
Medicine Park sectors at night. there were the reports the follOWing mornings. Al.
most all had something against them before the cour-se was over. " "
One deep regret the officers carried to their homlJs' was the fact that
"Jennies" were all that they were allowed to fly. There were not enough'DHS on
the field for instructional. purposes' and that 'because the Air se'ryiceis not ade,"
quately equipped. The reserve of'fi.c~rs left the camp entirely resentful 'toward
the action of Congress in not providing the flying corps with more sh i.pa , "We art
flyers and we want to fly the best ships' made, as reserve pilots 'of ot~er 'nat ions
are able to do", was the cry of the group. .' , "
The officers who attended were~ Cap'edns ILL. Pf.nkLey , D.P. Wardwell,,~v1.H.
Kotzebue, B.i3. Graham, F. D. McSherry. Cla~de Gil'christ; First Lieuts~ "A.-R.' Reeves
-4~ V-5319, A S
vv • .I!i. tU8wuey, E.D. stone, A.C. Gilbert, L.\-{. Kibler, Gartner, r.t..
R.R. F,werz,'
C.T. Johnson, H.R. Gilchrist, Joe L. Neyer, vi-H. Leininger, Jack Cummings; Second
Lieuts. H.H. :,jteely, M.F. Br aum J.\~. Tyree, A.A. Kelly, H!P. Rue, A.K. Nims, B.E.
Koonce, 0.1. Clouse" E.n.. Norris, R.V. Sheldon, R.W~ Hoover , F.E. Caldwel~, ,J.R.
Redd, F .H. Junk.
Of these officers Captains Pinkley,' Wardwell, Graham, McSherry and Lieut.,
Leininger formerly served overseas in th~ Wal" with combatc aquadr-ona, Capt .Wardwell
has one "Hun" to his credit, and was the first to solo. Lieut. Kelly was the ,only
Airplane Pilot of the group.
The Fifth Composite Group, Air Service, stationed at Luke Field, H.T., fol-
lows out each month a monthly Group Train.ing Program governing the air training of
the combat squadrons and the .gr ound training of. 'the Combat, Supply, Administrative
and technical troops. These monthly pro gr ame rr.us't be adhered to, and no altera-
tions, unless absolute necessity ar-Lses , are permitted. All j au flying and mis-
cellaneo~s ,flights made me~ely fpr pay hope and.to pile ~p time Was tabooed by the
Commanding Qff-~cer Of.this Depar;t~entby the follOWing excer-pt of a letter: .
IINo 'airplane, will take ,the air unless ordered by competent authority on spe cd f-.
ic trainingmi6~io:r;lS' i,n ad<;iition to 'f1yfngo 'These orders will be written in every,
case except. erner gency cases wh.ich' wil.:}. be f.oUo,wed by written eonfirmatory orders.
Flights to t,es~ planes,
on f:iquadron r,eports and no or.dersnee~i
s:
mot 0,1' ',armarnentor radio will be recorded as test
be written 'to cover them. ,I
flights
The following General 'order,was iss~ed by the Fairfield Air Intermediate Depot
following the death of Lieut. Fr~nk P •. AlbroQk at vvaltar Reed General Hospital on
September 17th last: ' " "
Lieutenant Albrook entered the Ai'my atthe'beginn1ng of the World War as a
temporary 0 fficer in .the Air Ser.vice, and s~rv:e,d w;i:th great distincti<1n as a tempo-
rary officer and then as a Regulal~ Offieer. to the day of, his dea1;h,which was caus-
ad by the crashing of an ai,rplline which he V'aspi1oti~g at Chanute Field, Rantoul,
Illinois, on Augus.t12, 1924. . ", " .'
~ieutenant Albrook was a man of sterling character and marked ability. At
every~tation Which he served he was picked for very difficult assignments, all of'
which duties he exe cut e d with "great ability. He was the Engineer officer' who ha'l
charg~ of the storage of ten thousand Liberty engines at Little Rock, Arkansas. in
1919. He ,aci;ed ~s Chief Engineer officeJ;" of all Air Service TToops in the Pana!J1a
Canal Zone .Ln 19Z0 and 1921. ,At the time of' his death he was the Chief Inspeot:!"Ir
. at the -Fairfield Air Intermediate Depot, and as such was responsib,le for the co nd t-
tion of all, Air Service equipment: which left that, Depot. Lieut.' Albrook ac eept od
every situation with a smile and ,always gaye to, his superior officers every ounce
of loyalty and aid of which he was capable. ,
During the short time he was at this ,station, he endeared h1ms,elf to the, ,
" -6;';' , ' V-.5319 ,'\2.
....
hearts of all his brother officers, and the news of his death has left a shock
which will be hard to overcome.
The deepest sympathy of the officers of this Station is extended to his
mother and father.
M]TCHELFIELD HAPPENINGS
Much of interest to aviation has occurred at Mitchel Field during the late ~~,
summer and early fall. In addition to the intensive training carried on during.
•
Au~st, several successful experiments were held in broadcasting from an airplane.
This test attracted widespread ~ttention and resulted in over one thousand letters
of congratulation being received at the field. In the majority of the tests the
signals. from the plane were picked up by a relay station of iVJZ located on the Mall
in Central Park and rebroadcasted from the \JJZ .studio as part of their program.
Major Lester D. Gardner accorded Mit.chel Field substantial assistance in these ex-
periments. Major Gardner, in addition to being an aviation authority, is a radio
enthusiast. The SCR 134 set, developed by the ~ignal Corps at Camp Vail, funct iom-
ed very satisfactorily.
Airplane radio broadcasting served a practical purpose when it was usedto'"
urge the public to attend the Defense Day celebration at Mitchel Field, which had
been designated as the meeting place for all Nassau County. The broadcasting, which
~as direct from the plane in this case, was practically the only publicity used and
an response thereto about 25,000 persons visited t he Field during the day and even-
ing. A series of night flights was a feature of the program. .
To demonstrate the ease with which a plane can remain aloft at night. Lieut.
James T. Hutchinson, accompanied by Master Sergeant C.L. Kilheffer, took off from
Mitchel Field in a DH at ten o'clock one moonlight night and continuously circled
New York City until well after daylight.
The entire garrison at Mitchel Field was entertained at Steeplechase Park,
Coney Island, one of the largest amusement parks in the world, as the guests of the
management. So well did the men conduct themselves that Mr. Edward F. Tilyou,the
owner, announced that hereafter there will be an annual Mitchel Field Day at
3teeplechase Park. This holiday is much appreciated, as it comes during the
height of the training season when the men are most in need of recreation. It is a
tribute to the -personnel of the Army Air Service that a great amusement park
should be thrown open to them without a restriction of any kind.
Amongthe many distinguished visitors to welcome the Rouna-the-World flyers at
Mitchel Field was H.R.H., The Prince of Wales. Had the original plan been followed
of arriving at" Mit chel Fieldon Sunday, there would have probably been one hundred
thousand welcoming citizens. About ten thousand journeyed t6 the Field on Monday
and gave the Flyers a welcome which in spontaneous enthusiasm will probably never
be equalled. Senator James W. Wadsworth delivered a stirring address of welcome,
and in the evening the Flyers were entertained at a reception and dance at the of-
ficer-st club. .
Eight Martin Bombers from Langley Field, commanded by Major John H. Pirie, ar-
rived at Mit che I Field on the night of Oct.ober. lOth after havang demonstrated the
facility with which a base can be changed over night, and a new objective proceeded
against the follOWing morning. This maneuver was similar to the one executed last
y~ar when the objective was Bangor, Maine, with, the exception that this year the
flrst leg of the flight was made in darkness. A strong head wind was encountered.
The planes, by aid of their own parachute flares, landed without difficulty •. The
follOWing morning, after circling .NewYork City for an hour, the Bombers went on
to Hartford, returning to Mit'chel Field in the afternoon and leaving for Langley
Field the follOWing morning. A ninth Bomber, piloted by Captain E.R. Duncan, was
forc~d down for minor repairs at Lakehurst on the trip up from Langley Field and
joined the main flight the following morning at Mitchel Field. captain H.W.
McClelland, 3ignal Officer. at Mitchel Field, operated a receiving and transmitting
set from iAajor Pirie 1S plane, which was forced down at Cape May for a few minutes,
and gave the radio fans along the Atlantic Coast considerable excitement. His
calls for weather reports from Lakehurst. Camp 'fail and Mitchel Field were inter-
preted to mean that he was.lost, w~th the result that Mitchel Field was deluged
with telephone calls volunteering assistance. It demonstrated a keen interest and
a real spirit "fcooperation on.the part of the public, as many of the calls came
from distant points.
It seems that everything of ~nterest in aviat ion comes sooner or later to
Mit chel Field. Even the ZH-3 put in an appearance when it cut acr-oss a corner of
-7- V-5319, A.D.
\
the flying field on its trip from li'riedrichsh[i,fen to Lakehu!"r;t. One pl.ane vki r;h
Mitchel Fj.eld anxicl.lely awart s is the Jarl.in:?; Jitcmber, par-t.Lcu'l ar-Ly when the r.l3xt
Air Demonstration is to be staged.
• 'I'he Inter'national Air Races, which wer-e held at Wilbur Wright Field on Oetore!'
2nd, 3rd and 4th, cor.st itn:e a l1\Jts.ble landmark ,in avi at ion h~,3tcry. A tragi,c
event occurred. during the J.as ruce • tihe sudden death of Cap'Lain Burt E. Skeel.
J
;;
The untimely de at h o f t.his gal.I ant avt.as ar , so wen liked by alJ. his comrades, cast
a dark~ shadow ()',r:~f' "';;:"e Races wh~~::hothenv5.::.<e were m.Ji,rt suc ce.s s ru'l .
, ,
~or severe.l weeks prev Loun to 'I:.he Race s ,Wi1bur Wrig:1t Fie:Ld and its enva.r ons
were the scene (if unusue.I activities, for in addi-tion to the regt:lar wor-k of the .
Repair Depot and S\~.pply Depo t , the ext.r a work made ne ees sary by putt. ing the fil1;al
1
tL lH:hes on the racing planes taxod 'the !e.d,.li:ties Jf the Shops and I'epoot' to the
utmost •• Officers and ci.,iJ.:i.a ..ns alike ~r,h~ug;"r~n~)'~hing of work Lng fr,i into the
nignt and the splendid spirit of ~ooperatir-n WRS whut put the races across.
'I'her-e are so few bacrJelol" officers l3:t ',Vn:?ur Wri.ght Field tna"; no Officers'
Club Mass is maintained u;~der cl~dinary (.h'~u.m::J'{;an.cos. Due to the fad that so
many \'isiting offi:}ors and (,heir friends wer s expected d1.l:dng the Races, it was.
necessary to se our-e meas su:?pIies~ dis11E.6, l:'.nen, and an o rgan.i zat Lon to t.ake care
of 'feeding officer guests, and a mes s was started under the direction of Lieut •.
W.S. Hamlin on September 15th -+;0 take car s :oi' all gue st.s as they ar-r-d ve d, The ot-
fice.rst Clu.b bui.:i.ding was ccnve!'ted,i~.to e.dining hall and was appropriately deco-
rated. Cook s and wait)'esses YJerG Pt'Jc,;u'aCl,' an orche sb r a was ob's a.Lned and food and
service, which' wer-e en a pat with 'r.he 'oeat tIvx!; C0111.dbe se our-ed at any hotel, .
were furnished daring the ent Lr-e por-Lod of 'the' Races.
, Many social eve ns s took p18,~e':h:ring the Race s , Foremost among them was the
l'ecoption and dance at WiH)'Jl' W!'ifYlt Fj~e::'d on Thursday evening, october 2nd. It
was held at the P03t Gy~na?ium, v~1ich had been changed into a gorgeous ballroom.
It was thus described by the Dayton JO').:'1"a).: .
"Long lines cfflaUilU,ng 'colors whi~h bor-der-ed the room represented every
nat.ion Lin 1.he world, con'i'eyi:'lg th'J'irlt9rr.rldonal appeal and Lmpor-t ance of aviation.
At the farther end of the ba'l Lroam was '~1lc)Amera can crest, and in the center was
erected in huge form the smbLem cd the major 'g':,ner.'al of the UnHed States Army.
"Flags of var Ioua nat Lons wer.e pLace d at intervals about the huge room to
form stane, 0118 being allotted -(,0 f3fich gover-nrnerrt flying fie) d 'iJ:\ the United
states and Hs po ns ee s.l.o ns , Which sent deLegab i.ona to the international classic.
"In direct ccrrt r-aet tc the color scheme were p l.aced large paintings at either
end of the ballroom. Both of the "vor',cs I:>fart were executed at Vf:d:ght Field and
'depicted agz-oup of Ct'rtis6 pursuit planes in battle 'formation and the other, the
epoch-maldng flight of L::.~\}.t. r.6augb;l'l.l1 across the .cO!'ltineI,"~., To enhance these
elaborat.e de cor at.Lons profu3ion' of fern and other greenery were used about the
boxes and a~turnn flowers ware banked on all tables. ,
"Despite the fad that America is. 'a republic, the scene rivaled closely the
brilliance "f Eur ope an co;.\rt f'unct ions. Distinguished army off Lcer s , marines and
representatives "r i:i-reign counbr'Les mingled with the handsomely gowned women upon
the danceflo"r, pr-ud,:cing a iacene that 'will be unequalled for many years ,to come.
"For mor-e thu.n 10 c'.ays I decorators have been at work on the swimming pool at
the gyrnnas.lum which was sr:iHt::l1,y 'transferred into a sunken garden. Here. later
in the everu.ng , dannor was 8Sf"'0.d at r urrt Lc tahles which were set in flower';bordcr.
ed paths and lighted subtlely by,the glow ot dimly shaded lights. II
Major Ge,1rge H. B!'eH; was cnad rman of the committee. He was assisted by
Captain F.F. Chr5,stin'.3, 'who' dirl)~ted the decorat.ion of the gymnasium and who had
charge of the iSe"1€ral arrangements, and by Captain H.R.' Harmon,,' of McCook Field,
in charge of 'l"e'I'r-eshrJ9rts. 'I'he dance was attended by about 500 persons in the
military service; and :..t was undoubtedly one of the most enjoyable reunions of
Air Service officers ti1at has e.,er o c cui-r-ed,
Many of the pilot:> who partbiputed in the Races were prevented by weather
conditions from reaching Wi1bt.l.r Wright Field as soon as they intended to do S?
This was pal'ticularly true of those who came frorn Bolling Field and Langley Fde Ld,
They were held up for several days .by stormeof unprecedented sE"verHy. However,
. everyone fin3.11y appeared on the scene in ample time ; and every racing plane was
tuned up and tested to the satisfaction or ,the. pilots and the mechand cs ,
The International Races were not as strictly international as had been hoped
,-8- V-5319, A.S.
for. The pilots from l'''rance, Italy and other countries, who were invited to parti-
cipate decided, for various reasons, not to unake the attempt. No contestants from
any country outside of the United Gtates were entered.
The Races were sponsored by an or6anization kQown as the International Air
aaces, Incorporated. The President is Frederick B. Patterson , who '
is also Presi-
dent of the National Aerona~Gic Association and who is a nationally knownfigur~
tor the reason that he is president of the IJational Cash Register Company of Dayto:,
This company employs about 9.700 persons and 'occupies one of the most complete and
well ar-r-anged manufacturing establishmen'ts in the world. The General Manager of
the Air Race Organi!a:ticn is Charles H. Paul, an engineer' of broad experience, Some
twenty committees were appointed by IAr. .Paul, and Mr. Pat.terson to handle the de-
tails in connection with the Races; these cornrili"ttees were composed of .buaane ss men
of Dayton and vicinity and officers of Vi1bllr Vfright and McCook, Fields.
Insofar as the Army was concerned, Ma;j~l.~A.W. Robins, Commanding Officer of
Wilbur Wright Field, was in charge. Major Robins appoin'~ed as his assistant Lieut,
E.E. Adler. When Lieut. Adler was orgered to the Engineering School at McCook '
Field, Lieut. C.E. Thomas acted as Executive Officer for the Races from August 15
up to the pr eserrt date. Other officers in charge of various a.ctivities' in connec-
tion with the Races were ~ajor G.B. Brett in charge of housing and ente:rtainment;
Lieut. L.E. Sha:-on, in charge of publicity and Press Re Lat Loris ; Major J .H.Rudolph
as Engineer Officer and Officer in charge of flying operations; Lieut. H.A.Bartron,
Officer in charge 0 f '~he baggage and check i-ocm; Cap'to Edward Laughlin (of McCook
Field) as Assis'tant oper-at i ons Officer; Major H.J. Knerr, officer in ,charge of ,
ferrying and furnishing ships for phobc work i Capt, J.B. Powers' as Surgeon; Capt.
F.F. Christine as Phc't o gr aphd c Officer, and Lieut. Samuel C.' Eaton .. Jr., as Commu-
nications Officer. '
CO~Th~RCIALAVIATION IN HONDURAS
POEM
SHENANDOAH
AHRIVE8AT ROCKWELL
FIELD
The 'big Navy Airship SHENilllJDOAH arrived at North Island, San Diego, Calif.,
on Friday, October ~oth, and made" fast to :the mooring ma.st erected new: th~ SOU-:;~1-
west end of the flying field, completing the second leg of the 9,OOO-mJ.le j cur ney
as planned by the i'Javy Department. The arrival of the big ship brought large '
crowds of visitors to the Island on 6aturday and Sunday. .
Rnckwell Field cooperated with the Navy in every way possible'; and 0'1'1 ~a.~,nr-
day had one booth aas Lzne d to them for the exhibit of Rockwell Air InterI"led;.F':...8
Depot products which attra6ted the attention of the visitors. Warran-t' Offi':.::l'
George scott was in charge of the il.A. 1.D •. exhib;.t and had the same show as wn.'E
put on at the Stadium in Ban Diego during the Defense Day program~
-io- V-5319 t A.S v..
,/
THEFLIGHTOF THEAIRiiHIPTC...5 TO TULSA,OKLAHOMA
Under authority from the War Department, the airship TC-5 left Scott Field,
Ill., for Tulsa, Okla., at 10:00 ps m, October 9th, for the purpose of attending
I
the International Petroleum Exposition at that city. The crew ot the ship con-
sisted of Lt. Col. John A.Paegel~w. Commanding'Officer of Scott Field, 1st LtG.
William A. Gray and William J. FloOd, Warrant' officer Robert E. Lassiter, and one
engineer and one rigger. The ship carried 250 gallons of gasoline.
After bucking strong head winds over the Ozark Mountains during the first
night, the ship .arrived off Springfield, Mo., about 7:00 a.m. October loth, with
110 gallons of gasoline lett. The ship's commanderdecided to make a landing at
Springfield and take on a further supply of gasoline. Some difficulty was ex-
perienced in SWitching to the 110 gallon tank, and it was necessary to cut the en-
gines while repairs were being made~ The ship naturally being light. took alti-
tude and some helium had to be valved to maintain equilibrium. In about ten min-
utes repairs were made, so the crew flew loW over Springfield and called to a num~
ber Qt people to come out into a pasture and help land the ship. A drag rope Ian;
ing was then made without any difficulty.
After taking on 150 gallons of gasoline, the ship then proceeded to Tulsa,
Okla., arrivin,g there at 3~30 p.m., without any incident other than bucking head
winds all the way • The ship remained at Tulsa. during the ni'ght, proceeded the
next day to \{ichita, Kansas, to be present at the National Air Congress on the
11th and 12th. At 10:00 a.m., October 13th, the TC-5 lett Wichita, arriving at
Kansas City at 4:15 p.m., took on more gasoline a~d arrived at Scott Field at
12:15 a.m., October 14th.
It is believed that this trip of 940 miles in 32 hours, 30 minutes is the
longest made by a non-rigid airship, Without having any mooring mast or hangar
facilities en route. Wherever a landing was made and the ship held over night,
the advance officer, Capt. EdmundW. Hill, ,procured sand sacks and moored the
ship on the forward handling guys, using the sand sacks for anchors. This arran~
ment worked very well and no trouble. was enoountered. It was necessary to send
Lieut. Flood home by rail from Springfield, Mo., however, as the ship did not
have sufficient lift to carry a full crew on account of the helium valved there.
T11etrip on a whole was an exoellent one, Whenever the ship passed a city or
town the people turned out to watch it, and at T~lsa about six thousand people' .
were on the flying field to receive it. The officials of the \/ichita Air Meet
were also pleased with the visit of the TC-5.
It is of interest to note that the CommandingoUi,cer, Scott Field, had the
directional Wheel of the airship for the whole trip, showing that a man can fly a
ship on d1rection .:tor 940 miles without feeling any after effects from it.
A..COW-ARDLY
.TRICK
"Everyone to his own taste" as the old lady said when she kissed the cow -
I
and by that same token there 1 s no a.ccounting for the tastes of cows - at least
Fort Worth cows.
The Officer in Charge of Flying at Brooks Field, San Antonio, Texas. turns
in the following telegrwn from Lieut. Bob \/imsatt:
"Delayed due to cow eating wing. Hometomorrow."
And so it turned out, for when the Lieutenant t\0t home the next day he re-
ported that some unprincipled bovine with a low sense of humor and depraved appe-
tite had eaten large hunks out of the lower wing panels and stabilizer. He showed
the homemadepatches, too.
KELLYFIELD1S PART
ICIPATION Ii~ DEFENSE
DAYDEMONS",RATION
Kelly Field, Texas, did its bit in a Defense Day Demonstration by sending
planes on about 75 cross ...country trips to cities and towns in all directions with-
in the SOD-mile limit. In spite of very threatening weather, clouds, fog, and
some rain, the Kelly Field pilots carried out their mission of distributing liter-
ature and putting on aerial exhibitions •.
GENERAL
SUMMERALL
RECEmVES ROY
AL~v'ELCOME
. . • \ ,'" . :1 ,. \' •
During the, la,st week of the spGdalida bomb~dr.JBnt .training, ei-g~:i't';Martin
Bomber-s of the 40th Schu.,l Squadron, K'~l1y F:i.!51d,' ~pd.e:r:the command of Lieut. Odae
Moon,'.carried an .expeditionto:r::11:i.Y1g~or. F'ielJ::,~r'(Ht'st.on, Tex:a9, -for the purpose of
engaging in aerial gunnery ptacl~ic'3. The expea~iipn "included 14 students in .
Specialized Bombar-dment Training".the necessary' e'r~ws and personnel to establish
and}nai~tain a camp and care fot' the planes. A' ~'ew supp~ies necessary were taken
in three .m.otortruc~s. Th~ problem was very s\1ccess:tul and afforded much valuable
instruction of a kind Which is nvt po ss i.al,e .tn :t"h.e vi c:inityof Kelly Field. It
gave t~e student strai,ning not only: :in "aerial gunnezy, but in cr o ss .. country flying
and mal.ntenance of ,airplanes at tempora.ry airdromes at a distance .from their base'
of operations'. " .,..
,.
title '96th Bombardment Squadron RQlls up conddera.ble .Flying. T~me t, in 'Which the'
following' sta~bement is made: '1'hey (the 96th Sqnadl'on) also believe that .the reco r d
is unsurpassed by any bombardment squadron' in -i;he .servt ce and have ncpea f4f rollIng'
up a total of 225 hours 'f.or the.. entire. month. I.
"If' the 96th &quac.ron expects t.o w~_nanylaureJ.s for fly.ing tiPl6 they will
have. to set their sights considerabJy a~0vG'.pi~ hours per month, as a'glan.ce at the
following r eccr d of fJ.ying' t'imefor the 40th' ~'Qhool. squadron ..(Bombardment) for" the
last two months w,ill snow: ?~i:
July, 1924 -- HBBJ. 35b:' hours 30 tninu~es
DlI4B - 105 hour's 15 m:tnutes
Aug. 1924 NBS1 330 ~.ou:o:'s25 minv.:tes.
DH4B J.' ho ur' . 20 rninni;as
This is mere Iy rtn.itine't'dr the Gchool squadron, and is no attempt to set a
record."
Somewhere in Nebrasky
september'15, 1924
To theEdi tor .
Air Service' News Letter,
Washington, D.C. .' .
(CarefUlly avoiding military channels). _ t: ..
Dear )!:d: .
It seems like when almost. anybody that can r-e ad and write goes on a jour-
ney of 1000 miles or over he or she get s overcome with a 1esi:re to write all about
it. This may only find expres-sion 1'n
''Sna.ppy gl'eetings pencilled on 'the edges of
picture post cards but on the other hand the attack m.igM '0'3 much more serious and
result in long articles fer publication in any.t;hingfl'llm,the home town Weekly. to
the National Geographic Magazine'. "Intimate Glimpses of the Iuhabiia.nts ef free
Chair car-s in Oklahoma", "Across Wyoming on a Paek 01 'Came1.s".,"Some Big Fish .1
Ha1te Caught. in the Smoker".': Travelogues, they caUthem, that -.14Ot '0 til. Y relate
amusing and interesting incidents of the trip and describe the country and the
natives but usually throw in a number of hi'tl-Jerto nnpubl.is,(I.eri. e.necdotes, sworn to
.. ' . . '.. . ., ' ....
\.., t'l 1 -.' k
locally, about how once upon a time this or tha.t. Nal~~v~l,f.l.F.n'oxi3,;V<l'=r go a i..v ;.1......-
ered up on pre-revolutionary Apple Toddy and made a ve~'y 'rude ~~eHla,:,kJ"o a Co:..on~.al
Dame.
. .. '-12-
..,..
Those were the days , of ccur se when all, r-emarks made, to Dames wer-e S\lP~
V-5619, A.S.
posed to come from the Heart and not from the Hip. Naturally the affair is hushed
up at the time so as not to get in the public school historie$ (that1s what's the
matter with them, by the way) and so it remained for the literary t,raveler to un-
earth this story which, told to the world a hundred years or so lat'er, would be
eagerly acoepted as showing how really Humanand Big Hearted thi$ st!ltesm8.n was.
Of course, if the story had COme' out at the time it would have been duck soup for
the political opposition who would have been able to prove what a Bumhe was and
furthermore the Damef s husband or spouse, as Dame's husbands were called in those
days, would have been liable to call him up, and make a date to take a h,ack tit him
with a raper or something and cut short his oareer. ' ' ' ,
, It is nearly four years since the ocvt, has blown your Ex"Ctissy Fieid Corres-
pondent to a ride on the s'team Cars for any, great distance and what wiith all the
human interest involved in trave~ing With three dependent children and one indepen-
dent ~ife all the waytrom San Francisco to Ohio together with the comparati,vely
p~ent1tul supply'of <free writing paper put 9ut in the observation car it is not
surprising that heahould feel a SleV6i1espell of correspondence coming Olrl.
In the first day or so of the journey all literary effort Was frustrated by
the necessity of the writer appearing on the ,station pla;form at all stops, in order
to give the local Valentinos holding up the station-buHdings a treat by allowing'
them to gaze Upon the best looking pa~ of Plus Fo~rs with stockings to matoh to
be found in Spalding's store in San F~an~isco. HoW did they know but What I might
have beert one of these here millionaires or maybe ~d. Renfrew out looking dYer the'
Au:tumrl styies in horses. I' mean to say AutUmt'lstyies you know,. something for the
Fall. \fuat! Then ~lso there'S the luxury, of s~tting in state in the ~ner. eating
the U.P. Special Club Breakfast No~ 3 •• 40 cents, and trying to pAise the coffee
cup with the little finger elegantly e~ended, at, the same time restraining the
handke of ,the spoon with the thumbao as t9 avoid putting out ohe's eye. The,
people outside who have assembled to wat eh No. a go throu,gh' think, from your gerter~
al air 'Of care free elegance that you must be~eating Cavaire or at'the very ,least
a double portion of JellyOmelet~ They d9n't know that you have onlr just given
the old B.R. the once over,and ev~n by the use of the most optimistic figUring hav~
arrived at the aWful conclusion 'that ,all eating will be permanently suspended tor
the remainder of the trip at 9r about Gouncil Bluffs, Ioway. Meanwhile. t9 all in-
tents 'and' purposes, you are one of the idle rich and later on as you sit with your
dogs gracefully balanoed on fhe back rail of the -observation platform many a dirty
,look do you g.et from the h'onesttoilers who have brought their Whittling down to
the deepo so as to properly witness ~he arrival and departure oftha Limited with
all them rich .-----9 settin on the back end.
Another deterrent to literary ~ffort was furnished by the children' in the
party. For the first few hours the little ones were interested in the scenery an4
in trying to drown themselves with free railroad ice water. After the scenery haq
lost its k$.ck, and all the paper drinking cups had been cleaned out ot the ear •an1
all the strange and wonderful applial'ices in the drawing room lavatory had been ;
thoroughly inspected and 'tested several times all round, ~nd it had been necessar~
for the eighth time to explain tot,he porter that the children had only pushed th~
b~ton for, tun - it w~s up to yr. corr~spondent'to put out some entertainment. ' ,
Portraits ,of Doc. Beeson and Johnnie B~nton.executed with a pencil on the back 01
a time table, while maybe not as handsome-as the eriginals. went pretty big. And
then there was the picture of Lew Ccrdy in the magazine that! palmed oft :on the
kids (they being young and illiterate) as a po.rtraitof Bill Taylor when he was i~
Society. \t'hich reminds me of 'the: story about, John B. Patrick and his girl. This
was the one that walodumb that all of her conversation consisted of - "No, No,-NO'I.
Well she sai:d No so otten that Pat tina1.1Y .desisted in his part of the conversa-
tion and they parted forever. But Pat,got' ~ven,with her. He went back to his
quarters and drew a moustache on' her photograph.' 'I guess that learned her a
~hing 01" 2.
As this train gets farther East I have been expecting the well known Open
Spaces where Hen are I'IIen,etc •. to sort of, contract to some extent and to see the
feeble and emasculated men folk' being [pushed around in '.meel chairs. Howdo th'3se
writers of virile Western tales get that way? As far as'I can make out t::.e srp.ce.s
continue to be fully as great and"even more open than in California and »eyaQ~. As
for male inhabitants, there were a oouple of them in the diner at noon that p1',of;.
away mashed potatoes with their knives with as much speed and form as I h~~.<;G eifel'-
seen it done in California. What i"lith shaved necks and some snappy after- d.h~!Y,~
work with tooth picks :tId say offhand that the men folk to the East of 'f.;}:fJ S.l,,'r:'::\.s
were just a.bout as highly sexed as any that you eould find in Californ.i.~, (If' 1'€,~,~S
-13- V 5319, A S
either for that matter.
Speaking of He..uen, we are indebted to one of the fairest and 1110staocompLt so-
ed of the residents.' of Hollywood for a d'efinition which delicately and at the same
time forcefulty out~ines the specifications for ideal masculinit¥. You remember
the big dinner given in. Los Angeles last spring in honor of the Round the '\vorld
Fliers and att~ndedby a m~xe9.crowd of AV:i,ators\ "pr-omanerrt fans and moving pic ..
ture celebrities. The usual ~ixe.d Los Angeles dinner crowd - of the better sort
of course .. some only slightly mixed and so~e ~ompletely emulsified, you might say.
Well a cer~ain beautiful .and. well ~~~wnmoving picture ~ueen sat among the aviators
gathered together from Crissy' anqR.Qckwell Fields; 'It was her first experienve
With these keen eyed, silent men o} 'the skies and s'omet'hing about them must have
stirred her aenaes t er as Mr tVlo~et ,~hadowed.gaz e swept the two-handed eaters 'f •.
about her she said in her low'an~Yleli.mod\l.lated voice, scarcely audible above the
third floor, "SayJ' I'm sick' of th~~e here HO)lly~oodhalf-men.'. Give me a man Witt'!
pair .cn hili' chest, - one that smells. of' Man\.lre":, Which puts the Air Service in a
ciass 'above. even ~,heEngineers whose only claim to Hardihood ~rises from the tact
that they are teput.ed in song and st:1ry. to, live in Caves and Ditches and to be
able to withstand. the abrasive effects of Broken Glass without showing any signs
of pain or anguish whatsoeve~.
Hoping you are the same,
Yr. Correspondent
Out ()f' a j~~
GETTING THEMOsTOUT OF AIRP~'\j'iE ANDENGINE r :
A short time ago Kelly:'Field be asted ot having a Liberty engine Whi~h had
been run 180 hours since last overhaul. This engine' dev'eloped loose bearings in
its 225th hour, and as theairpl~ein Which it was installed had been q.ownthe
required 200 hours since overhaul. it was determined to return both to the San,
Antonio Air Intermediate Depot to see if they could not do bett'er the ne;t time
they turned the ship' and engine OU~. This engine, Liberty 12, A.S,' #482,-XY, in-
stal~ed in DH4BA.ti. #24.434~ was,received trom the Depot in April this year~ To
date. the engine, has 226 hours 55 minutes runndng time and the airplane 200 hours
15 minutes flying time. The airplane has been used .for student training and cross-
country work, two of the most strenuo\1s types of !lying. No work has been done on
the engine other than routine serVicing-with the exoeption' of changing of four
cyli:pders Which developed leaks at the 160th hour ;)f running time. ."
KELLYFI]~LDFLYERSGivE DEMONSTRATION
TO STAFF SCHOOL
STUDENTS
On thtl Iirst of October person~el from the loth Schoo.1Group, Kelly Field,
.eons~sting of 61 office~s and enlisted men, gave' a demonstration of Air Force gun-
nery and bomb dropping at Fort Le~venwor'th, Kansas, before t~e present clas~ of
the Command'and General Staff tichool. This demonstration has come to be an annual
event and is for the purpose of il~ustratingthe technique of firing machine guns
trom pursuit and attack plf,lnes, at 'ground targets, and the use of bombs by At'tack, .
Bomb/U"dmentand Pursuit units of the Air Se:rvi,ce~' Good fortune favored the event.
The weather Was ideal and a large cr-owd, not only of the student offioers but
other military and civilian spectators as well, witnessed the ~xcellent work of
the ~ilots, gunners and bombers. The Pursuit and Attack units simulat.sd action'
from Lew altitudes against convoys, bridges and railroads • and their accuracy was
pertJ,'lct. The .bombardment flight of 4 :Martin Bombers dropped lOO-pound bombs from .
6,OOp feet on, a target repreeen"Ung a faetorYlll>r iftdustrial'center, and in salvo
from 3,000 feet against s~milar targets. The results were ffi~re than satisfactory.
Throughout the maneuvers the new 134 Radio Set kept the' flight in constant radio
telephonic c~~unication with the ground. .
During their stay' at Fort Leavenworth, the,visiting Air Service officers were
most hospitably entertained at the l.,luarters of the various Air officers on duty at
that station, and the expedition as well :as 'being successful from the point of
view of the mission assigneq, was also greatly enjoyed by all who participated.
:-'14.. V-5319, A.S.
NOTESFROMAIR SERVICEFIELDS
Not that we like to toot our O~~ little trumpets or anything like that, but
we take pride in reccrding the fact that 2d and 3d plaJces in the heavy ship races
at Dayton came to roost here under the guidance of Ld eut s , C.F.Woolsey. and Hez
McClellan respectively. Apd Lieut. J .B. Haddon. our other representative who took
4th in the D.H. race at Dayton, stopped off at Wichita, Kansas, and collected a
beaut'if.ul t.rophy cup asa tribute to the speed of his good D.H, and his own skill
in piloting the same. Lieut. Corkille and Lieut. Patrick piloted Martins to 1st an d
2n(;i pLace at Wichita.
B~ooksField crashed into the social lime-light on the roof of the Gunter Hote1
last Sai.urday evening. The idea of the party was to acquaint the members of the new
cl.as s ,\,Tith each otne.r-, their Ln st ruct or-s, and the youth and beauty of San Antonio.
In the latter r-e gar-c i-t is truly remarkable what speed these boys do make in becom-
ing acqt.a.i.rrt ed - anywe.y. it was a nice party with corsage bouquets as favors for th~
ladies and funny blue and gold 'Keewee t birds for the men.
Old Dame Rumor has published on pretty fa,ir authority that we are about to los~
Capt. Paal Bock, Asst~ KaI a.and Lothario extraordinary. It seems that the Air
Service Detachment at Ft.Hiley needs a Commanding Officer, and when they need a good
man they come to Br-ooks FieJ. d. .
Lieut. Charley Lawr-ence was forced to park his Vought more or less abruptly in
a field just outside of W:J.chha. Kansas, washing the landing gear and a wing panel.
A temperamental motor was the basic cause, ,the Lieutenant returning to the field
with Lieut. F.r.Patrick.
The Eighth Corps Area boasts a brand new Commanding Officer, Major General
Charles P. Summerall, to be exact. And we'll say ir.b.t he certainly is on the job.
He came over last Friday to Lris pe c't us at seven ()~dock in the morrri.ng, A very
effecti ve "Breakfast review" was he.I d for the General J who commented very favorably
on the expeditious manner in which knives. forks and co f fee CUPS were handled by tqe
entire command. Aft€r1iirards the reviewing' party wat che d the entire Jenny fleet taka
o if .and expressed hams e.l f 'as well pleased wi.t h the' fledglings in Uncle Sam's Aviary,
Last Monday a new classic in the air racing calender was run off when the floW',.
er of Br-ooks Field pilots cr-anked up their -c;rub1Y Jennies and jockeyed each other
around a 12 mile, 3 pylon course.
Tremendous speeds were roached and the awe struck crowd of spectators could
scarce contain themselves as "he roaring racers wabbled over the finish line. Lieut.
John F.McBlain made the best timol 10 ml.nut ea , 46 seconds, but in the final heat was
nosed out by Sergeant Ches~Jej' ,F. Colby I who thus 1}/01,'1 the purse Which, including
entrance fees and gate r-e ce.i pb s , totaled' the magnificient sum of Twenty-One Dollar,.
The Sergeant has since bou glr; h:.rnsel f a Chrysler.
A very pleasant Brooks Fiald cu st om was most successfully revived Saturday at.,
ternoon, when the first of t~8 seasons tea-dances was held at the Officers' Club.
The orchestra. made up of 80I13 six 'o r eight of the offi.=er personnel. evolved a
brand. of syncopated harmony that commercial or gand eatd ons might find difficult to
equal. And if other induce,r..e"1t were needed, it was f'c.~nished in the radio returns
of most of the important foot-ball games over the country.
The U.S.A.T. THOMAS arrived on the 26th filled to capacity.On it came quite a
large number of Air Servi ce casuals -- some 258. Since arrival they were quar-t er ed
at Fort McKinley pending trade test to determine their assignment to outlying sta-
tions. SUfficient room was not available at Camp Nichols for this additional force.
About the greatest excitement 'the old timers have over here is the glimpse of,'
new-comers from the states about every three months. Then all of us feel self-im-
portant and we are always so anxious to tell these poor people how terribly hot it
really gets, and all about the awful typhoons, and last, but not least, how much
time we have yet to do. Even if you just come over one boat ahead. you do feel
good that someOne ha~ a little more time to serve than you have •.
Gloom and a few tears (very privately shed) - because men always hate for pee-s
ple to see them cry - were in evidence this week when on Tuesday,Major Weir, our
Commanding Officer, and Captain Eg~in, our Adjutant, left us for the homeland. BotQ
officers were universally liked and they will be missed. Il!Jebelieve they hated to
go •. When you stay in a place for two years, you do get attached to it even if it
is the Philippines:. We wonder if we,too, will look back on Manila Bay with a few
tears and a hope that someday 1,ve'11 "hear the East a t cal.Larig'' again - we might at
that.
All of the new officers are bei:'lg kept busy torying to get settled and, most of
all, in getting used to making a bus at six thirty A.M. - much grumbling is heard
about "that unearthly hour to make a fellow get up" e't c , , but the smiles quite bal"
ance it when they get off at "one 0 'clock" not to work anymore until morning - then
it's "Oh, boy, these Phi Lt ppfrie a aren't so darn bad af'b e r all,Ildi say".
The 28th Bombardmen"tSquadron roports the f oI Lowi.ng operations for the week t
On the 25th. Captain Beam and Li.eu t sLgn.i.co, observers, and Lieut.Dunton, pilot,flew
,a,Martin Bomber over the San Bernandino Straits for the purposo of r-ecoanad san ce ,
On the 26th. a formation of 5 DHs and 2 Martin Bombers flew over the transport
"Thomas" escorting her into the harbor. Li.etrt s , Harper, Kirksey, Greer, Carter and
Redman flew DH's and Li euts , Dunton and MacIver flew Martin Bombers. On the 30th,
Ldeut s , Ignico and Kessler, observers, flew to Clark Field, returning same de.t e ,
The activities of the 66th Service Squadron for the 1?Teekwere slow' ow;i.ng to the
fact that many of their best men returned on the last transport. Even with tb:n;
drawback, however, a considerable amount of construction work was accomp~i8hed. T~e
Squadron feels that at last they are out of the mud again, having finished th'Hr'
septie tank and the motor block wall. They feel that owing to the cOl'isidfl:'c.':.t;.,r.' l»
rainy Season has had for them, the outs.ide work is almost eornpl.et ed., Laber dav '1"E.
satisfactorily celebrated by the men being paid - it really VIM more than a ho:!.i(:-:j
for some.
-16- V-531~, A.S.
ThQ usual Transport Hop was held at the Army and Navy Club' on Monday night.
It was well attended - among those ent ertaining were Lt eut , J. S. Gull ett and Lieut.
Sears with a party of ea ght.o en ,
A despidida smoker was held for Major B.G.Weir ~nd Capt.F.I.Eglin, by the Air
. Service Officers at the Army and Navy Club on Saturday night. Although this affair
was -he ar-t i l y enj-oyed by all present. still there was a sense of regret felt by all
that these two officers. who were so well liked were to leave so soon.
A large body of AiI:' Service casuals fresh from the states will arrive at this
Station soon. Misery loves company and it will do our sunburned soul good to see
someone who has longer "to do" over here than we have. Then we will walk around
assuming a misleading air of importance and go among them with word of sympathy
(and sarcasm) signing the "short timers" chorus "Gas, Buddy , I wouldn't do yourtime
in the Manila Hotel."
Headquarters was kept busy the past we ok getting the new casuals assigned -
eventually a few of us have gotten rid of some bad' jobs - at least we tried to see
,if we couldn It argue the ser-geant Maj or into letting someone else have a try at
them. As usual he didn It agree with us. Its hard to ever make a Sergeant Maj or see
your point. of view about anything must except ;?riday afternoon duty. The new-
comers seem, however, to like their new stations quite well and much is expected of
them.
All of the new officers have been assigned to their new stations. and have got-
ten settled in.their new homes. They all seem anxious to get in some flying time.
We believe they are testing out some of our statements concerning" flying in the
tropics". .
The Cost Accounting System and the new Supply System are rejoicing over Lieut.
Blair's arrival. They say that lots of things that have stumped them have become
quite clear since he explained them - he is truly a boon to these new systems we
should say. .
The 28th Bombardment Squadron reports the following operations for the week:'
On the 2nd, a formation of 5DfI's and 2 NES'ls flew over the transport escorting her
out of the harbor: Ld out s , Har per , Vanaman, Greer, Carter and Kessler flying DH's
and Id.eu t s , Dunton and !\is.clver flying N13S'ls; On the 2nd, Li eut s , Harper in a DH
and Dunton, pilot and Col. Samuel Johnson, passenger in an NBS'l, flew to San Jose,
Mindoro for the purpose of trcillsportationand training; both returning on the 3rdj
On the 4th. Id eut s , Harper. j\lIo~lahi:ln,Kirksey) Greer and Carter flew in formation for
the purpose of t r-ai.ni.ng, all using DHIS; Lieut. Skanse, pilot and Lieut. O'Connor,
observer flew to Clark Field for the pur~OSG of training and upon return Lieut,
O'Connor qualified as a NBS.l piloi.
The members of the 6th Photo Section are having a class period on orre hour a
day, conducted by Staff SETglJ8.nt Michler on all sub] oets pertaining to photography.
In this way the new ar rd val s to this Department are able to obtain knowledge of the
photo work, as they are gi vcn a photographic problem and have to do all the work
alone; it is believed that "rithin a short time most of the members will be able to
do excellent work in every way.
It is jUdt a f'ow days since pay day. but already that "no change" on the morn-
.Lng report is a true statement of our financial status. .
We notice a peculiar string of circumstances amounting almost to a coincidence:
Private Snead suddenly announces he isn't going to buyout, the Yokohama Cafe opens
uP. and Snead starts vainly trying to sing "Poor Butterfly".
The 3rd Pursuit Squadron SOccer team dropped out of the soccer league at Camp
Stotsenburg. The Athletic Olficers. however, are at.t empt i.ng to arrange soccer game:::
with other Americm1 orranizations: the 31st Infantry. 66th Anti Aircraft, CillDP
Nichols and Kindley Field.
-17- V-5319, A.S.
, A volley ball t e am was organized to compGte11lrith Camp stots8uburg teams. It
is believed we can "bring home the bacon" and play' in the champ'ion ah.i p matches
which 'are to be held during the Camp Stotsenburg Sports Carnival.
One of our intrepid aviators has taken up the "Landd n g" and "taking off" a
polo pony - apparently more of tho latter than the former., Soroo time since this
same officer was "policed",and more recently ran afoul another player with the re-
sult that he is now nursing the after effects of a dislocated knee cap. However. be
it said to his credit he is one of the "shining lights" 1m the Artillery Polo team.
where a regular berth ~~aits him on his return to duty.
The personnel of the Squadron was sadly depleted. but as yet no replacements
put in their appearance. However, as soon as the men arrive from Fort McKinley the
Squadron ~ill again be up to full strength.
The Fifth Composite Group, Air Service, Luke Field, T.H. flew a total of 35
missions during the week ending Se.ptember 6th. Three Inter-Island flights to the
Islands of Molokai and Lanai were made by the 72nd and 23rd Bombardment Squadrons,
using three Martin Bombers in each formation. These planes were in constant radio
communications with the home' airdrome throughout the entire flight. The splitting
of a propeller .on one of the Meldins while attempting to take off on Molokai. nee-
essi tated the sending 0 f a radio message from the radio plane. The message was re-
ceived at Luke Field and in thirty minutes, repairs were on the way by air. Two
DeHavilands escorted the Bomber with the extra propeller half way across the channel
between Oahu and Molokai. One hour after the repair plane had landed, the new prop
had beeh installed wld all four planes started on their homeward journey, landing
without further mishap. An emergency landing field was established on the Island of
Molokai near the LEiper Colony. to be used in the case of any planes on these flights
having trouble.
The 19th Pursuit Squadron spent ten days on detached service at the ,Kilauea
Military Camp for the United states Army in the Hawaiian Department near Hi.Lo , Ha-
waii, returning to the field on September 5th. Almost the entire personnel of the
organi zation took part in the vi sit to' the Big Island (Hawaii), where they en] oyed
hunting wild goats and hiking around the famous Kilauea Volcano and other interesting
points.
Pending the coming of the Departmenial Field exercises for all arms of the
Hawaiian Department, September 22 to :<;,jth incl'.ld've, members of the Fifth Composite
Group were employed dur-a ng the past week in ca.-r-yi.ng out problema of attack and de-
fense, utiliZing every available pilot 'and plane in this simulated warfare. All
inter-island flying for t he rest of the month was called off in order that the Pur-
suit and Bombardment Squadrons here may be best prepared for the coming maneuve.r-s ,
, Mondayts and Tuesdayas problems ~~re an excellent test of the ability of the
Air Service to defend the H~~aiian Archipelago from a supposed enemy attack of
dreadnaughts and airplane carriers, carrying approximately forty planes of the Dou-
glas s T-2 type. A fIi ght 0 f bombardment planes, Martin Bombers, led tile attac'k,
supported by three flights of MB3ats, which composed the Pursuit Group. After the
enemy advance had been sufficiently impeded, all :,1 ano s returned to the home air-
drome. wher-e the pilots were immediately assembled in the Operations assembly room
, for a critique on the days work. .
In' carrying out the problems for the week, 98 hours and 10 minutes were utiliz-
ed in flying.
During the week ending Se pt.ember- 20th, the Fifth Composite Group engaged in
practice maneuvers in preparation for the Fall maneuvers of tho Hawaiian Department.
On September 15th three M2.rtin Bombers of the 23rd Bombardment Squadron wer-e 8'3i~~
under secret orders to the Island of Molokai. A simulated bombing attaok between
8:30 and 11:30 A.M. on Luke Field, Fords Island, was tho objective of this fCr'iM?ti.Ol1.
Ideal weat her- conditions prevailed for bombing. Scattered clouds -ver-e cast over t.he
from SChofi~ld Barracks. They are now preparing to take the Navy inio Camp, there-
by winding up the 1924 season. , '
Trap shooting has been entered into with gratifying results. and the team whieh
Will,. shoof at the Maui Fair shows' all Lnd'i cabd.ons. of brir..ging home the bacon.
To top off with. we might mention that the Group participated in a mounted re-
view Thursday afternoon. Something new, but just the same it was a good show and
pulled .oU in groat style. No lives lost. no one t.hr-own, but the question was
"How do you do "P,arado Rest"!.,
, ,
The machine gun wor-k vmd 10'11' ;,1 ti tude bombi n g will be cn.rried on first and
then will come th(~ .irrt er-med.iat.e and hi ?;h al titurlc bomb.in g "vi th Martin Bomber-a,
~I!any high officials from Wruhington are expected to visit tbe field on the
first of tho week to ":Ii tness the bombing and all the contestants are doing their
best to round into snape to show the offi cials what the Air ~e,rvico men can do in
the 'Nay of bombing.
11TH.BOMBINGSQUADRON
-
During tho past week, the El.e verrt.h Squadron flew 52 hour-s and 35 minutes, mak-
ing a total of 38 flights. Inclusive of this is 35 hours and 15 minutes cross-
country flying. The squadron's ships coverod 3,325 miles in 24 flights.
Liout. Williams made a successful test in a Martin Bomber when he made 53 min-
utes night flying, landing and taki:lg off fivo conao cut.Lve times, using his ""ing
tip flares and landing lights exclusively.
The Athletic Club of this squadron which is organizing a football team. had a
successful meeting during the we ek , Officers. were elected and the .turn out of both
.. at the meeting and the practices was most gratifying. The team is rounding into
shape and the manager expects to have severa2 good games before the season is over.
During the past. week this organization flow 65 hours and 35 minutes. This
time includes 34 hours and 5 minutes cross-country time.
Three ships from this organization were taken to the Air Races at Dayton, Ohio
and returned to this 8tatio~ on October 6th.
20T,H BOMBARDNJENT
SQUADRON
-
Captain -:i7i1lis H. Hale, the Squadr-on Commander, returned from the Air Races, "
having taken an !lcti ve part in the bombing demonstration while there. Five of the
enlisted men of the squadron 'd tnessed the races and claim they voul d not have niis.
sed them for anything •.
Lieut. R. F. Cole, Sergeants Huff and Martin returned from Aberdeen Proving
Grounds with the specially equipped Tow-target ship which was taken to Aberdeen for
u se in the Anti-aircraft practice at that station.
The Squadron mechanics are tuning up the three Martin Bombers to be used in
the Night flight to New York, and are confident that when the ships lea-ve here
there will be no trouble encountered on the part of the 20th Squadron ships.
The Squadron has a 10010 record fo~ succesful cross-country missions, and it
is quite sure that they w:l.11 not Lower the percentage now, as the assignments of
the new quar-ter-s to the most efficient Squadron on the field is pending.
50TH OBSERVATION
SQUADRON
-
The activities 0 f the 50th. Squadron were practically the same this week as
last. Our time is still taken up with the Gunnery Corrt oat which is now in the pre-
liminary stage. The primary work of the Contestants st ar-t ed on October Bth , This
has caused a lot of extra work in our armament section a s well as on. the lines.
Our supply department also is dod ng its shar-e: with the tow ~argets and the drawing .
of supplies.
The Ofti cers and men who were in Dayton, Ohio, the past week report having. a
fine trip. They came back loaded down with souvenirs of the races.
This Squadron now has ships completely outfitted for Radio work, as we' recent-
ly had a Radio Mechanic transfer ~:vith us. .
Our Photographi c.ship has worked over time the past week on various Photo
Missions. .
In summing upthi s report we find nothing a f great impor.tance, yet the work
invol ved has been very important. We hope that as soon as the gunnery contest
gets in full svnng we can have a large bit to report.
San Antonio Air Intermediate Depot!. Ke11 v Field. Texas, Oct0ber 8th.
Notwithstanding the' steady downpour of rain practically all, night long 'on Sep-
tember 12•• and the threatening weat her- of the {o>l1'owing da.y t'the Annual Picnic of
-20- V-5319, A. S.
the employees 0 f the San Arrt ona o Air Ln t er-mcdi at,e Depot at Covington Park was held
on Saturday, September 13th., with a 'Very large aitendanco,there being approx-
imately 700 people present. ,
MajOr Lackland, the Command.i.n c Officer, was out ear-Ly dressed fitti:r1p-ly fot" t1;le
picnic, and mingled with the boys in a true Denocratic spirit. Lieut. Clark, the
Adjutant. arrived about ten o'clock and played baaebal.I and other games. Lieut.
Dayton arrived at about the same time and had a compliment passed on his appearanee
by a young lady, who said that he looked like Foxy Grandpa in ,his checkered golf
trousers. Messrs. Chester and Mayberry, Warrant'Officers, were also present. In
fact, all the Officers were there, and one could see from.their smiling countenan-
ces that they were all happy. '
Mr. Elmer J.Briggs acted in the role of Athletic Director, and did a very
ereditable job. The first event consisted of'a pie eatin~ contest for boys not over
fifteen year-s old. 'This was a very amusfug number of tho pre gram, a,s the boys had
to keep their hands behind them, and the winner emerged f r-om the contest with pie in
his eyes. nose, ears and even his hair. Folloping this was a nail driving contest.
for ladies, and the nervousness which some of thorn displayed clearly portrayed their
sex. There was much excitement and laughter in connection with this event, but for-
tunately there were no mashed fingers to lamont ovor after it was through.
Then there was a sack race for both boys and grown-ups. Thi s was al so funny"
in that there were sever-al, starts before the gr-own-ups got off right. The race re-
aul ted in a tie and t.he two contostants who tied divided a box ',of candy, the first
prize, between th~m. .
A 24 pde ce band, from Kelly Field made the day glad by alternately playing 91d
time music and modern jazz.
At 11;45 o'clock in the morning the b&rbecue was served, and oonsidering the
the constant drizzle of rain of the night before this was delicious to say the least.
The serving was finished at 1.30 P.M., all receiving their just proportion with
clock-like precision as the guests marched up through a roped-off area. Everybody
got their fiJ.l of not only barbecue, but salads and eake s , and other good things t e
eat, all 0 f whi ch were extremely fine.,
After the luncheon the band played jazz music for the dance lovers and many
couples went on to tho pavilion floor, although on account of the muddy condition 0f
the Park this was not the success that was hoped for.
But everybody was happy and smiling throughout the six or seven hours that they
were out there. It was the true spirit of '76 that held the crowd. It was also an
event not to be forgotten in many long years to all the picnickers. Shortly after
two o'clock in the afternoon it corrmenced to drizzle again and the crowd started to
disperse and go home, and by four 0 I clock the picnic grounds we re almost deserted.
On September 6, at eight o'clock in the evening Lieut. Richard T. Alwvorth and
Mrs. Laura Martin were united in marriage. The couple left on their honeymoon that
same evening for Mexi co City, returning 0"1 September 26. They are now at home in
their quarters at this Depot.
Lieuts. McMullen, Dayton and Moorman made a cross country trip to Dayton, Ohio,
on October 2nd.
The Engineering Department, this Depot, under the direction of Lieut. Clements
McMullen, completely overhauled and r-e pai.red during the month of September, the fol-
lowing Airplanes and Engines:
Lieut. Clark Leads; the Second Division Air Service in flying time for the month
With 56 hours. Lieut. Smith is second with 33 hours and 30 min.
Maj or Heffernan with Staff Serge3nt Jensen as observer left on the morning of
September 26th to witness the Air Races at Dayton, O. Major Heffernan expects to ~ay
a visit to a number- of Air Service stations in the east, and also to make a shod vis.
it to his home town in Pennsylvania.
Lieut. Clark left for Dayton via Denver,Col. with Private Donnelly as observer.
Staff Sgt. Pierce with Pvt. Roderick also left for Dayton in a DH4B.
-21- V-5319.t A.S.
Lieut • Evert was ordered to Scott Field, Ill. for a. course in lighter-th3~-3.:i.r
.
training.
The World Flyers landed at Fo rf Bliss on Septerlber 20th, remained overnight, anti
left Sunday morning for the west.'
Pri vat e Te.fft' success fully passed the examination for flying cadet training and
left for Brooks Field, Texas.
Lieut. O'Connetl received orders to proceed to the Hawaiian De~rtmertt on the
transport sailing in January, 1925.
ltt, Langley F'ield where the two aforesaid 0 ffieere are to participate in the Aerial
Gunnery and Bombing Competition. .
For the Vanderbilt-Mar:.i,ne game ,on October Ll.t h , the squadr-on had as guests
Captain Moore and. Lieutenant Schultz, USMC from Quantico and Lieut. Knapp from
Maxwell Fie'.d. The squadron flew a formation over the game, and just before the
' .
kick-off, Captain Fox left it and his observer, Lieut. Roberts, dropped the foot- ''"-
:" .
.(
\
"
SE i\ 'it I C ]j 1'1 E W S
. November1~_..1_9_2_4 _
.I
The purpose of this letter is to keep the personnel of the Air service, bot.i, /
in Washington and in the field, informed as to the activities of the Air servide
in general, and fOr release to the publ~c press.
A COMBINATION
AIRPLr~NE
- AUTOMOBILE
\Jith the permission ot: the author, Mr. Joseph P. Watkins, of the Char.lotte
, OBSERVER, Charlotte, N.C., we are placing betore our readers his interesting story
- of the ~cott Dillingham Convertible Driving Plane, said to 'b-e equally at- home on
t the ground as well as in the air. The U.S. Patent Office has assigned serial num-
ber 721,'755 through C.A. sncw ~~., Patent Attorneys ot Washington, D.C.', for a
working model of this Lnvent.Lcn, .
_/ Mr .• Dillingham, when inte ewed at his home at Asheville, ::-i.C., regardirng
hrs invention, gave a detai~ed description of same, and from this point we quote
Mr•. ~vatkins' article as follows:
- "Regardless of the natu~e 01 a skeptical public's reaction, it involves no be-
trayal of confidence <~o,proclaim t)lat scott pillinghamvisualizes the early dawn
of a day in Which the present model automobile will be as obsolete as the cut-under
phaeton and the hans.om cab. Roads and streets will continue to serve their pur-
pose. But the adoption of his invention Will, he declares, put'traffic cops in the
air, and transfer transportation problems from ~erra firma to the ether.
The new invention will be equally at home on the earth and in the ~ir, It has
all. the advantages of an airplane, according to its originator, combined with the
comforts and luxuries of tH=eautomobile. It can be operated on the streets as any
other automob~le when that is desirable, but it can take to the !lir when distance
travel is the objective without any other preliminary than to touch' the button that
spreads the Wings. ' :
This is made possible, Dillingham says, by the use of athree~speed transmis-
~ion located directly in front of a. regular six-cylinder, 34-hors~ power motor,
Which will develop 408 horsepower on the propeller for fly~ng purp~ses " making it
possible to land and take off in a very short space. Land and street usage is made
possible by the application" of fan-shaped monoplane styl~ of wings', which fold up
against the sides of the fuselage, or body, While on the ground and when being ~sed
as an automobile.
'. . Whenthe wings are folded, they are eper at ed by two wing hinge pins located on
-the side and at t.he top of the body of the fuselage. They do not n,d into the
.. side of the body but extend parallel with the sides of the body and project out
, only eighteen Lnche a from the fuselage of the body of the driving plane. The inter-
itr construction of the wings is rnadeup of s~c'Uons, each section consisting of
two parallel steel rods, b1-'ated cantilever fashion, and gradually tapering toward
-the wing tips. Whenthe wing covering is applied, the wing appea'tsto be in the
form of a wide fan-shaped plane, creased for folding. The control wheel tor oper-
ating the wing mechanism is located in the cockpit, or tront seat. accessible to
the dri vaM. .
- The ~gs are operated and folded from that location by means of 'cables con-
necting the leading edges of both wings, and operated' ~ith a small reversible cylin-
der jack, Each wing while in flight is fastened t~':lhe fuselage or body by means
of two main Wing hinge pine and three brace rods.• :lh~ front hinge pin. twenty
inches long, runs through the sixteen Wing sections'; and is located where the lead-.
ing edges of the wings meet. the fuselage or body, and the rear wing hinge pins .
l}.\ ..where the trailing edges of the wings meet the fuselage. The fittings through whl.c~
\' the wing hinge pins go are constructed of' steel, and built on cantile'ver tramf.l wo rk
J Which forMS the fuselage. The front brace rod extends from the lower part c-! ttl:)
body directly bel(\w the front wing hinge pin to midway on leading edge of wing~
An~ther shorter steel brace rod supports the re~r trailing edge in'like ~ashian.
The third wing brace rod runs parallel with the leading edges of both wings,
through and across the fuselage, and is fastened in the middle of each wing, pI'e-
venting them from collapsing while in fli~t.. , ' ,
The control in the air lathe same as is now used in the maneuvering of au ..
. V-5326, A.S.
planes, made possible by use of rudder and elevators, and is operated i'~(,m the (......
trrl cO~t:r,it, or front seat; by cables fastened to the rudder and e Levator-o , '1'1',';
rudder is~o,ntroll:ed, from a rudder bar Lo cat.ed in the floor boards of thfl front
ae at , and:i.s oI)erlilt.~d with the pilot t a feet.. The elevators are controlled, ):y' ~'''.
with e. l"8g'jlntfo:r. n5.rp.l,b.ne joy st::.c;c.. . ,
'1'h,S "Doia!'" has,~\IJO eapar at e ~"ra.ns1lissions, one 10 cated in front of. the eLx-
cylindel" .m~to.r bl~ck, and u~od ~o. '~ransmitthe power fro~thcm\)t"r to the prCll-'~'."
ler ~or' f,lying,' and 'by mo ans ' of thif' t,..a:nsrilir-sion iti's possib1.f.,'to pr c duce Wi-t.l1
a 34 hO,-s6~power, six cylinder mot cz-;: 408 horse pOI'7or on the; p:.'op?ll#=Jr for f lJ':i.:nGo
Therofore~ instead of faTi,:E:'n;.r)g t he two .. blade propeller diroc'tly:to the end of ttl"
cr'ank shaf't , as is now being dOM on all airpla.nes, making it necessary for one to
take «t t , or leave the gr cund , i.n high gear, by the use of this t,nree-speed t.r ans-
mission: and r-ever-se , it :to rossib1.e to take off in low gear, t1-.e same as star"viz1g
off with an automobij.e in J ')w and E).fiel' lea..,ing the ground che.nge to s eco nd gear
I
unti+, the. desired a.ltit\;'d.e fS1'~8~hedi .then throttle the motor down ~nd leYel the
plane ,out in high, 'tra'18:,5.ng. at "th~ rate .0 f one hundr-ed or one' hundr-ed and fi::'ty
mil~sper hour I with the throt',!.6 onJ.'! oi1.e-fo'J::"~h open ~ thsrel;y c\ittin"g dcwn the .
cost of operation as w~ll 'as sa'ling the mo't or, and meJ:ing :i.t last four -f;irnes 'as. long.
When ready to <louie' d,,'wn, pJ.ck cut a pl':ice of a f.f':W feat where the.r~ are no
wires, and When about o ne hunrlr-e d fe3t from t:"16 ground put the pr cpe l Ler-. in re-
verse ,and as soon.'d.3 th<:1 wheels to\.1.Ch t ne ground rP,~t' the motor',' usin8; tr..a r ever--.
sible pro~eller as a br axe , wh'fch will make it possible to 'stop or slowdpwn t? the
desired speed within Q. few fee'c. '
, J:nsi;e,~d' of us i.ng :th~' t:oi;,g,' sweeping, two-b.lade p~opel1er, Whic,h is nowp~ing
uae d, a short, stubbJi four":blcd~.Pt'openf)r is \ln9:r~ VJhiCll hasrri\lre.pitch, andwi11
pr-o duce mor e pewer . than the propellers now Df)illg USGO on all b~.ggover;lment .DH 400-
horse power planes., .Th e four-blade prcpe L'Ler' isc0r,st"t'u~ted (Jut of spada];' cempb sf,-.
ti6n metals, to s~andthe, pr-e aaur e , and: has been proven by tests' to be practical' ..
and servi caable in evo1'y re?i)6 ct.. " . ' "."
'F'ct- ground' d~i,,'ing aregv.larfoltr",wheeled airt omob.l l,e chassis is used; with 56-
inch tread, l'28-inch whee:!..'biJ:se; 'fou,' diskad 'st~'eajrJ..:.ned whe e'l s , with the regula.-
tion' aut6mob.i.le rear er-a, 6:dv~ she,N ,ax]As: differ~,mt;.al and br-akes ,('In all four "
wheeli3'J The rear wheels are used to pi'odl.H:.e the. Pr.'Mt' v:h:i..".eon the gr ound .' the ,same
as 'on" any-other' car',and''are'cC'ntr.;J,1ed '1'1':i1'e er. t!1e ground vvHh"l.'hfl. r"bU1.ation
steering gear and brakes ()pet'at~'ld f~"Jm thE. x'rl)ut seat. !Phan :.i.cavilif:; the ground the
front wheels lire locked ir.:t.o' p~rma[jeL1t. 1'ositi,;m by a. long s"tee::-ing wheel, so that
they will be headed s"ti'c\ight 'WIlen h,nd~_ng on the gr-ound egn..in. ,
The 'body or"tuseJ_'lg,~ of the ar'tvi:'lf; {Jlene is 22 ffJ'3t :Lon~)fourfAet I 4 inches
Wide at the drivertssca:~'lor wicest pnr.t, and io f:!.nlshed in the interior in'
Spanish leathe'r in dif.ierent co l.e rs , with all ~,llst rt'.m0!I~S I f err bc'th ground dr.iving :',
and' flyinE; located near ~he' front sea'~ on the dashboard, in p'la:'~nvi'e'Nor the ,dl~i:v-
er, or pilot. ,It e.ilO\.~hasa Luggage carder behind the rear seat in the fusa'lage.
The bodies are do sz gne d in threo ,fi't"e and seven passengerd~signs, 'b')t~1 epen
and closed.' .For the f:r,,~'e and sevon-passenger' pla~es extra const ruct Lo'n as to,the
Wing li"fting power and baf.ancd ng \jf motor and Lo aa in the fra.mH must 'betaken int.o
, coiisideration. . . '
.E\rety featu're as above described has been thoroughly tested'; Soilcording to the -
inYentor, and has been wor-ked o'ut 'to 11 pr act ical t'lt age ; .ths:l:.is:, thflthree .. speed •
transmission, the t'out'-, b:a~.J P:'C'I eU,-H', :o16ingwings; and other. rl3cess.ary minor
working details. Thew~)rk:tug nJ:j (j a:'. 'l~)~crn\.)l:j.:r:gall ~!heso ccrnb~ned .fea-turee is now
under act'ual eonstructio"L and 01;.ly l"8:haJr.s "CO be' a~~zer'Jli:.ej, r e ady for trial flights:
It is ~igured that thie dl'ivir.g p:l.a:1.:3can be pro du ee o and. ma:,."lreted at a Co.st "of but
little mor.e than a meder-at.e p:~:u:.ed six"cylil.idel' ~U'1'4 .
The' detailed' descri1)'UQn furriis:1erJ. by Mr .,D~.L1..ing:1L'.m has been filed, to.gether
with' a vast col1:ection ,)1 blv8'lJr.int s, drl".v/':':1gs' and pho"~'.)gr aphs , a pr oLonge d .st'.1dyo!
Which leav'est'he impr3,ssion 'of e. (J':',.a.l'rt rr\9ch~~lbal bu~,i;c,rf.1J, with l'an""like wings, a"
boxed'-in caudal appendage and cYlj~r.d:'''icaJ. po da L suppo rt o , !AI' DilHngr..am is .firm tn
0
the belief that it "will not be jCr'.g '.meiJ. his 'Nor.king mo de), will. pr-ove the DlIJst
radical revolution in the tran.sportation wo'rLd s i.nce the perfectionQf .the' gasoline
engine. . ,',.,
Mr~Di+lini?J'1am has been at. wor-k on the pro jer:t for the past five years. He,
says he 'has . spent f'iftM.ri tho\.wM,dd(Jllars h. experi.r.'Ie!'!";;ation, 'Nobody will denY 'l;.h::(
he ispertectlytamiliar -Wiit:h adoli,.loilg and af r-p'Lane (~(mst::,uct~on. He in 'c:;e;,8t'"
eral manager' oltha A~he'tillEl Ayi~l'ti<:)nCGmpanY'i and was the first man to.r.l'~fJ.~,lTlr;
machines into the westc.H'n N0r-t;h CaI'olil'1aogGn'3fQr clJIY'Jnercial purpe ses, La aec:lc1""t~
that he has nothing to sell, entertains.no. idea ,of organizing a st ock COYJpc'\tly aL~"
..., -2- . V-,5326 j . l~S
offering shares to bnyer-s , and is not planning any negotiations for, promotion
schemes. Heha.s high .hope s , . however. of building his own first machd.ne vand exhibit
ing it under SUCh.cond~tionsas :will assure his success in the disposition of sub-
sequent creations. He admits that he is building many air castles around .his
patent, but exhibits a stock of documents a,ndcancelled vouchers to shew that not
all of his visions are based on the fabric of a fertile imagination.
> It ;is a long road from receipt .o f a patent r..umbet: to. the drrt r oduct i.cn of a
patente~ commadd.t.y, But the Dillingham convertible. plane, r:egardless of whether
it is going to revolutionize the ,present method of transportation, is. a novelty.
The correspondence in'reference to it includes a letter from patent office prac-
titi.(:\r,ler.s showi.ng rtbat no similar scheme has yet. reache;d .this governmental 'depart-
Jtel1'~",.AVlard o,fa serial number in the United Jtates was followed by. steps ,:to pr q-
vice,:M1'l. Dillingham 1.li1ithample, protection .Ln all other countries. He will be uni-
ve!'s~lly safeguarded when his working rae de-l, is ready ,fo.1'! ..introduction to the- public,
he says.. .
.To' say that the designer 'reflects confidence is. to give a very mild hint .of
Mr. Dillingham'S feelings about his npw projEt:Jt- He belie-,es thlil-t the time d s com-
ing when ;a man with money enough to' purchase a .~ix-cylinder 'aut.omobile will no' more
consult th~ display of 'pre3en.t~.day type vehieles than he. will. 'visit a buggy dealer
and ask to see Some 'designs .wi.t.h the whip .so'c.lte.t on the left .side. I'Wh~''should
he!' asks the patent' hunter. And then answer-s his own question. 'There will be no
r'eascn fo'r it. He can, by rthe expel'i'ditureof the same SUfi', obtain a convertible
plane ,t'ake to the air whenever;'1",irMdo ntit interce~t his passage, travel one
hundr,ed and fifty miles .an hour without stra:i:nin'g his engine I drop' whenever he
cho o'eas ,throw on the br-akes at' will,' park in' f:con'~ of .:the building where he has
business, and give no'. thought to the' questi'ort 'of. .co nge st e'd ground space. .
!t has been known for some time 'that 'this' YOU11g man, 'wall known -Ln North
Carolina because of his vari'ousexploits, hasibeen 'U:lker:i.ng W,ith some such pro-
ject~ In fact, it was announcedisome time .ago'.tha-, Scott Dillinghamwas,worki'ng
on a'nidea that inight revo Iu'cLorri.ee motor .tl"aff:i.c. Few, however, 'lenew.that his;.
scheme .had reached the: stage of fof-mal. applicatil..Jn for a patent and .de(inite as- ,
s i gnmerrt of a. number ,for hiS' \\torkin'g model to carry • His ,right'B,are r,lO,w
:prQte e~ed
for seventeen years. Along about 1941 there may be qu~itle.a . squabble over adopt Ion
'of hd a 'Ldaas , But Mr. Dillingham says he .a sn 't\worrying~ ab.out who ,is' going ~o
grab off and appropriate his theories when that time come~. By-then pe expec~~)
his inventiQn to have made -.him all the money 'he "nee-ds." . "
.. .; . . .... ,
THE LUKEFIELD, PG0T EXCHANGE
. c/
By Lieut. O. L. st ephens I Mr servi ce
(Continued from previous issue.)
.',
One of the import-ant points is the selling price .and the compar.ison with local
retail prices. To give: you an idea of th.is a few comparative .prices are given
below: .. . .
Exchange LO'cal
...E!l~£.- Retal,J. Price
Tooth' paste, large .5J .65
Razor blades, t dot, AO .50
Talcum pOWder. (regular 25,) '.20 .25
\ Watches ~35 .00 ' ~43.00'
Gogglettes #6 'i.50 9.75
Full fashioned
Tooth brushes
silk hjse 1.00
.40
$1. 50 to ~)2.00
. .50 ' .~. '
Saddle soap ,
• 5Q,'
~ 0'
.65 \'
.
\
AIR SERVICETACTICALSCHOOL
STARTSNEWTERM
The Air service Tactical School at Langley' Field. Hamptc:m,Va.,' st:8rt~d ~h.e:,
1924-1925 term on Wednesday,October 15th. with an enrollment o.~ 14 st~~~~~s~;.:The
following-namedt'ffieers are attending the sch~ol: , Lieut.-ColonEl}! 'A.G. i'ieher s: :
Majors J.E. Fickel. J.E. Chaney.F.L. Martin, W~H.Frank. C,L~ Tinker, P.E. Van
Nostrand, W.B. Dut.y. Carl Spatz; captains "C.C. Benedict t J .G. Whitesides, Tnom~s '.
Boland. O.H. QUinn and D.S. Seaton, ..
In one week this organbat.ion flew: 85 hours and 55 minutes. which included 15
hours and 35 minutes .eross-country time~ ' '".
. -5':' V..S326, A.S ~
-; :
he was seated in, ,8. trapeze froM which he could leave at will, the instructor' de:":
cd.ded to pass him a parachute. Lt. Albert Smith voIurrt eer-ed to stand on. the w:',ng
tip with the parachute in hand and in this manner it was proffered to Do~glasJ. tilt,
he r e f uae d it, shaking his head and making signs to the effect that he warr~3d,~'
knife with which tOC1,lt, the- l"O'pe.:srriith had no knif~. Wewere then some. dis"ta.nre
frcmthe :fl?,ing",field and there was little time. remaining, so the instructor s , ,6ti}~
l:mawa~e ~hat, .Douglas was fast in the rope, decided to put his wing abreast o-f tha
'::>ergean'ti;'sb9dy and let him climb aboard. But Douglas refused this also and as '
the pla~e came.to him pUlled himself up and alid over ,t'he proff-er~d wing•
. ,~. In attempting this'. it was seen that he was securely "fied. The ahly re-
m~1hing l11ea116of r'e scue was'to pass Douglass a knife in order that, he mi.glrt-,cut
hJ.msel'f loose and drop into a nearby lake. Lieut. t>mith.was landed in a field: ..
near t!;1~,lakf\l and takenti:> the lake in ~he brigade adjutant's car prepared to as-
sist Dou.gl~se when he .ehcu'l d. drop into the ,water, , ' ,
, , 7,'- "Tbe undersigried l~eturned to ,the flying field as quickly as possible, and ',"
again ca,lled for a voLurrteer to stand on,:the wing tip with half a dozen k,niv,es.,
;jgt • Jedd,,i,e Sharp, responded and whenrthe plane was next brought alongside. . Sg'li, .'
Douglass, Sharp not only placed the knife in Douglass' hand but closed his fingers
over it to make certain tha:the would retain it. Douglass showed the knHc 'co',
captain\lassall who glided down b'yer the .Lake inJ.;o the Wind as slowly as poss:l;Pl:e.. "
D~ugla.ss headed 'himself' in .th~.-a~re~rt:i,on 0) f"l:ight..and 'lay' as horizontally: .ae P(.'~-
sl.ble, and when over the lake and abou.t six. feet above-the water cut the rope. Tne,
under.si,gned followed to the lake to be ~'n a position, t.o ob-s,ervewhat too'le'.Place.
Douglass hit 'the water fla:~' on hi'S' back traveling. head .for'erf.ost, 'skipped once like
a flat' rock and, then' sank "and started 'sw:ilnming. his strength was nearly spent and
he swam only a aho,rt'dist'ance; but Slnl'th reached him in 'Ume -to take him in'-
despite the fact that the boat he started in sank to the bo'ttOM. , , ...
8. The'.rescue.-was 'not,\the result of the' aC'ti(Jns or any 'one individual out .,
the re.sult of .teamwork {o'r' which the personnel of '~h~,35th Division Air service is
commendable. ,'".. ",.' .
, 9... Capt. \Vassall' s: plane was equipped wi'tha150 h. p.' motor and that of the
instructo.r with 400 h.p~ t 'which made it n~ar,ly, ,twice as fas'c. . It was therefore'
necessary for Capt. Wassall to keep his plane perfectly s'~ea("'lyin order tha.t the
undersigned might stall alongside and below in his propeller wash with the same
speed as the slower pJ.ane. Again Cap't. \1assall showed excellent judgmei:lt in
bringing his plane down ever .the la.ke.at:t.he proper altitude. and witho\~,t bumping
Douglass against trees t fences and other obstacles which would have kil1eq. him. "
Sgt. Sharp's performan.'c'e"en .the wing tip was wonde.rful - almost incredible in.:view, "
of the fact that it was' only his second {light in the air. Lieut. Smith was ''.: "
"there like- a duck" and seemed as 'mucl1at heine in the wat er, The pe-:rtormance:J0f .
the undersigned. howe~e'r,', 'wa:anl'thi?6, i:no~e t'nan, could be expected-f-r.om any' pilot '
of seven years' experJ.ence in tne A:r~,lY .t\J.r oervJ.ce.'" . ' ,.'
...... .... ..
" • 'J, '":'
ATTACK
l.1HOUP
CONDUCTS
TACTICAL
PROBLEMS
The 3rd Attaok Group, Kelly F,ield, TexaS,l'ecentlyconduci;ed some very int;er-
esting tactical pro'ble~s utilizing l"adiocpmmunication in t:rans'niittir!g infor~ation
between' airpl'anes and ground: 'forces. On this occasion ',he ground 'forces of the
At't ack Group cleared the airdrome' at tell~' Field at 't : 00 a. m, and marched to a
camp eight miles distant. Immediately upon srrival, '~~1-eadvance airdrome was put /
in order and the communications section established P CIS and field telephone sys~
terns. All operations were conducted fromt\}is pOil.t, .
On another occasion the ,31"d cA:ttack Gr01JUheld its Field Problem nine miles
east 'ef NewBra.unfels, on:.the ba~k~ ,of tha :}~adaJ.upe Kiver. A motor tTuekc~nvoy
consisting (}f 51 vehicles commandedby Lsb Lieu.t9 F.,M. Ba:rtleH left Kelly F:Leld
at 'f:00 avm, andatrived' at- the"adyance ail'drome at 1:00 p.m. The trucks were
loaded with o'rganizational' equipment t War set, all enlisted men of the G:i'O\.I,p and
four officers. Eight'DH:s,f the Group. leN Kelly Field at 10:35 a.m., and a:r- .
rived at :the advance ai.r dr-ome'at :),1.:.05avm, Planes were equipped with synch!"onizec.l
and tourelle' guns and 6. £l'agnfentation bombs eacPl'\ A comp~.ete camp was organized
immediately upon arrival' of the troops and war time conditions prevailed. On the
second day of the problem flying rni~l?ions were carried out.,involving .th~ a"c'i;,ackan~
destruction of enemy forces with machine guns and bombs•
•\ smoker was held in camp on the evening of the second day and excellent errt er
tainraent was provided in the form of boxing. wrestling, singing, tug-e-wa.:.'s, and
battle royals, On the third day camp was broken and the expedition retm ..
-7-
to .
V~5326,A.S.
n:d
. Kelly :field l\1'ter hl'lvi1'lgspent three days in successful training and p1~asant
recreation.
We suppose that Captain. A.I.Eagle~ lately of the G~fice of the Chief' of Air
Service and now stationed at Bolling Field, D. C., is geotting pretty "darn'" .tired
of haVing people make a play on his name for the pur po se of unl:urdening some al-
leged witticism off' their chest. 'vie eannct, resist, however, quoting the' following
paragraph sent in by.our Fairfield C~rr6spondentr and which~brings to mind the
popular saying regarCiing''Birds .of a feather," etc. to the v.iz: '
"Two birds o.! prey arrived at\V~lbu.r lVright l"ield by air on october lOth.
How, in fact. could they arrive any. o.~he~ way? We certair11Y did not expect them
to walk over from Chanute Field as' long as they had wings., rthese two birds of
prey were Captain A. I. Eagle and Pri-,ate Hawk."
Now if we only hadsomeo1l8 in the A.ir service named "Buzzard" (and by the way
the Washington City Directory actually shows !i'fe per-sons by that name living here).
we would 'have a oombination that would be hard to beat ...
',' .
that' speed may easily be e xoe e ded by 8n1',; flyin;:;;'boats, flying ~.lt'1OW':llt,itud-e'
throughout the whole journey and l':tnding- their pi,issengers pr act lcn.Hi 'where T"e':'
qua re d in Molokai, Maui, Hawaii and' other islands. Even with th'e natur;il"m~'ipa-
thy that' so marty have t6trave:U.ng 'by air,oxperienceels8wheredemonsotrates. most
clearly that there would be. a suf'f iciont pe.r cerrt age of the pre sent, p as'seriger s '
ready to travel by air to warrQnt the initiation of the business. The? what of
the mails? .There is a 'great field for 301"180neof enterprise 'here - At' least> I '
think' so. '
.: :.
-12...
"ED" GETSUNDER WAYFO?
:, IH~).: JOB A'T'.. H I S NEW
.10 . STATION.
Dear Ed:
\fell Ed it was a great relief to all us boys out,on the coast to find out
you could write as well as read & your letter to us in a recent no of our paper
done a lot to convince each & all that the far west would get a sqr deal in yr cols.
Its all right to be fair & open handed with the news & editorial space Ed but
theres certain partys at Crissy field has got the idea that maybe you was a little
too liberal with the advertising spaee when you left Rockwell field use up 2 pages
.free for nothing telling how much better athaletes they was than the Crissy boys.
What I mean. Ed it seems like money being. so tight & everything the Hockwell magnets
should ought to pay cash tor the space used up in this form of self expression.
As for the athaletic contests between Crissy vs RockWell last summer I dont
want to cast no renect.i.ons on nobody but what would you think Ed taking a apa-
thetical example if a certain 1st baseman who we will call Joe Bayley dropped 4
easy throws 1 after the other & left the other team for instance Rockwell. field
win the game & this same 1st baseman come around next day with a couple of new
lires on what' we. will call his car 8: pretty near the end of the month too. I might
say that as the ninety 1st sqdn officers. was all liveing in tents at the time it
wouldnt of been any trick at all for some unscrupulous pa~Y9 to sneak into Joe
Bayleys tent obsenely & slip ~lO,OOO or so under his pillo. I guess if Judge Lan~
knew all the inns 8: outs of this thing he 'JIIould right 9.wayh and that big chamber
of commerce cup to Crissy field & have all the Rockwell players & Joe Bayley too
barred not only from baseball but make it impossible for them. to -appe ar i:n any
recognized horse. shoe arena or ping pong stadium. .
In the last paragraft of his advt the Rockwell corresponde~t gives outsorr~
real, information. I am not referring to the place Ed where the old Cub infield
combination Evers t.o Tinker to Chance is mentioned favorably as being in the same
class as the ~.}ltOOO,OOO Rockwell combination Hine to seHert to Ar.nold. Leave that
go I say. Chance is dead & maybe Evers & Tinker will neven hear abt it &: sew for
liable._ It would of looked better though Ed if they had of been more modest & •
admitted right out that wearas. they was pretty. good still & all they coulctr:t qUl.te
compare with the o14.cu~ t~eeo & all us boys from Cris~y field could of sal.d
politely 0 yes you can, you would half to be as good as the cubs to win games Off .
of us. They wouldn't have no comeback to tha.t. What I mean is the par+' where they
s...ggest that maybe major Arnolds enthusiasm done. a litt~e towards welding the
Rockwell athaletes into a winning organization. I dontknow much .abt the fina pts
of welding Ed but if getting the boys together beforehand & telling them as 1 man.
to another that if Hockwell field doesnt win that days st rugke whatever it is ...._.:
~--~ 'their~h1'd~6 they can all buy 1 way tickets for Kelly Field that is after ,they
get out of the hospitle - if thats;welding Ed Id say that as a 1st baseman maJor
Arnoldflang a wicked torch. Why after the crissy field horseshoe hurlers led by .
doc Beeson & Bill Taylor had cleaned up on the Rockwell field team. capt Ocker the
man Who introduced horse shoes into the Am army was seen out in bac~ .of .his quar-
ters with a So Pac time table in 1 hand & stuffing a cushion down inside his p~nts
with the other &: it took the combined efforts of Paul Richter &: Cy Marriner to con-
vince the capt that as the main serious of events was already win by Ro.okwell these
precautions Was ~nneoessary.
Yrs truly
Pvt Ed
en root
-13- V-5325, A S
NOTI;~SFROM AIR 3ERVIGE F.IELDS
Lt. Ro hert 13. "\7illiams) 41 \3t School Squadron, with staff Sgt. Flagg as
. mechanic, maab, ~,', very interesting flight to the coast recently. Lo a.vi.ng Kelly
. Field September ~bth, he arrived"1.t EI Paso in time to grt:l€~t .the "World Flyers"
and accompanHtf'them to the Pacific Coas t , From Santa Moru ca Lt .• Willi.ami'; WC,1t
to San F'r~ncisco, and from there followed the Aerial Mail Ro~t~ east through
Reno and El.ko , He also made trips to Salt Lake City, Rai~'lj"ns, CheY~l1ne, and
Denver. From Denver he went to A.'11ari11o, 'Texas and then to Albany -whe r-e he
visited his parents •. ~hey r e'tu rned t o- Kelly Field the, follo'wing day. The trip
was made without e;erious engine trouble or mish~p qf
any' kind.' .
Lt. George E. Rice; returned to th:j. s station :.october 'lO;fly:i;ng a" DH4B ...P-
257 plane. 'This is one of the new' DB's equa pped fo'r ni'ght rlyln€f. and has the
wing tip landing :tights. ~he shi.p was.obtained~aj;,'J;>ayt<>.n and \vill' be used for
1
A cloud of sor-row hangs over France Field, caused by the accident wh.ich
claimed its death toll in Capt. Harry M. Smith, Corrmanding 25th Bombardment
Squadron and injuring~ both internally and ext er-na.l.l y , Lieut.; Melvin B. Asp,
Staff' Sergt.Mooney and a pas sen ger-,« Capt. Smi.th during his 3 years of service
On the Isthrnusacquired, thru hi,S oonscientiousness and diligence, an enViable
reputation as a pilot. The follol'Ting record of flying hours will substantiate
this statement: time in air since his arrival on the CP~al Zone 409 hrs. and
45 minutes; total time in air 837 hr s , and 40 minutes. This is a record of 'chich
butfe"T can. boast. His accomplishments vrere .numer-ous and his ;Jride in the 25th
Bombardment Squadron, the 'r-esul.t of his efforts since its reorganization, was
recognized by its members and appreciated to its fullest extent by them. At
this l'Triting, reports favor a recovery for Lieut. Asp and St. Sergt. M~oney. The
pluck of Lieut. Asp, whdch is an outstanding characteristic, 170.8 evident when
we vi ai.t ed him at .Ancon hospital where he is being treated for -painful injuries
of the. head. News that ser-gt , Mooney was expected to return shortly to France
FaeLd was received with much joy. The passenger was only slightly injured and'
his .condition is not serious. His recovery is just a matter of time. '
" A Registered Trap .Shoot held at France Field' on Sunday, Oct. 5th, was
participated in by a total of 17 dyed-in-the-wool artists~ Besides the Amer'Lcan
Trap Shooting points given to high gun for the duy , 4 silver spoons with the
A. T. A. seal wer-e distributed according .t o the Lewis Class System of Division
and 4 leather shell boxes '1Tere gi ven and were vron by J. R. strauss, Baldy'. Watson,
(Mayor .o f Montelirio), Lieut. Chase (Navy) and "Si'Ster Benton. The points and
spoon for Glass "A" were won by Capt,Randolph wi.t.h the high score of the day of
89-100~ Class "B" spoon was won by Waltsr Bover , s coz-e 84-100j Class "G"
spoon by Mr~ Yard, score 78-1QO; Class "D' spoon h.y Lieut. Webster, score
60-100. In.addition to the above prizes~ there were money options on each 25
birds which was participated in by the majority of shoo't er-es, In the event of
doubles, Walter Bower was high ,'rith 44:-50; M"r. Jones, 2nd. with 41-50, and Capt.
Randolph 3rd. '7ith 39-50. All in all the day's shoof 'i';as a wonderful success, and
it is hoped that the Army throughout the country ~ill stimulate more interest in
trap shooting and that a team will be gotten together to enter the 1925 Olympic's.
There will be another Registered Shoot held here in the near future •
. ,The France Field Pistol Team retur.ned from abroad ':!here they competoc!" in
in the National Pistol Team Match, held at Camp Perry, Ohio on Sept. 27th.
In the Team,Match, France Field finished fifth, '?rinning a badge, ''Tith a
total score of 1217. The indi,~dual scores for the Team Match are as follows:
St. Sergt. 1~Jilson 275, St. Sergt. Silvers 249, St. Sergt. Shuey 245, st. Sergt.
Nikulane 229 and st. Sergt. Shephard 221. In the Lnddvi.dual, Match of 264 en-
tries, St. Ser gt , Wilson scored 246', st •. Serg+.•, Shuey 244, st. Sergi. NikuLane
242, st. Ber gt , Silvers 242, St. Sergi. Spephard 23£.<,Pvt. Royal 232, and Pvt.
Sislock 224. 'I'hoae who recei ved distinguished badges, "rere st. Sergt. Shuey
and st. Sergt. Shephard.
Th,e maj estic entrance of the King of the Horse-hide Season finds France
Field ,'1ith a collection of Swat artists and elusive pill stoppers which ccul d
easily wrest from Washington, if gi veri the chance, the title of "World I s
Champion" whf ch that team now holds. The Air Service Basebal L entry for the
PhilJ.ip.s Field was represented at the !nternational Air Races by the MB-I.
which won the Dayton Chamber of Commerce trophy, flown by 1st Lieut.D.M,Myers,
accompanied by Staff Sergeant P.Ceccato.This is the second time this ship
has, ,iftTonin the International Air Races', having won the st .. Louis, Chamber .o f
Commerce trophy last year when flown by Lieut. H.L.George. Lieut. Bond and
Staff Sgt. Hudson (2d Lt. Reserve) also flew in the race, having borrowed planes
at McCOOkField. .On each or the .three days of racing a,slnoke screen was laid
across.'Nilbur Wright Field by the smoke screen shi,p.iromthis station piloted by
1 st Li eut , P. Melville.. ,- , ' ,
, F:i,.rst Lieut. B.S. Thompson is hoW commanding the 49th. Squadron and the
59th Servicfl S.quadron Det achmerrt at this station vice Capt. R.B. Hough, Jr,., who
was transferred to Chicago. ~ ,', '
Second Liev.t.J. A.Austin reported to this, station for ,duty, from the Advanc-
ed Flying School at Kelly F'ield. He win assume' the' duties 'C?f ?quadron Ad-
j utantvi ce 2nd. Lieut. F.M.. Sew'ard who will become Adjutant. Air Bervi ee Head-
quarters. ' '.
Lieut. Bleakley'returned from three months 'le':l-v8, t.he maJ"or par-t of which
he spent touring Europe. ' ,
Tech. Sgt. S. J~ Davis, who crashed on, this Field in a SperrY me.aeenger
,August 18th and'i!:' 'r.ow at Walter Reed Hospital, is reported improving ,nicely ..
The cloud dispersing experimental laboratories, which were on this Field
f.or some time, have been transferred to B'011ing, D..C., where experiments will
continue under the direction of Dr. Yilarren of Har var-d, Major E. A.Lohman'and
Lieut. F.Y.. Seward f~rried the two cloud dispersing planes to Washington, re-
turning in the MB-l with Lieut. Bleakley.
Tests ,of bomb dropping-on hard surfaces, formerly carried on by the light-
er-than-air unit at this station, is now being carried on by the heavj.'er-thari-
air. An airship is expected here on or', about 'the 10th of December to replace
the TC..2 whi ch was wr-e-cked at Langley Field. ,
Everyone on .t he post is looking f'orward wi tn interest to the f,ootball
classic QfthePost ea ch year,' the game 'bet,veen the 18th Airship C'o., and 1;he
49th. Bomb. Bqdn, 'The 18th has' won the past tv;o years, so the 49th wil~ be
out to give them a bat.t Le to keep it from being three straight., '
,Several .parachute tests 'were made this' month from 10117 al,1;itudes to de-
ter~ine how quickly a parachute will function. All tests weresucce~sful, one
parachute being dropped from 150 ft., and o oeni.ng almost instahtly.'
, Bombing 'n,th a supe r.char ge r NBS-lover the camera obe eura iat f?-ltitudes
varying from 4, 000 to 12, DOOft. was carried 'on during the past 'month. one and
six hundr-ed-speun dibomb s being carried. ' ,' ,
Lieuts. Bond, Barker, 'George and 'Heber-t from this station attended, the
annual Machine 'gun and Bombing competition at Langley Field, Va. in October.
The MB-l from this field was flown to Hartford, Conn, , to participate in
'the' Air Meet held,there on adober 18thj'being piloted by Laeut s , Bleak'leyand
Fasteneau. Corporal sur-dam and Pri 'late Stevens. .of the 49th Squadronj made
live parachute jumps, the latter winning first place. '
Among those who recently returned from successful hunting trips' are Lieut.
H.' A. Bar-tr on , who went to Maine and New Brunswick,and Warrant Offi'ce,r W. O.
Brewer, who was in Illinois.
Major H.J. Knerr and Captain Henry Pascale left \l\Tflbur' mrightField on
October 18th for Fort Sill, Okl.ahoma, They took wit'h them two Spanish' Officers-
Lieut. Colonel F. Espallesgas and 'MaJor V.Casajus. Both of these gentlemen are
conne cted with the Spanish Embassy a't Washington.' '
Flight "A", 28th Bombardment Squadron, consisting of Five D. H. 4's and Two
Martin Bomber-s , arrived here from Camp lhchols, Rizal, P.I.the rao rrri ng of Sep-
tember 12~h, the;officers wh i ch manned the same visited the various offioers of
this station until the late afternoon, when they took off for their home station.
The officers of the Third Pursuit Squadr~n have been busy afternoons of the
past week in'the Air Service Golf Tournament. i The semi-finals "Tere played by the
following t''7o-F\omes: 1st Lieut. F. V. H. Kimple ve ~.."t Lieut. ,G. H. Eeverley the
former taking ,the cherries in One uPi 1st Li~~t. P.•~'. Williams vslst Lieut. R.
W. Camblin played a tie and will play the same 0 ff. The finals will be played
Sunday.,' "
Master 3ergeant Ward H. Rice was taken to the Camp S'totsenburg hospital with
a severe case of blood poisoning. 1st La eut-, P.L. Williams piloted a D. H. with
Flight SurgeonF~. G. Reinartz as passenger to Camp Ni cho.l s where the latter $'3":,
cured a supply of Anti-strepticoccic serum fo'r the treatment of Mr. Sgt. Rice,.
they returned to this station in two houra from the time ~f departure thereby
saving thirty hours in 'the deli very of the serum and more than likely prolonging
the Sergeant's lif's, as he is rbunding to nicely and 'I!]ill be on the job ere long.
The Volley Ball Team 0 f the Third Pursuit Squadron won their first game in
the International League of ,Camp Stot~enburgt Sept. 13th by trimrning .the Loyal
Cavalry team 0 f the 26th Cavalry 21 - 5 and ,21 - 1.
The officers of this Field are organidng a base-ball team to play a series
of garne s '''ith the officers of the 24th Field Artillery during the 'Sports Car-
nival to be held at Camp Stotsenburg, Get. 24, 25 & 26th. ' ,
Two DB's and Six M.B's were used in a joint maneuver with, the 26th Cavalry
and the 24th Field Artillery, Se.ptember 19th. "
Twenty~fiye c~ndidates for the Third Pursuit Squadron B~se-ball'Team are
busy daily limbering up, and the Sqdn• ahou l d hold their own :I!'ith any of the
teams that they might meet during the coming, season.
A Track and Field Iv:eet was vhel.d at the Lo ea.L field. Aeti vities started
early in the morn with a Volley Ball Game, Officers va Enlisted men, the' former
taking it by the follOWing scores: U to 21, 21 -Co16, 21 to 10. lUI of the
fans are still trying to dope out 1;Thy1st Sgt. B. K. Wonson appears on the court
with a Star on the front of his s~irt, the. next event, a tug-of-war be.tween the
1st and 2nd Pl~toons,proved a real noise-maker, as all of the fans pr e serrt were
rooting lustily, .for their favorite. team. It seems that the rooting helped, as
neither team gave an inch for twent'y minutes and then the first platoon, captain-
ed by Bt f , Sgt. q..A. Wiggs, started to slip, Stf. Sgt. E. Micky" captain of the
2nd had his team dig in and the war was over. in 55 seconds. Pvt •. H. Paul showed
us all that he could jump a little by hopping 20 feet, 9 'Ln che s s, Considering
that he just arrived in the Islands on the last Transport he will no 'do'ubt do
better than 25 feet after he is acclimated. The only other event 'worth while
mentioning was t he base-ball game between the'. 0 ffi ee r-s and Third Pttrsuit Sqdn 0,
which gave the fans as many thrills as they might, see on the Big Time. They
battled ten innings to a score of 6 to 5 in favor 'of the Squadron, Danny
(Gladys) O'Br~en,.our young telephone operator) driving in the winning run with
Hgrs. 2nd Division, Air Service. Fort Bliss. Texas, October 17 - 24.
ThE; follOWing cross-country f1i ghts by personnel from this field were made
during the above period: Sergeant Pierce to Donna Anna target range on October
22nd to bring Col. Gaujot to Fort Bliss; Lieut. Douqlas to Chanute Field, Ill.,
October 20th to ferry Pvt. H. G. Davis to the Air Service Technical' School at
that station, returning October 24th; Lieut. Weddington and Sgt. Thodes made a
photographic flight to Tucson, Ariz., to photograph landing fields.
Maj or Hefferman returned to this station October 19th from a three weeks'
trip by air. After witnessing the Air Races, at Dayton he went to New York,
Wilkesbarre, Pa •• and Waehingt, on , D.C.
Captains Ocker and Irwin arrived at thi" station Oct. 22nd from Post Field,
Okla., and departed for Ro ckwe l L Field the follo"'ing day.
. The: Airship "Shenandoah" passed over 'El Paso and Fort Bliss on the morning
of'. Oc't cbe r 23rd on its flight to Fort ~I\lorth, Texas.'
The folloi"ling changes inpers.onnel at this station occurred during the
period above mentioned: Sgt. James R. Lauderback was transferred from Hqrs.
Troop, 2d Cavalry Brigade, to the 12th Obs , Sq dr-n , , October 21st; on the 23rd
he was rated Specialist, sixth class. Staff Sgt. Simpson returned from a ten-
'day furlough. Staff Sgt. A. E. Johnson, discharged from the service on October
lOth •• reenlisted the following day ; Staff Sgt. D. H. Simnson reenlisted on
October 12, he having been discharged the previous day, Privates Levy A. Freed
and John T. Frost were transferred to the Air Service Technical School at Chanute
Field, Ill" and de par t ed by at r pl ane with Ld eut s , Gale and Weddington piloting
the ships. Private Gamble, on detached service at Marfa, Te xas , returned here.
on Oct. 17th in airplane piloted by Sgt. Pi.e r ces. Captain Boch arrived here .from
Kelly Field on October 17th. Ordera'have been requested for Staff Sgt. McNally
to go on detached service at Douglas, Ariz., to relieve Corp.Baskas'fromthat
duty.
A formation fl~ght was made by Major Hefferman, Lieuts. Morris and C~ark,
and Sgts. Tyler and Pierce on oct. 22nd for the Commanding General ,8th Corps
Area, '7hile he was revie1/'ing the troops at Fort Blisa.
Captain Bender and Lieut. Clark made a liaison flight with the 1st Cavalry
Division ort October 24th.
The usual exeitement attending the 'arrival and departure of the transport
was. prevalent during the '''eek. I:urin~ the 11ii fe
sunshiny days the pilots did a
considerable amount of' flying, but an end was put to these acti vi ties very
abruptly by a visiting typhoon. Dn Tuesday morning SOme practice in formation
flying was done by Captain Beam, Izieut a , Har-per , Vanaman, Greer arid Gullet.
The results wer e not very satisfactory and with the appearance of the sun once
mor-e this work will begin again - the usual reception of the good ship "Thomas"
will be accorded by the Air Service. Sever-al MB3a's will be sent dovm from
ClarK Field to do some acrobati c flying to give the new arrival s a thrill or
two- not believing they had enough while br avi.ng the China Sea during the typ-
hoon season.
Major Weir, our Commanding Officer, accompanied by Lieut. Dunton, made a
trip to Clark Field ih one of the new Martin Bombers.
-19- '1-5326. A. S.
The 28th "Bombardment Bquadr on reports the followins: operations for the
week: On the 18th, Lieuts. Vanaman and Selff in two DB's flew to.Cl'ark Field
on a photor;raphic mission, returninr: same date ; on the 19th, Major ~Veir, ob-
server, and Lieut. Dunton, pilot, hi a Martin Bomber., flew to Clark Field on
o ffi cial bu ai.ne ss ; returning same date; on' the 20th, Cn:ot''cin Beam led a form-
ation of five DE's and t"To NBS'ls; for the purpose of traini:'lS, Capt , Beam,
Li.eut s , Harper, Vanaman, Gullett and Greer flying the DB's and Izi etrt s , Mac-
Iver and Skanse flew Martin Bombers; Lieut. MacIver, pilot: and Li.et!:b'"....'~TSl.l].<WJ
observer, in a Martin :Somber, flew to Clark Field for the purpose of ferrying
supplies to that station, returning same date; Lieut. Kirksey in a DH flew
over Fort Wm. McKinley and vicinity for the purpose of reconnaissance; Lieuts.
Umstead, pilot and Beaton, observer, who are stationed at Kindley Field, flew
One of our DB's to Clark Field, returning same date.
At the pr e serrt time everyone is busily engaged "ititing home about the
terrible typhoon that almost hit Manila the other day.
It is no longer ne ce seai-y for the members of this section to wear' smoked
glasses, as Private Highfill' (hQving doubtlessly heard. of the retirement of
some General and planning on putting himself in line for promotion) has gone
to West Point Pr3p school and taken his smiling face and flaming thatch along.
He is (mis) quoted as say i n g that he would consider an appointment as
Captain if there are no vacancies for Lieutenants when he graduates.
- Social Notes -
•
Colonel Sam Johnson from l!lindoro paid us a visit during the past week ,
From his gl o-rrng tales of the wild life of Mindoro (that "wild" is mearrt .to
be intorpreted as uncivilized) everyone who hasn't made this trip is trying
to make it. C010110l.Johnson's ho spa t.al.Lt.y is s o weI I known among Air Service
o f fdcer-s that we are expecting a few "detached service" requests to show up
pretty soon.
The 28th Bombardment Squadron reports the following ouerations for the
past week: On the 8th, Id eut s , Harper, Vanaman, Bogert, Blair, and Snavely
flew in formation of five DH4B's; on the 9th, Lieuts. Vanaman, Kirksey, Greer,
carter, 1ilJalker and Snavely flew in formation of six DH4B's; on the lOth, Cap-
tain Beam and Izieut a , Monahan, 0' Connor, Kessler, and Gross fle'll7 in a formation
of five DH4B's; on the 11th, Lieut. McCune, Pilot and Lieut. Bogart flew two
DH's to San Jose, Mindoro, returning same date; on the 12th, a formation of five
DH's and 2 NBs'ls flew to Clark Field, returning same date; Lieuts. Harper,
Monahan, O'Connor, Kessler and Gross, flying DH's and Lieuts. Skanee and Dun-
ton, flying NBS'ls. On return from Clark Field, the {ormation flew over Mar-
ive-les, Corregidor Island and Manila Bay on a reconnasiesance mission for the
purpose of familiarizing the new officers wi.t h the surrounding territory.
Major Reinburg, observer, and La eut , Skanse, pilot, flew to Clark Field in
a NBS'l on 0 fficial business on the 13th, returning same date.
The' 66th Service Squadron reports that most of the construction orojects
they 'ware' lTcrki:ng on are completed. The gas and oil tanks "'ero set in their
con.crete foundations and are completed. The partitions and inside wor-k of the
hangar are almost co.np.Le't ed , The Squadron received a number of new men on the
last transport and at present is functioning properly. The Post Supply Office
has also been moved into the 66th's new hangar, this being the most conveniently
located place on the post for this office. Lieut. Blair is in charge and the
problems that the supply system have presented in the past are rapidly dimin ..
ishing.
- Notce from the 42nd Air Intelligence Section -
Since Private Sne ad , tho office husky, has begun taking boxing lessons, the
balance of the outfit h:1.8decided to carry brass knuckles or pieces of lead
pipe to keen him in' his proper place.
With the big Departwent athletic tournament impending, everyone is shaking
t.he kinks out of his mu s cl es and all mess sergeants had bettor take note and
prepare "raw" beef garnished ',rith gun powder- to satiate the a.ppetites of the
Dempseys, Paddocks and Ty Cobbs.
Sergeant Wilkins breezed in with the information that he has just taken
over the job of flight comnander , Flight "A", Par-anaque Jennie Aerial Transit
Association. It is hoped that Jennie will take off and stay in one piece.
The bembd.ng and machine gun mat ches -;rhich wer-e in progress at this station
since October 8th, have been Qoving along wi t.houf a hitch and good -veat her pre-
vailed throughout. 7he visiting pilots finished their work in the matches and
most of them returned to their home station, leaving the Langley Field officers
to do their machine gun wor-k and bombing "'hieh will conclude the matches. .
A very unf or-tun at e accident occurred late Monday afternoon when Id eut.s ,
Sessions and Drumm crashed aocut one mile from the field. The Officers were
doing 10'11 0.1ti tude bombing when the motor cut out. They rrer-e unable to make the
field and in trying to get Lnt o a small field Lieut. Sessions, who was pi.Lct t ng
the ship, struck some trees. It was one of the most complete ';!recks that has
been seen on Lang~ey Field for some time and, according to all, both men wer3
lucky to get out alive. Lieut. Drummreceived cuts about the face and a broken
jaw while Lieut. Sessions received minor cuts about the face.
During the ':leek Oct. 16th to 22nd this organization has been actively
engaged in observation work in connection with the Aerial Gunne r y .and bl):n0~.ng
Matches. The Airship TC-4 made daily trips carrying visiting o bs er-vors ~J') rhc
high and low altitude bombing ranges. and observers mai.nt ai.ued cot.sca.n":. :)'I'U.';"\Ia.-
tion on the gunnery r-ange from' a captive balloon. Ground ob s er va t i cn for al.L
bombing ranges has been in charge of Capt.WIn.O. Butler, Air SG"vice.
spirit) has been kee pi.ng the shi;,;s in e~cellent condi "1;ion for "~homaclu ne
g'~n compet i.t.Lon now being held at
this station, with all compl.Lmerrt s p.nd no
C0'TIcla:ints. Al thol~!,h we have nine DH4B at r-pl.anes , one CO-4, one mJ43-4
(Ai1"Jct/B) un d t.wo JNSl$s, we have the:n al.way s: in c')D;;nissio{" anI rni,ff ';.1; I'Ly ,
Six of cur DH4B planes are equipped with machine gun s ann radio. 'l\w .]wn
pLane s are equipped wi.t.h gliders. All of our ships, excepting the .mSl1s,
have be en ZJ,I)''Tn~ 'll:.ril1f the past "18ek ':-ith a total of 67 hours and 96 flight::J
with no accidents occurring.
Taking the ~en on the post football team, the 50th Sqdn. furnished near-
lya complete toan.;in itself, iTicluding Sergeant Foster, ("Cy" as he is
gens r a.Ll.y known around 'the Peninsula). Pr i, vat e s Conover, Eldridge and HeVey.
These men are huskies an d al"rays "raring" to go.
-r:le hope to get a basket. ball t e am this fall which ''''ill far excell .any
team onth~ Peni;;-sula. '''8 still have some .o f the boys who wer e on the last
year t s team who are anxious to get in condition" This outfit is going. to
gi ve opposing teams some fast and high-tone playing when the time comes.
On October 4th, the 58th Service Squadron gave a dunce to celebrate it's
third anrri ver aar-y, We wer-e honored by the presence of Captain P. J. Mathis,
Post, Atijutant, Lieut. C.N. MerrtLet h, Company Commander, Lieut. John R. DI'UOIYl,
Our engi.neer-Lng officer and Lieut. Booker, "rho at one time \7aS "'ith this outfit
but Lat er- sent to Panama.
Each and everyone seemed to have spent an enjoyable evening, especially
the fair sex, who came over from the surrounding towns in "Flivs", (all colors)
and in transpol"tation furnished by the Corrrnandj.n g Officer. The ladies nere
gaily dressed in up-to-date styles and displaying all varieties of paints and
other things that the latter day flapper flaps.
The Squadron day room (thd has been) what might be called a shower- bath
every tine it rained. is now und er goang repairs:, for which most of us are
thankful and not only is it looking good but from appearances we get nO':1we
w:Ul have an up-et c-d at.e place to loaf this "!inter.From some remarks made by
t}~8 Squddron carpenters you may readily see 1~jhy "Te have had such a' hard t Lme
and are still having it trying to get a good rest room. ."Cet.t Ln (2' material
from Capt. Simpson is like getting out under age after your fourth enl.a st.merrt".
-------_._--- ----
, Th~ purpose o~ this letter is to keep the personnel of the Air Service, both
in iJash~ngton and ~n the field, informed as to the activities of the Air Servi.ce
in general, and for release to the public press.
Readers of the NEWSLETTER are no doubt familiar with the details of several
incidents in the Army Air Service wner e the parachute proved its extreme utility.
Occasions have arisen in the past wne r e the li'V'es 1'0£ the occupants of an airplane
became jnperiled by reason of mechanical breakages or: c0.l1isions in the' air, ren-
dering the' plane unmariage ab'Le , or through mot'tir.failure over localities where it
was impossible to make 3. safe landing, all' of which would have culminated disas'... ,',
trously but for the fact that they had the good fortune to carry a parachute with
them.
Instruction in parachute jumping is coridu cb e dv'at. the Air service Technical
School at Chanute Field, Ra~'1tour , Ill. '. Ourconesponden-t from this' fielr'\, Mr.
R~bert 11. Aurand, has sU~lT,itjved to us an interesting article governing tHe opera-
t Lon of the Par achut e SGhQJ1, as follows:
Formal cer-emonao s of considerabl.!3duration mark the close of the scholastic
years of the gr aduat e s Irorn our j~lst:Ltutions of learning. Di.gnified though they
are, yet the eternal s amene.ss of their repetition renders them monotonous 'alike to'
participant sand beh oLner-s •
Unlike these co nve rrt Lona L exercises, graduates of the Parachute Course of the
Air Service Technical s cno o'l att 1;.in the c onsummat ion of their endeuvor s by a prac-
tical application of the inS'crl.:.ct.iOn,they have received, in making two parachute,
jumps,-- tho first a 'ip\..ll off" +'l'om the wing, arid the second a free or "live"
jump from the cockpit 01 a Mar-l;i.n B'mberor DeHaviland ahplane, simulating in so
far as po ss i.b'Le the a:c~;.lal ::')nr.itionfJ attendant on a catastrophe in the air in '
which the pilot Or passengers must rely on their parachute s to reach. the ground
safely.
Let us assume that you are a member of a graduating class in parachutes, it ..'.
fs time for the "tal~e-off". One gr aduat e is standing, facing the direction of ,
flight, on each wing of the Martin. ]j0m')er with his double training parachute, Which
he has personally folded and p acko d , harnessed to his back and chest. He gr asps a
strut to maintain his position. You are. in the cockpit similarly equipped, ro~the
"live" jump. .
The roar of the exhaust, 'I'he plane trundies acros~ the field slowly gaining
f lying speed. It rises, dips slightJ.::r, riae s again and mounts higher and hi~her,
into the clear sky. When thE; dcs Lre d aHi t'J de , is reached, usually' between 1500 or
2000 feet, the parachute oflicerrisos to his feet and holds out his arms. At
this signal, the stuctOI/CS on t:ne w:.r!,gs'prep8.re for the "pull off", one hand'
clutching a strut to ",t6'~dy them201ves ,the other clenched around'the rip cord of
their main chute. ,Ti1e!l~~to:.' ;f;CJ:t. The parach'.l'teofficer drops his ar':t11~, and
the students vigorous.";.Y je,,'k "the:':' r-tpcobis. The little pilot chutes -,:swJ.ftlY.
appear, dragging afc er t:16ID t ne principal chutes, and o ffthey go head~f ~rstand
badkward from the Vii ngp,. ,.'. ". .
A sensation of byuya:1~Y, for the plane leaves them apparently $',fi1P~~de'd'~n .. ,
mid air; a feeling (.f ar-r-e s'te d motion, sim:ilar to al:i.ghtin~,on a gig.arrtJ.1c;l'£eap, of .
feathers, as the main cnut e s open above their heads. . , I."" 7 /:,
One moment an immobile figure, a {oot on the COWling. A. dive an~, the ,mexi" ,
instant tho ship is far above you. E~rtl1. and sky rneet and recedeiJlJ¥.l :~tl"de~.crib .. ::"
able jumble. You are fallin'g with astonishing rapidity. A sharp,' ~~~~st :i:n.v.o+\m-
tary jerk of the rip cord; a sickening void as your ,fleeting pa.ssag~"':t!tr-oum th~"'::
air stops abr\lptlYi an eC'3taGY of' joy coursing -through your being as you ftf,.el ~,hfJ',
secure SupP9rtof your b arne s s and see the immense cloud of an...:'ii7J' s.ilk above, "
knowing that your work has been well done. ,','
The curriculum c f the Parachute Course of t'h,e Air Service Technical ..S~hoo'l ',:."':
eomprises thirty hour-s of wi-:"e'and metal work whdch is spent ':i:nmaki~g ?B.ck ,
frames, rip cords and :ittings for testing chutes; thirty hours' of" pack rn~.l£ing
and repair i thirty hours 0 l' harness making; sixty hours of foldin~ and: repair .of
.V':5332 AS
'., .'
____
~'.'L
the silken fabric and th.:5rty hours of testing and jumping, making a totsl vf' If.H:
hours for the) six.weeks' cour se , Ten students cc mpose a cla.ss, with fO',L~ ~;::'.:1,;'.:,,;
a yea:r.
TIl(;j . ::r~\ttWnt gr aduat e s t.hor ou gh'ty familiar wi-!;h the three types 0 f $or'T.~~q :~;."t 'H
namely the o'eJr,r ic0 08&t Pack for pJ.: o'~s_ and pU8ser.f~el'8; the Lap Pack for mflch~.r.1)
gunner-s t:..r.,c; IJhotng,:,ul'lwrs and the DJub2.e Tre.:Lnh.g Pa(~\ fiJr the chest and back / uz e d
for j\~m:j::':.'lg s'I'.ud9~:tJ or fo,( exhibicion pur'pc s e s ..
oinco l/!J;'ch 3., :i.n:L, ';'ho d at.e '~ho iI~..r ~8:'."ice Technical School bo gan Lns nvuc-
tion at Chllrlu~e F:i.81.:J.~ 1'.1.., af'~er t:rflr.s.?or:d.ng fr")m Kpll:v Field, Texas, 15 or f i oe r-s
enid '72 ,'lr.~.:'~3'(;edrucn ('.f ~he A~.r ;,)e:rvi-::3 have beer, gr.9.jt~L,t8d and 26 members of the
U.S. Navy and T\larine Corps have comploted suc ce s sf u I Ly this C01,.1.rseof instruction.
sick anti wounded thY'o'Jgh tho cull ...bor at Lon of '~he American Red Cross [u) the Red
Cross Societies of 52 oche r nations is foreseen as a result of the success of the
French experiment.
The general application of aviation to humant t ar-Lan work under the symbol of
the Red Cross a.Lr-eady h::d. =,•. cs beginning in the Ub~~'ted states, where the Army,
Navy and Postal Air bEl;', :,~e'; have be.en placed a"Gthe d.i ap os al. of the .American Hed
Cross in rushing its pt)I':;r;;::O:~AJ. '~o the seen') of d~.~'a:;r~E:i'.
Colonel "I.R. DUY:i.c, Gh:~ef of the rijedJ.caJ. S8C"~J.o:'1,Office Chief of Air. Service,
who attended the above Le ctur e , stated that i'c was r epo r. jed that over 2,000 c ase s
.I
in Morocco and 3yria W')t'o t:'ansported by ai.r pLane 'vHh0U"t a single accident. These
cases were speedily bro1Jt'lt to the ht;>sp:Lt.all :resL:Ji5.ng in saving the li',es of
patients suffering f!"o:r, homnrr'hDk&~~~\:h1gtk) apr:H:otldi'c"itis, and o t he r compJ.icntions
demanding prompt treatme:r:t, w~1.~.(;h cou l d no t be 'g:i.7en at the fl'Dn.t. T1--.85epa:tj..f.mtf'J
were transported over a c(jt:.ti'~:7 such as it wculd have been Lmpo s s LbLe to C"9l1f;p,1rt
them safely by any meQ21S()"~i-t.erthan the airpja!le. Co}o!101 Davis fl .. d,her e.-tat ad
that it is a well known i"a(;~ that manv rr-act vr e cases eanrio't very well be '~rans-
ported even over the 'oeGt)f r-oads in this ce-I.l:'ltry for any d~.st '3.n08 1 \'lor can '.:;hey
be transported by railriJarl, bu":. by means of tr.e 8.iY.'rlane arnbu'Lance , ,the spe c.ia),
type of litter which is i.1.;IEJd in tho American Army A:~r 3erv;;'GG arid the .rnar,ner in
Which they are held in t,h.J.0 :~itter, these cas e s c an :08 i::;'!'~n8ported w:i..tnnu'~ any
danger to the pat Lent.e , 'lir.Elf r.an be br-ought to the h08p:::~al qul ok'Iy and G.ttended '00
before infection or oth8r' \:vmpl:l.0atiol'IS '~ake pj.a':,;e~ O~~ao t her adva.nta.ge of . aerial
transportlltion is the i act '~:r.at a doctor w:i:th ~'lh: curgical supp l,Le s and an assis-
tant can readily be t:r'l!l6}\oT"~.ed'to a pl",nf) vl'hG.:'C '~:0.I~S are Loc at-e d and operate on
patient s at that place. Th::'(-,ugh t;1is 111'6-:';1>,,<1 mar-y :U."iS$ have been saved.
Colonel Davis 'sta::;ed ..hat ir:s-:.anGes ar'e c f ~'e';c.ll'd in cases of child birth,
when women about to be come lTl01..henl req1.'.iT'ed an Lrnmeda at e 0pl3!'ation, wher e the air-
plane, in carrying them spoed~.l y to a he sf':i.tal) was '~he rneans of saving both
mother and child. C\.mt~.n:1.:i..ng f ur t.ho r , Col one I Dl'vis stated that in the past one of
the hindrances in the ur.e o f airp~anes for '7,ranr:p'H~::ng wouride d was the fact that
be cause of their fast Lar.d'i ng spee d they were nfit ac Le to J.a:cd in snall Jr re-
stricted fields. This ha.')di,~p.p has been ovor co me :tn the advances made in engil'1oer-
ine:; de-sign, so that at ti',iR t,~_mepLane s uae d f Oi' amcu'lanc e pui-po se s may have a Low
landing speed - appr.nilrl,>,.',',lj 30 mi Les an hoxr and slightly under. This is a great;
advant age in enablir.g p:l.o.'les i. 0 Lar.d in sm:311 emc,:"geney fields.
The at t eupt to CO';1'13'--I;, ~E;;;'v~_cetype ships into arnbul an co s has not pr-ove d suc-
cessful. Joveral typeD w:~re co nver-t e d into amoul.ance s car-ry i.ng from one t:) two
patients and a surgeon. The ....,.2 was conver t e d so t.h at it could carry f our ~_J.r,'Ler
cases or four sitting cases , and equipped with l.all'[iJ~ory and oab i nec e lot :i7v,~~r'll'.
ment s I medicine, et c. The conversion of DeHa"ilr~nd planes into ambulances ,~~d.
not prove altogether successful. The Engineering Division at lv!cGookFielc1, ~_'!:?ytcn,
.,2- V-5332 Al,t)
Ohi~ recently
I. de~eloped ~n aer.ill:~mbul'nlcefor two pat;ients'md u surgeon, 111
add rt Lon to tho pllot, whd ch seems to meet rl I r equd r emerrt s , especially as a cr osl.
rescue sh~p. This plant is so constructed that it i$ e asy to load and unload }',J.'
,tient • ., , 'I'be surgeon' sits
.
of levers C;ll'l move the
. abll.ng him to expl~te
ter" medicine,
.'
in the cent:er between the two patients,
any portion
e;t'C., without
, .
MODELD!IRIGIBLEWINS'PRIZE-~
. Dut-ingthe"Booster Purade" re'cently held in Newport. Newf:I i, Va." the 19th Air-
ship Cornp'uny,stntioned at Lr:tngley Field, completed a model .dirigible'mounted upon
a. sflver covered tr~iler .and exhibited it in the parade, win~irtg third prize' and a
, . number o'f ' favor able commerrt s from the io c'al paper B.', '
,:This mOdel was complete Ln every respect. A' framework 10 feet long was con-
'at;-ucted' similar to those used in rigid ships and cov.ered :with ~l\.lminum paint. A
Srilq.ll ear
was .suspende d.. ~rpm the eriveioptf by Wire cables and con]ainedlnotors."
props"and' all acoe saer-Lea , Tt)o whole thing was suppor-t e d nt ,the \~ose' and tail, by
small wooden supports; . The trailer vhiseoveted with silver linen with the or~an-
ization~ s name in blue o'n the out'side' and illumin'at~d' by' ~?.. sml:l;!l electric'
lights. . . , .' ,
., '. . I
, ANOTHER
:E~Al\JIlJLE OF. AIR SERVIGE EFF'ICIENCY
Our Correspondent from Kindley Field, FQrt Mills ,F .:I~, throws the following
bouquet" to the Army Air service pilot s now stationed in the Islands:. . '"
"\vehope the Air 5erv:i,ce at large will pardon our modesty w~e!.1jvle'~ak:ethe
statement that this'organization has an exceptionaliy good ~ssort;inent Of 'pi~ots ..
We feel they are equal to any in the .~ir Service and excelled by 1,10ne,. By gO?,d ."
pilots we do not mean the 'pird" Who is wild and pulls low st unts for, the' edif'lc,a.-
tion of his friends, the dear public and the pleasure of the, under-t;al\:er.' We mean
pilots who, when detailed for [121y' kind of mission,accompl1sh:same'without, ,tus.s, or
publicity, and alwaysrhbring the old' craft safely home. We feel' that such pilots as
Lieutenants Taylor. Niergarth ,~Umsteild; Beaton and Burge-ssate equal to any, in }he
Air Service and are excelled by none. Lieutenants Taylor, Niergarth and umstead
have all acted as instructors at the Prim.aTY'Scho~.i .: 'ih fact" maY,1¥,of thE; pi,lots
now stationed in the .Ts Lands were taught the game by' these men •. ' Wi3have o~e of,
their former students in Lieutenant Rush, who is.well. above the aver-age pi~ot and;
with experience will develop into a valuable' oUicer for the Air Service. ',':",' ,
-4..; , ":-:5332"4 .~'.
L.\TE3T OFF'ICL\L WIATION RECORDS II
In r e add.ng ever the Bulletin issued by the Federation Aer-oriaut.Lque Irrternal S'
tional •• Fuis. France, dated october 1; 1924, giving up-to-date official aViatJ.(;)'\
records, it is noted'that the United dtQtes enjoys a commanding lead over all
other countries in the matter of .r-e oor-ds made in heavier-than-air crrl.ft. Out of
the 63 records which ar e tabul::tted in this Bulletin. 47 are credited to this
country, 14 to France and one each to England and italy. Of these 47 records. 29
are credited to the U.S. Army Air Service and 18 to the Navy Air Service. It is
to be noted also that of these 47 records. 32 were made in land planes and 15 in
. seaplanes. The Army Air Service as of October 1st holds no record performance in
,.seacraft, the Navy holding all 15 records. in addition to three records in land
planes. total 18.
A tubulation of the official aviation records as of October 1, 1924, is
'.. given below. as follows:
.'
. Dat~. C.o.u,ntry Name o~ ..ti..loh.JY...P-.~_oJ Airplane and E1!.gi~ Record
....
h:,: RECORDSWITHOUTREFUELINGIN AIR
6-28-24 u.s , SPEED. 500 Kil.: Gait. Louis G•. Meister; Martin II
oomber; 2 Liberty 400 h.p. 120:55
',-,', ,
'" \"
Count:nr Nmne of. pilots and type of Airplane and Engine Recor1
ALTITUDE WIT;.' USEFUL LOAD TRANSPORTED
.~27~'M D.;).' 250 KILOS: Lt. ;1,!L i1'll'rist Liberty 400 h.p. ',':-J.: 8.980 met r e
11
5-21-24 U.S. 500 K!L03: ,Lt. ii.E. "'l':lrris; TP-1i Liberty 400 h z p, 8,571
5-6-24 France 1000 KILOS: Lucien Coupet; Goliath-Farman; Farman 5~751 "
II
5-8-24 France 1500 KILOS: IJucien Bossoutrot i Goliath-Farman 4,475
II
5-8-24 France 2000 KILOS: Lucien Bossoutroti Goliath-Farman 4,475 , •it: .
5-17 ...24 ,France 3000 KILOS: Lucien D,ossoutrot, Goliath-Farman 1,942
RECORDS - REFUELING I~J AIR (DH4B, Liberty Iv':otor) ,
8-27-23 U .. S. DISTANCE: Lts. Lowell H. Smith and John P. Richter 5,300 kilo
8-27:"23 U.S. DURATION: Lts. Lowell H. Smith and Johrt P'. Richter 37;15:14-4/5
8-27-23' U.S. sPEED, 2500 KIL.: Lts. L.H. Smith and J.P. Richter 142.780 xu.
8-~7-23 U.0. SPEED, 3000 KIL.: Lta. L.H~ Smith and J.P.. Richter 141
, 9
870 •
II'
8-2rl-23 U.D. {,HEED, 3500 KIL.: Lts. L;H. Smith and'Lp. Richter. 142.170 ,If
6",22 .. 24 U.S. SPEED,1000KILc~ JJl;s. i".W. We,ad, e:nd. ,J.D ... p'rice;
Navy CS-2; .Wrlg:Tt 585 ,h"p." ... ' "
6-23-24 U,S. SPEED, 1500 KtL.:'Lt'f~$ F.W"Wead and J.D. price;
Navy CS-2; Hrigl.t :::85 ~.'P. ' 119.311 "
RECORDS, H'::'DHOPL'jlJfES,WITH USEFUL LOAD TRAiIJSPORTED
~~,6,-23 U.S. DURAT:::ON,Z50KILOS; Lt .. a.n. S:tanley; F5L; two
Liberty, 400 h.,. ' 10:23:58
€-5-23 U.S. DIi.3TAN0E, 25::>..KILOS: Lt'. H.T> Stanley; F5Lj two
Li~erty 400.h~p. 925 Kil.
8-27-24 Franoe ALTI'I'UDE,. ~5,O' KILOS~ J.F ~Laport'e;' Schreck F .B.A.;
.. Hi,spano 300 h. p, 4,7'55 metres
6-6-23 u. S. DURATION,' 5.00 KILOS: Lt. "H;E• .Holl:~~d; F5L; TWO
Liberty 400 h.pn 7:35:54
6-6-23 U. S.. DISTANCE, '500 !(U,OS: Lt. H.E. Holl'and; F5.Li. two
Liberty 4aOh.p~ 750 Kil ..
8-27-24 France ALTITUDE, 500 KILOS: J.F. Laporte; F.B.A.;
HispanL 300 h.~e 4,755 metr:es
6-6-23 U. S. DUHATIOH, "1600 KILOS: Lt, R.L.Fuller; Davis-
Douglas;" L:i.ber-ty 400 h.p. 2':45: 9
6-6.23 U. S. DI:JTAjWE, 1000 1\ILOS: ,Lt. R.L. ;Fuller; Davis-
Dou,glilsj" 11b6,tty'400 h.p,' 325 Kil.
6-11-24 France ALTITUDE, 1000 KILOS: Buri; Dlanchard;two H:i.;spano-
. Suiza, 300 h s p , ' 3,744 metres
6-7-23 U. 6,' DU1A.!l:!(,N, 1500 KILOS:. Lt. ILT. stanley; F5Lj
TWc' Liber-t;j'400 h.p. 2 hr.18 min
'4-17-24 France' AtTITTTbE, \500 KILOS: Lt. Pelletier dtOiaYi
Blanchard; 'two Hispano 300 h. p. 2,130 me't r e e
~-7-23 U. S. DURATION, 2000 KILOS: .Lt. H.E. Holland; F5L;
'two Liberty 400 h.p. ' 51 .min.
6-7-23 U. S. AL'rI'IUDE, 2000 KILOS: Lt. H.E. Holland; F5L;
two Liberty 400 h.p. 1,489 Me"';!'
-6- V..5332, A S
. 3ECONDBOLffiARDMENT
(}rlOUPLtIKBb~HGHTFLIGHT TO NE'>i{
YORK
The recent n:f5ht cross-country fli:.;ht of tho 2nd Bombardment Group from
Langley Field, V;1.., to Mitchel Field, L.L, j'~ewYork, was the first maneuver of
this kind in this country ever attempted with a considerable number of large
planes. 'I'he fli;;ht dernonst r at.e d the feasibility e f a quick change of base by the
BOmbardment Group On short notice at night from Langley Field to any place along
the Atlantic Coast in time to take part in a bombing mission early in the morning.
Nine ~tandard HBS-l and MB-I airplanes (Martin Bombers) of the Ll.t h , 20th
and 96th Bombardment ;;iquadrons were led in a 9-plane formation, consisting of
three-plane flights, by the Group COj1lmander. The personnel in each plane con-
sisted of two officors (a pilot and a navigator) and two enlisted men (mechanic
and a radio operator). Each plane was equipped with the followin~ accessories as
ai.ds for night flying:
Navigation lights - red and green on wing tips, white on tail.
Parachute flares (new type') - four per plane.
\ving tip flares - one minute and two minute f Laree , four per plane.
Landing lights (electric) - two p9r plane.
Sign3.ls within nights' consisted of blinking of navigation light s to indicate
turns and other maneuvers, . Communication within the formation was obtained by
radio. The Leade r of each flight and the Group Ccmmander employed SCR 159 set or
68 set for reception. .
.. The fli2;ht from Langley to iviitchel Field was via Cape Charles, Va.; Cape
Henlopen, Del.; Cape May, N.J., and ,3:l.ndyHook, .N.J. The followin:; emergency
fields were d.esignated :before the flight, and all pilots were informed as ',to their
approaches and landingfo.cilities: Snow Hill, Del.j.Lewes, Del,.; Cape May, N.J.;
Lakehurst Nava,l Station, N. J" and Camp Alfred Vail, N.J .
. The nine-ship ;~cJ.r~tinBomber formation whach wandered through the dar-kne s s on
the .night of Odtober lOth and found its way to New York, and which caused no
little COmmentand a Jot of publicity, was a huge success in the eyes of the pub-
lic and also in the eyes of the personnel of the 2nd Bombardment Group.
At 5:15 p m, on the afternoon
s of the lOth, nine Martins taxied into position
on the flying field and took off. for Hew York. The ships were arranged into .
3-ship, formations and the leader of each formation was carrying a receiving and
se~ding radio set so as to keep e ach f ormat Lon in touch with the other. Under' the
leadership of Iilajor J .H. Piri€ all hands feld as if no di:f r'iculties would be an-
countered on the trip insofar as the navigation was concerned. .
Tho first ship to encounter troub.le on the trip was th:;l.t of Captain E.E. \(.
Duncan) who had motor trouble while over the middle of the Chesapeake Bay. Captain
Duncan, who was leading one of the formations, immediately turned tho, nose of his
Martin homeward and landed on the airdrome with one motor. Upon Landd.ng he found
that one generator and a rocker arm had gone out of .commission. He immediately
secured another ship that was being held in reserve and with Lieutenant J~. A.
Collins as navigation officer left the home field at 6:15 p.m. Upon reaching Cape
May, CF.l.ptain Duncan saw that ar:othership had been f.orced down at the NF.l.VY Landing
Field there and later learned that it was the plane piloted by Major PiriE? A rew
miles north of AtlF.l.ntic City clouds began~o form about 3000 feet ;8.nd Captain
Duncan was forced to descend to about 1800 feet. The trip looked' like a big suc-
cess for the lone navigator of the ozone until the left motor stF.l.rte~ to miss. bad-
ly at Seaside ~hore, some 26.miles from Lakehurst. Captain Duncan immediately
headed the ship toward Lakehurst, and by cleverly piloting his ship he was able to
make Lakehurst with about 600 teet altitude left to his credit. Upon arriving over
the field a par achut e flare was released which illuminated the field and showed all
the obst~cles. But \vhen Land'i.ng was str-uoted the landing light s went: out and all
that "the lone n9.vig~tor oithe air at 'night had to land by was one wing tip q.are.
Shortly after Landdrig at Lakehurst the residents of that section proceeded to
set the telephone wires "red hot") calling the Navy Station and telling the O.D.
that an airplane had just passed over and burst into tlpmes while in mid air. It
is assumed that the people had referenda to the parachute flare that was dropped
to help make the landing. The next morning when Captain,Duncan came to the. fiGld
the Crew Chief had found that one of the carburetors was three-fourths fu:n c f
gasoline and one set of points on the distributor head was sticking. Aftor the
necessary repairs wer-e made, Captain Duncan ilndpassengers proceeded to H:.:cchel
y- Field.
UaJ'or Pirie ,
who was leadin.:r the flight
0
and whQ was forced,to • ,
Land at Cape May,
;,
made repairs to his ship and proceeded to Mitchel Field on the night of the lOth.
-7-
;""
Before the landing a.t Ca.pel\1ay 'the Major sent out radio .ssages that he was en-
c07rite.~in~motor trouble and would be forced to land at Cape May. He told Cap-
t3.J.n vV::Llhs Hale to assume command of the flight and Le ad them on to NewYo rk ,
Th~smessage w~s s~nt for the informationQf the ships ~n the following'formatio~s,
b~"t upon landJ.~'~ T,he Major was somewhat surprised to find about 100 people on the
f~eld 'to see hi m land. 'The people who were Qnthe field were radio fans who had
p I cke d up the me s s age sent and had journeyed to the field to see the monster of
thB air land aafe Ly in the darkness. A:'lO.n,g the many auto'mobi'le$ which had con-
gregated at the fiold was a service truck frem the. Sta.ndard Oil Company which
had tools and supplies for the night rider :that was in distress. After losing
about. one hour in r epa Lr-Lng his ship; Major P'irie had his Liberty motors cranked
\.1P. and he proceeded
shdps ,
tr.¥itchel
.
Field, landing
. .
about an hour after the other
.
The trip from La.ngley to Mitchel took five hours and ten minutes. Et had
been pJ,annedto lead ii'le formation over New YorkGit'$, but Cllpt ai,n Ha Le realized
t~at the ships' were running short of gasoline and JfJ!td" straight for' Mitchel
FJ.eld, where a good and safe landing 'was made by the remaining sh i.ps .
i:l:.lturo.ay morning Major PiI:'ie ordered the ships to be put on the lines~nlilfter
all ships had been warmed up, to the proper temperature, .etc., the l~ajor led the
formation to Hartford, Conn." Where the pilots and cr ews, were f~1 arid they then
returnod to Mitchel Field in time to have dinner in "Little' Oltl~~'NewYork".
The Engineering Department of the 0an Antonio Air Intermediate Depoti locat-
edat Kelly Field, Texas" ill charge of Lieut. Clements McMullen, Air ser-,ice,
pomplete1y oVBrhuuled and repaired during the month of Oc10ber the fOllowing'air-
p Lane s arid engines: Air:9::'anes - 9 DH4lJ, 10 Dli4M-l.> ,l3JN6Hl;' 2 ;j\fJ33A,:f SE5E,
1 T\'3; Engines - 48 Liber~y 12-A, 19 Wright ,,:,1;.15 .Wright-E and 4 Wr;i.ght. A..2.
EDUCATIONVIA AI~PLANE
PAR;\CHUTEJUIIPING AT NIGHT V ,
Our Mitchel Field CiJrrespondent. states 'chat by the time 'this appears Ln
print the Army 'Air Sel"'lice wEI have a:S9.in oo oper at.e d with the Air l... lail Service
and with luck one of the remainingirisks of night flying w,ill:h8.ve been removed.
Mr. James \fualen, in char-ge of p er c crurt os for the Easte-rn pivision of the Air
Mail, and whose idea it is, will make a series of, parachute jumps at nig.l1t from
a ip Lane pilbted by Lieut. M. L. Elliott and'willland by the aid of a flare he
. .haa invented for this purpose.
There has aLways been a slight element of 'risk in night parachute jumping,
even in casas of e~:ergen.::y,. due to. the inability to pick a suit~),blc Landi.ng spot
....and the ever present pOGsibili"j:.y of t.earing'the parachute on a high object with
the resultant he avy falL, M~'.\r.1.alen has designed, and hopes to perfect through
'.these tests, a. flare wht ch :.s ignited by friction and can be lit and dropped as
the. jumper approaches the gr-ound; and Which will furnish suffioient illumiYJ.a:tion
to pick out a safe aco t to land. : ;
This is Unothe/ example of cooperation between the a'lZiation :s:ervices,' and
although their ridministratio~ may be davo r ced vt.hed r interests ar e: parallel.
MITCHEL~"IELDllERi:lONNEL
UNVEIL TABLET I
Per sonne), of Mitchel Field, L.I., New York, on November 15th, had the ~onor
of unveiling a bronze. tablet erected at Merrick, ~ong Island, in oommemorat10n of
the service of the citizens of Merrick in the Worl'd War. The Hst ,)erv>ice Sguad-
ron attended as an o~ganization, and the principal address was made by the post
commander. Two buglers from the Field sounded "Tapa" and its .e cho , The ce r-erno-
nies were simple but impressive. Major Robert T. Rasmussen, a retired 'Oava}).;'
officer twas rlnother speaker. Major Rasmussen is a distinguished friend of ,,,the
. -8- V-5332 A i:l
.------ --- - --------~
Field, ar:d as an index of his fr~endship all members of the command are admitted
free, in uniform, to the handsome theatre which he owns and operates at Freeport,
a town adjl1cent to Mitchel Field.
Our Correspondent ~t K.indley. F'ield. Fort Mills, P. 1.', '~tate.s that the new
Commanddrig Officer or the Coast Defenses of Manil'a and .-:iubic; Bay, Gene.ral campbell
King. like his predecessor, General Craig, is taking a personal. interest in the
welfare of Kindley Field, and that taking up the fight wher-e: Gener~l Craig left
off has. auc'ceede d in having a speed 'boa.t assigned to this fidd. This boat was
desper~tely needed. During the pa.st year no boat was available, and at least one
seaplane was a total loss due to this fact, to say nothing of risking l~fe
unnecessarily. It is far from a pleasant thought to '~ave a
rorce~~l~nding in
rough seas and gradually drift out to sea wondering if a boat will be availabl?
to pick you up. General Kin'g has also authorized ,the use of two. truc~s to delJ.ver
ice and comnd asar-Le's , Mules were formerly used for this. He has al so succeeded
in having appr-oved a request for a li,ght G.N.C.truck for use of officers to ride
to and from the Barrio. This is a distinct been to all concerhed, inasmUch as .
riding over two miles of hilly rocky road in a mule bus is not very good for any-
one's morale. The mule buss. was reFilly the only drawback to the (i.ald. With '
the arrival of this tru'ck it means 'that the corral" e an 'be Wiped ou:t~ntirely •.
From the standpoint of economy, this is desirable, tb say not~ing,9f the va~t
amount ot time saved.' Formerly. all the morning was consumed> in ice deliver1es.
etc. With trucks it ie accompiished by 9;30 a. m, It also trains men in care
and upkeep of their own type oftransport.ation and has also increased 'morale, as'
few men in the Air Service care to be mule skinners.
Ganeral King also gave tne Field a thorough inspection ~recently. : He, with r .
Colonel Hero and Major Alfo.nte. COFist Defense Io!uartermaster,g!!,-ve every buildin.g, .
occupied or empty, a minute "once over". The General express!3~ himself as, highly
~ pleased with the condition of the. field, General King complimented the Mess
Sergeant highly en the appearance of the mes-s hall and kit chen and '4uality of. :f''.)C
served and stated it was the best mess he had seen on the Island. He was par t Lcu-
- -9- V-5332 A S
larly pleased with the arrangement and cond~ticn of the Field Supply Building,
Hangar s , Transportation Dspar-t merrt, Seaplanes and Engineering Dep<.l.rtment•. He was
also particularly interested in the f Ly.i ng equipment and went into 'detail regard-
ing its use, limitations, etc. He Was assured that with the arrival of the new
equipment that extensive training would be taken up which is Lmpos s.i.bl e with
present equipnent. He was very much interested in two-way radio and its possi-
bilities and the records mnde by this organization during the last two artillery
practices. The Field as a whole feels that it has a. friend in General King, as
like General craig, he requested us to feel as much as home as any other unit on
the rock (Corregidor Island). He seemed especially desirous of having us make
our desires known to him personn.lly at any time. It is, indeed, a p Leasune to
know and fee,l that our' interests are being looked af,ter by higher authorities.
When''we'' read in :the A.S. N}~\IS LETTERo f the weather .c ornmerrts sent in from
the Philippine Islands Air Stations, with heavy emphasis .on mud, rain, swamps ,etc. ,
IIwe" sit back and mop the HawaaLan brow (yes, this is November'15th) and wonder
shall-we-play-tennis: Or":is-it-too-vnrm: ;;0 0hall-we-swim:, 'Of a truth -I:.he
weather is holding out wonderfully, warmrmd Indian summery by day, with a. bit of
cool ~angin the air of un evening •.
\Vell, Education now occupies a large place in the military eye at Luke Field,
T.H. The Unit School for officers opened November 1st and post schools for ~n-
listed men swung their door.s wide on th~ same,date. The latter o~fer courses in
Radio, Airplane Engines, Airplane Ri ggi.ng, Clerk-Typist, al}.dGeneral Educational,
with grammar' grade sub j e ct s , and a HighSchool course, ,compdsil'\g: ."4J,gebra,
geometry I English, government, and Spanish. Added t o these are a 'few scattering
schools, such as Non-ccomt s , 'and unit instruction for specialists in their various
departments, Bhoto Section s chcoj , and the Group operations Officer alone knows
what all else. 'Pears t'hat We'11 be a highly eddicated soldier by the end of our
next "hash-mark II.
Ground w~s broken two weeks ago for our new Post Exchange. It is to be a
frame building, capacious, and very centrally located between the two principal
barracks on the island, and '6pposite the new Headquarters Administr.ation building,
first oc~upied June 13th. The boat dock, whither all comers a~d goers to and from
our Island possession must needs rendezvous is only a brief dash from the new P.X.
Get what I mean? Last minute pkg. of smokes, w~sh down or clean handkerchief
(!!.2.1 O.D.) just before that trip to the City of Enchantments. Progress on the
" building is very rapid. The sergeant.in-Charge and his corps of G. I. Carpenters
threw new Headquarters, building together last spring, and their hand still seems
to be '''in''. Painters 'are at, work on the sides, though the roof, has not been h'amed
yet. All hands are watching the erection of the edifice ~th al~ost per-sonal, in-
terest,' as a P •X'. bears a big part in the routine life of an enlisted man.
Ma'jOr Arnold Krogstad, our Post and Group conunander, and captain Rich!ird J.
Kirkpatrick, commanding the 72nd Bombardment 5quadrqn, ,quietly abandoned their
duties Nov. 1st and slipped away 'to the Military Rest Camp at Kalaue,a, Island. of
Hawaii, for a well earned two 'we.eks.' .r-eat , You Victory-ribbon wearers who, read
this, please do not confuse out Ni1a.uea Rest Camp with other .camps of the same
,brand which existed in England and France during the war days. The camps overseas
bore the name of Rest Camp; but th~ C.D. Visitors bore th~ chills, hunger and wet
work. ,But sa.y Kilauea to any O.D. person in these Hawaiian' Islands and you will
be repaid with a knowing smile, reminiscent mention of much horizontal, fatigue,
much vertical nourishment, goat hunting, scenic hikes, and a sure ..n~ugh vo Lcano
with larva 'n everything,' ,
The following~named Air Service officers st~tio~ed at our post have been or-
dered, upon the expiratiOn of their tour of foreign service, to, pr;opeed. il::() the
states on the December or January transport and report to the stations named:
Captain Richard J. Kirkpatrick and 1st Lt. Harry F. Co;l1iv.er to Langley Field, v«. ;
1st Lt. Orville L. S+,ephens'to Middletown, Pat -; 1st Lieuts. Milo N., Clark and
Henry H. Heily to Kp,l1y Field, Texas; 1st Lieut. John V. Hilrt to Chanu'.~e Fi.e~d,
Rantoul, Ill. i and 1st Lieut. Oscar L. :logers to Maxwell Field. lJontgomery,4~a.
£lur best wishes aqcornpany all these officer"> to their new "homes" on thecCin'~l r-p.nt-
al U.S.}. .• and Would they remember us when they see a ,real "The-yater" with act ors ;.
and all the fixin's, back there On The Map? "
Some of the missions of particular' interest which have been flown during the
-10- V-53~2 A S
tho lru.t fO"Jl wo ok s include it spo c i,oI i~1t'::r-islQnd f;tight to if.olokai, conveying
Major-Genora~ 11onoh -'.r, our Dernrtrrwnt
f GOF\,.t-rmdcr,.and his party; an al1niZ~1'i; .s. J';
search for the body of the Honolulu D'ist r i.ct Attorney who disappeared in the,
waters at' \v.aimea whileswimrid.nf; ,l.t the west end of Oahu (he W'1.S never- found); a
spe c La L trip conveying Mr'.Max it. Carson.~ Distrist Engineer for the Departmet.t of
the Interior, to the Island of }1olokai to procure an aerial view of a proposed
footpath to connect two isolated Hyd,:"ogr:-lphic stations •. This mission was ac com-
panied by Lieut. ]'{oscoe C .• ,\lfr:tston, Photographic Officer, in the Photo,Section's
DeH. : Liouts,. V.riston and'riarris rem.dned.on the island several days accomplishing
photographic work.
As We had o ccae icn to mention on several p~eviou~ e ccasd one , 'the Army Air
00rvice is one branch, of O\.1T military establishment wh'ich does not have ~o rely .
,solcj~Y. 011 the r(~ilroads for transportinl" ita p-r-ecrme l •. There.is no 'better illus-
. tratio,n of .aer-Lal, passenger traffic inheavier-than-air cr.aft as a: means of rapid,
. safe and .• , all aspects consd der-od , e conomi.ca'l travel. between different po.ints in
th,i,scount.,ry than the conveyance of students to, .and. from Chanute lield., Hllntoul,.
<Ill~nois, the home of t1;le Air Service Technical 'Gehool; by. and large the only
school of its kind in the world. . '
The inception of this mode of transferrin::; personnel" during t.he latter part
of 1923., was caused pr.imari}.y by a dearth of government. funds set aside. for their
transporta.tion by rai:..~ Durin:; thJ~t portion of the year ,aforesaid approximately
36.Air L.erv.ice 1:10navailed thoHselves of this means of travel to. 1'l.ttend the school.
In this connection l~t' .it be under st.oo d that t~avei by. air is vo Lurrtary on the
pa.rt of the student. T.o, dac e, in, the present ye,ar, 165 passengers, have been
br ought. via .airplane to' the, school or ,returned as' graduates to their ,organizations,
and it is e stim::lf,ed, that ,this number will run well ovor the two hundred mark by
December 31~t next. Nofa"G.al or serious injuries were incurred by ~he'se, p asaen-
, ~ers to the pr-e serrt t;.me dcsphe the fqct that many men h"l.ve,come .ove~,:.itineraries
of;such varied .. ccndft t ons as a-re involved in flying irom Brooks or,Ke;lly Field,
San A~toni()", ,Texas; I..titchel Field, Long Island, New York;Crissy'¥ie1,ti, .Califor'nia,
.Selfridge Field" Michlgau;MaX'we 11 Field, Montgomery, Alabarn~; O'T :301,liJ:lg Field,
vvashington, D.C. '
, ;rt .C11:n'be readily seen that the radius of this particular phaae of, aerial
transportation is, pr aet Lca'l Iy unlimited, as one can come by easy stages from field
to field to his de st.Ln-rc ion. li'ol~.'exampJ.e~ if' you will pardon, the digression, let
us assume there. is an arn'.J:J.+.:i.ot\s young man dos i.r cus of pursuing a course of instruc ..
tion in the school who sh~J'i.',:td not 'be deterred from his object5_',ef because of an in-
sufficient military aP:t:>f':.lpriatiun:to convey him theret,o by ordin.'1ry methods., '
:Rather t'han apen4.h:'s per,pnal fu~ds - althOUgh this expenditv.re would be entirely
justified in view of th,8 pX'ofes~ional knOWledge gained - ar-rangernerrt e are. co nsum-
'mated to tr,al1sport him by a:i.t: .'. .
, Thus are two uima achieved through ono oper.at Lcn , in that 'the' prospective
student is enabled to a, 'taip his e cho oLi.ng and the' pilot gains inyalu~ble experi-
ence in cross-country flying over strange terrain, coping with unforeseen mechan-
ical problems; under,tair or. adverse wet1.ther conditio'ns in order to. ~cceElsfully
.complete a definite niission. The returl'l. trips are effected in a like mannor.
DeHav.iland .planes, car::::y.ingone passenger, and Martin Bom-bers, carrying four or
five persons in addition "~othe' p.iJ,ot, are used. for ferrying purposes.
For the entire )~ir SeT"ice "to strictly adhere to a program ,simila.r, to the
above as a solution of theirtr.~nsportation difficulties would almost entirely
eliminate haphazard flying. .rl'hen, when the. crucial 'l;estcon1GS" all pi1~ts. will.-
be trained to encompass .t ho se seemingly.insurrr:o\.1ntable obstacles so :briil1iantly
accomplished on a much Lar gcr scale o.y the Rcund ..thG-VilorldFlyers,. God bless 'em.
, ,
In his fi:lal :report to the ~)ecretaryof \var as Chief of Staff of the United
3tates An'1:., a-id Wllich report has just recently been released for pu b'l i cat i on ,
General John J, Pers~ling makes the follOWing comments with r e fer-e n ce to the
Air Servlice:
"Air program; Our experience Ln the World War as to airplane production and
the trainini-a-r-p-;rsonnel sho uLd be cont inuously borne in mind by all who appreci-
ate the role of aviation in modern warfare, Early in 1917, it will be recc:,llE:d,
an appropriation of ~600,000was hastily made with what seened to be ~n effort to
-11.. V-5332, A ~
overcome previous Lnexcusab Ie n8glcctto make pr ova s i.on even for e xpe r-Lmerrt e.I in-
vestigation, to say nething of preparation for manufacture of airplane's. 'rho
voice of criticism for previous inaction was apparently stilled, for th~ time
being, by the loudly heralded purposes to send 50,000 airplanes to the \iestern
Front without delay - a declaration that later brought many an embarrassing moment
to those of us abroad who knew how baseless and boastful such claims were. It is
a matter of record that even the type of pLane to be put in pr oduct.Lon was nbt de-
cided upon until several months after we entered the war, and that no American
plane was flown in battle until AUgust 1918, and only some 600 planes had been se:b.t
to the front before the Armistice.
The .-\ir Service has become an essential aid to the armies in the field, espe-
cially because of its ability to observe and obt ai,n va'lu ab l e information as to the
immedi~to enemy battle front. It is now pc ss Ibke for observers to direct the fire
of our', artillery from the at r , and thus. aviation, has risen to very great importance
as an auxiliary arm. But satisfactory results cannot he obtained 1I'dthout the clos-
est Cooperation w:il.ththe ground troops. This class of training demands particular
attention, not only to perfect personnel and mechandam for accurate. obser-vat Ldri.
but to work out simpler methods of drrter-cornmundcat fon and establish more effective-
ly that mutual confidenco betwe en ground and air without which attempts at'teamwr,.-k
must certainly fail.
. Enthusiasts often forget the obligations of mi.Li.tar-y aviation to other troops,
and' sometimes credit that service with ability to achieve results in war that have
not received practical demonstration. Take, for example, the bombing t e'st s last
year in the Chosape ake , ':::'hemaneuvr-e showed t!1at under the most favorable circum-
stances bombs of destructive size could be dropped with considor~ble precision. In
these exer-cd se s , the vessel was at, anchor in quiet waters; there was no opposing
aviation, nor was there any anti-aircraft used against the bombing planes~ Con-
clusions, from 'such trials, that aviation can take the place of either seacoast or
battle fleet protection do not seem to be altogether warranted. Improvements in
the accuracy of anti-aircraft artillery appear to be keeping pace with improvoments
in, aviation. Our own experiments against ,airplanes show that to'a"i-oid ,the danger
of d'estruction t.hey must fly at such .a height as to eliminate the probabj)iiy'of ae>
cura.te firing,and'thi:s would especially apply 'to bombing planes which have a limit
as to altitUde. > , '
Dtiringthe World liar extravagant talt:s oJ bavocdone to enemy oities and in-
stallations were often brovgh1; back, in good faith, no doubt, by some o'f our avia-
tors, but invesb.gation after:the Armistice failed, in the nnjority of' cases, to",
verify the correctness of such reports. Again, the damage dono totha Allies by ,t
the enemy I S bombing craft, including Zeppelins ,was almost negligible even from a
mater:j.al point of view, certainly so from a morale point of view and, in its effect
upon the final results" Of course, some damage was done by aircr8,ft bombing, arid
it would doubtless be somewhat gre ater in another war, but. until it becomes vastly
more probable than at present demonstrated, then it cannot be saidtha~ ..we are in
posit:j.on to abandon past eXRer~ence in warfare. • ••••••
. The Air Service on l~nd :should remain an auxiliary arm and avery important
ene in our service, available as now for independent use in !!l:~ss or otherwise' when-
ever necessary, but always under the orders of the CO!Il!nfmder-~n-Chief' or the
armies. Our air service should qe developed to every reasonable extent both as to
personnel and materiel, and it .Ls especially necessary that aircrllft pro duct ae n be
established and maintained on such a basis as to be easily expanded in time ')f
emergency. The relative prod~ction and types of Army and Navy aircraft would de-
pend upon their respective needs as determined by the particular sphere" of' activilY
assigned to each under the decisions of the Joint Arl~ and Navy Board, it being un-
der s't ood that there' should be the fullest COOrdination in production matt.er-s with
complete cooper-at Lon in the use of ins'tallations and combined action in operations
at points of contact between the two services."
-12- V-5332 A :J
NOTESFROMAIR SERVICEFIELDS.
San Antonio Air Intermediate Depot J Kelly F~eld, Texas, November 15.
A hunting party, large,ly cornpo sed of the cormd s e i oned personnel of this Depot,
under the direction of Major Lackl and , departed to the mountains near Medina to be
on hand to officially open' the deer and turkey season. knong the \~sitors at the
camp was an animal, who, by natural instilJct:, is Llclined to dispense exceedingly
strong odors more or less displeasing. Shortly after the a.rrival of this visitor,
Major Lackland detailed himsel f on the re ception committee and after a volley of
shots, the visitor departed to parts unknown. Several turkeys were bagged by the
party but no deer. In fact, no deer were seen during the hunt. The party reported
a wonderful time,'
Lieut. Myron R. Wood returned to this Station after a cross-country flight to
Denver, Colorado, and return.. While there Lieut. Wood performed certCJ.in duties
connected with Natianal Guard Affairs, and other missions for the Air Officer,
Eighth Corps Area. He reports a very pleasant trip and' cold weather at Denver •.
Major General Sumrrieral1, the new Commanding General of the Eighth GorpsArea.
visited the Depot a few days ago and was conducted through all Departments by Major
Lackl and , The General expressed himself as being well pleased with conditions and
complimented lIiiajor Lackl and on the business-like and orderly condition of the entire
Depot.
Lieuts. Nick Carter and High Minter, home Station France Field, Canal Zone,
landed here last week after a cross-country from Mitchell Field. Lieut. Carier re-
mained in San Antonio,to visit ~ith his wife's people and Lieut.Minter, after hav-
ing lunch with Lieut. Cla.rk, hopped off for Frisco to' join Mrs. Minter.
Major Lackland, recently won a handsome cup at the S~ Antonio Country Club
for shooting low scor-e in the annual gol.f t curnnamerrt against par. Par on this
course is 72, and with a handicap of 17, the Major's medal score for the eighteen.
holes was one below par. ' .
Mrs. Katha.rine Lackland, ably assisted by Mesdames Chester, Seebohm,Horton,
Fred Wood, Jordahl.~ Benson, sold more than $60.00 worth of poppies to the em-
. ployees of the Depot tRe day before Armistice Day, The pr-o cae ds were turned over
to the loeal Chapter 0 f the Ladies Auxiliary. 0 f the American Le gi.on ,
The local Red Cross drive, 'underthe leadership of Mrs~. Katharine.:Lackland.
assisted by Mrs. Newberry and Misses King and Pyne, is progressing favorably and
promises to finish with a hundred per cent membership. ?he. Depot turned out one
hundred per eent membership last year and expects to retain that percentage in this
year's dri ve • ~
Several new night flying DH's,rebuilt in the Repair Shops, were tested on
October 30th by .1Jieuts. G.E.Ballard and H.H.Milis. One of these ships was flown
a few days later to Fort Riley, Kansas, Lieut. Paul H. Kemmer being the pilot.
Another ship will go to Pope F'ield, N. C., in the near future * .
The Airship SHENANDOAH passed over Wilbur 1~ri gilt Field at 11 :00 A~M. On
October 25th. Photographs were taken by Staff Sgt. Neinye. Needless to say. the
eptire field turned out to see the huge craft. ..
Lieut. L.R.Dunlap traveled by air from Wilbur 1~right Fiel d to Chanute Field
and from there he proceeded to Richards Field, Kansas City, in a Martin.Bomber,
"carrying a load of spare parts. .
Lieut. G.E.Ballard made a flight in a Martin Bomber, carrying supplies for
Chanute Field. He also carried four enlisted men from the 88th Squadron who were
assigned to the Air Service Technical School at Chanute Field.
The Officers' Association of Dayton held its first meating of the season on
October 27th. at Memorial Hall, Dayton, Ohio) and same was largely attended by
Regular, Reserve and National Guard Officers. The President is Capt. C.G.Brennan,
an attorney of Dayton; the'Vice-President is Major' A.W.Robins of Wilbur i."Jright
Field; and Capt. R.E.Ellis, O.R.C. of McCook Field is' Secretary.' Plans for the
eoming year were discussed. ".
On October 29, Wilbur Wright Field Wel fare Association gave a Hallowe len
Dance at the Post Gymnasium to which the entire Post was inVited~ The decorations
were corn stalks. pumpkins and other tpings .~ppropriate to Hallowe'en. Refreshments
were cider, apples and doughnuts. About 300 attended, most of them masked. Tl1"o
-13- V-5332, A.B.
days later the officers of this Post at t ende d a Ha.Il owe len Party f;r,i'I,,'1 cc:: o,f.:,;,;",<'
Field, whi.ch was in the f'orm of a d i nne r dance. The music w,,,,s ex cel Lerrt , ';}C '''<,'r;
the refreshments. Several novelties were i~iroduced during the course of tL';' ~<.'"(ty
and everyone, e nj oyed a very pleasant everu n g,
Activities here were cut down considerably sincet!fe close of the Competitive
Aerial Gunnery and Bombing Matches, but we are now back at the daily routine get-,
ting ships ready for the school and cross-country flights which this station is
noted for. '
Lieut. WIlliam J. McKiernan, who departed on Iurways Wednesday mor-ni.ng, Novem-
ber 5th, was considerably handicapped by inclement weather. Being one of the old
boys in aviation, however, he "rill return about, on schedule time regardless of rain
or fog.'
Captain William O. Butler. in charge of the Post football team is driving his
men to the limit tryinl! to take the rest of the 0
Q
zames scheduled and to make a good
showing in the triangular league composed, 0 f Fort Monroe, Eustis and Langley Field,.-
Two of our bes t men being on the 3rd Corps 'Area team has handicapped
i us consider- ';,'
ably, but 8)S we have had very good luck; with no serious accidents and practically
the same men playing that started the season, we hope to come out on t.op ,
The building which has served as the Operations Office at this field has'been
patched up and it appear-s that we are ~:soing to have a very decent looking office as
well as an up~t6-date one. This building came in handy during the Competitive
Aerial Machine Gun and Bombing Matches, as we really needed more room than we had.
Now that a place is pr-o vt de d in the office for the Oper at.Lons clerks to sleep
in, vre will be able to provide all the ne ce aaar y information 'concern:i,:1'g: "1~ere
hubby landed Last ": "The weather condr t l on a't ; HWhyhe'didn't fly all' night", 8...1'J.d
a lot of other things that confront an Operations clerk. .
Due to high winds during the past week little flying was attempted in this
organization until November 12. On that date the Airship TC-4 flev! to Washington,
D.C., taking as passengers Lt.-Col. I.F.Fravel and Major J~ Mars from the Offic~
of the Chief of Air Service. A landing was made at Bolling Field and the passen-
gers on the trip were exchanged for Majors Lincoln, 'Reardan and Captain O'Neill,
who made the return trip to this station~
11TH. BO~IDARDMENT
SQUADRON.
The Squadron lost a very 'popular officer when Lieut. Harold D~ Smith was
transfered to Fort Leavenworth for duty. Lieut. Carl P. Eielson of A1askan.fame~
an officer who did very 'effident work in the installation of the Faa r-banksHc-
Grath Air Mail Line in Alaska, has been ordered to duty vdth this organiiation.
There have been many changes in the Squadr-on, First ~gt .Warr~n. was trans-
ferred to the Philippi:-:t3 Islands, and first Sgt. Ekman , came from there, to take
his place. Staff Sgt. Gordon, a very efficient manager of baseball teams) accord-
ing to his record with the Honolulu team while on duty there, reported here as .
relief to Staff sgt. ShorrY,ancther popular man with the Squ adr-on , The wel.L wishes
of the Squadron go 'lVith t hose officers and men.
The glorious game of football was started with a rush when the Squadron "':.eam
played a six to six tie with Ke cought an Fire Department. The Fire Depar-tment A.C.
']'fill get a return game as 'r:0th teams have an open date. But even has meie?t:, 1(~r:, y
-14-
football, has to depart as his reign is about over and the Eleventh Squadron's
flying basket-ball team will soon be in the limelight.
There is one thing very noticeable a'oout this Squadron aside from its hundred.
per cent efficiency, and that is one hundred per cent athletic. In being an all
around good Squadron, it is' second to none, and the men are jovial. Naturally, of
S course. the officers are popular with the men,or there would be no hap:pyEleventh •.
A certain young private was grieving about some misfortune, and upon being
asked what was the matter, he said: "l very nearly got an automobile" J "How was
that"!. "I asked the man if I could have a car, and he said no",
20TH. BOMBARDMEN'l'
SQUADRON
•
.lst Lieut. Sutter, A. S. O.R.C., and 2nd. Lieut .Pyles ,A.S.O.R. C., were recently
ordered to acti ve duty and assigned to the 20th. Squadron. .Lieut. Sutter i!Till be
the Squadron Adjutant and .re cr-eat i on officer'. He has already organized a .equadron
football team, and. they seem to be doing very well and expect to challenge the 11th
Squadron team i.n the near future.
Lieut. R.F.Cole was grant.ed a 60 days' leave and Lieut.J.J.welker will be the
Squadron Engineering Officer during his absence •
Lieut. J .L.Grisham. accompanied by Staff Sergeant Avariti, was ordered to pro-
ceed to Mitchell Field to carry three Flight Surgeons from that station. to Kelly
Field, Texas. .
. Lieut. G.P. Rogers just returned to the Squadron; (20th)' having been on leave
ror the past two weeks.
Lieuts. Roderick N. Ott, Francis P.'Booker, Edgar T. Selzer and James T. Curry,
Jr., ar-e back with us again after a morrt h in the states wher-e they, ""ith 7 other
officers, represented,France Field in the Gunnery and' Bombd ng Competitions held at
Langley Field. France Fa eLd was :victorious in Gunnery, winning everything in sight,
and second in bombang, upholding her envious reputation with a splendid .exhibition.
A complete report. with scores, will be included in our next letter when the re-
maining members 0 t the. team, Maj or- Junf.u s W. Jones, and Lieuts. b.W.S~l1ivan and
Arthur G. Watson will have ccmpleted their firings. ,
Lieut. Melvin B. Asp,. who Lasf month had the misfortune to crash with Captain
Harry M. pmi, th returned from An con Hospital after four weeks' trea-tmer.t. A sli ght.
distortion of the f~atures is tl1e o~lyobvious mark left by the accident. The. per,-
aonne I of the Field was overj oye d at his r&turn, as it was very much 0 f a sur-prd ae] /
to se~ him so soon. It had been expected, from reports receiveq as to his condit~¥
ion, 'that .:he would be away from "us for a long time. However, it will, be sometime
be for e he will have. recuperated enought to participate in' acti ve duty .. A t.horough
and s-peedy convalescence is hoped for. The body of Captain Smith. whose instant
death resulted fro'm this accident. was brought by' train from "Panama City to Colon,
where it was received and. escorted by the Command to Union Church and reli gious
services held. Immediately afterwards Masonic services wera held. Upon the com-
pletion of these honorary serviceS?, the body was taken to the station and placed
upon the train 'for Panama City, to be there put aboard the 'U.S.A.T. Somme,. for"
return to relatives in the United stutes.
The three'. planes: of the world flight landed at. this station at 12: 30 P.M.
November 4th. Due to the fa.ct that it was e.l eotd.on dav and" the time of the arrival
very few people from El Paso were present.. The flyer's. wereentettained in Juarez,
Mexi co, during the evening. The flight to Chicago and New Orleans was resumed at.
7:30 A.M. Nov. 5th.
A. IVlexican Army plane was flown to the field during the week by Major FieHs
of the Mexican Air Service. l'hisplane was Mexican built wii;h a Salmson motor.
The following cross-countryflights were made during the' above period:
Lieut. Douglas with Col. Gaujot, Cavalry, to Douglas, Ariz.; Lieut. Clark to Den-
ver, CoL to photograph landing fields en reute; Lieut. Gale to Douglas, Ariz. and
return;' Staff Sergeant Pierce to Tucson and Yuma, Arizona, and return; Capt.
Johnson, Id eirt s , Weddington and Douglas and Sgt. Rhodes t.o obt ai.n phct ogr-aphc 0 f
Headquar-t er swas unusually busy t he p_fi,a~ ~ee,k,_ payrolls with an ehtirely new
crew in tne,p~rsonnel section created much exoite)1lent and it seemed that there was
an ~xtra amount 0 f' cor r e spondence to be handl\3~', The usual garrison duties were
performed by the field and with the continuance .of the, good weather flyitng aeti- '
vities were noticeable.' The Manila Bull.etin, one o,r the leading newspapers, printed
the following article on our flyi~g during the week:
"Completing a flight of approximately three hundr-ed miles" five army planes
from Camp Nichols returned late Thursday afternoon from an aerial cruise to Camp
stotsenburg. over the shores of the Lingayen Gulf and back, via Camp stotsenburg.
According to Major George E.A.Reinburg, commander of Camp Nichols, and the Air.
Service 0 f the Philippine 'Department. all 0 f the planes made the trip in good shape,
px~erien.cing no difficuities. .. ' ", ,
: Prior to Leavi.ng here., the a viat.ors exe cut ed ia tactic,al problem over the har-
bor. Ships in' the harbor- ~ere use'd,as objects of attack. The Admiral Line
steamer, President McK~ntey, wha chwas coming into port at that time, was made the
center of the imaginary attack .• and' figuratively speaking. she vmS' sunk just out-
side the breakwater. Planes c'ircled.;labout the liner f9r a halfl.,hour prior to their
departure and 'the passengers 'on the' ship were given an unexpected reception.
From Manila the,pl~nes. wen~ to Camp Stotsenburg where they landed and refue~-
edt From there they proceeded to the west coast along the shores or Lingayen Gul f.
They ~ade no landing there, as th~re,is no suitable field., Returning to Camp
stotsenburg, they again' fueled and later returned to Camo Nichols."
The 28th Bombardment Squadron reports the following' operations for the week:
On Sept. 16th, Lieut. Skanse, pilot, Major Halpin, Int., Headquarters Philippine
Department, and Lieut. Gross flew two DH4B's on a reconnaissance mission to Clark
Field, from ",hi ch point Lieut. Skanse and Maj or Hal.pd.n were e s corted by a DH from
the Third Pursuit Squadron. They continued on the mission flying over Cabanatuan,
Dingalan Bay, Balu Bay and Bongabon, returning to Clark Field, from which point,
Lieut., Gro ss, who had remained at Clark Field, es corted Lieut. Skanse and M~jor
Halpin to this field. completing the mission same date. On the 17th, Lieut. Skanse'
pilot, Major Halpin and Lieut. Gross flew 2 DH4B's Qna reconnaissance to Clark
Field, 'mere Lieut. Gross remained'on the alert while Lieut. Skanse and Majol' Halpin"
Halpin, escorted by a DH from the Third Pursuit Squadron, oontinued on the miseion,
flying over La.ngayan , Da gupan , Dil?gaJ,an Bay, Balu Bay. Bongabon and return to Clark
Field, where the DH from the Third Pur su.i t Squadron remained. ' At thi s poiyJi Li.eu t ,
Grossrej oined the mission, which pr ocee ded to San Filipa. San Miguel',SL,'b:i, c Bay
and Baga e , returning to this field same date. On the 17th, Id eirt s , Gunet. Garter
and Greer, piloting'DH4B1s, ne~r in formation over the S.S. "Pr-e s i derrt ~k~;~.nley~lJ
for the purpose 0 f training. simulating an attack on' seacraft. Lieut. Viane,.!'
";e ,10 Cl.CS by th6 newsoape r tint the Chinese Kiangsu troops ziar ch in. pairs .
under par;1301s and that one digs tj"enches under the shade of a parasol held by
another. (Infantry Boar-d a.t Fort Ben'ling please :1ote)~
17e "oildor if by any dance the Chinese Lo ad their. shr apne'l s}iclls wi"Gh powder
puffs. If its coolness they desire, then Private Endler shou'l.d -~)G consulted on his
idea of a thermostatic uniform.
Tho Air Service ball team was engaged in cleaning up their ric" da amond the past
'C'cek. From the looks of the team ""hiie wor-ki.n g out \"8 believe '''6 '?ill be .ab l e to
gi ve the Lland La teams a run for their money. Several ~1e1"merilberS1;rere added to '.the
-team and '.'1. th our good pit dling and ca.t chi:1f staff ",e hope to be omon g the head-
liners. The first .rrame of t.he seas on will be played. on the .home diamond 1':'ednesday
next. Of course, ever-yone is ontimistic - Fe hope we stay that 'ray, but it's
pay-day 11' everythi::1g and you never can tell.
The officer'S frolfJ Clark F'ield cha.l l.erige d the Camp Ni chols officers to a ball
game s ome'tLme next 'eek. Tl11E is looked f orwar d to ",ith much,inte:test. It appear-s
that "'6 have some. gooJ mat.er i al, - sGver;}.13abe Ruths a~1d Tv Cobbs - but we b el.Le ve
the gol f champions should be b.u-r-e d, They' can. hi t a ball e vi.derrt.Lv , but '''1 th no
sen se of ' distance. Anyvrhe r e over the fence \:lill suit them. Be it known , Cla.rk
Field b,18" champion golfer, too.
The l'l.~hts te~la.rly held at Tort 1\[cKinley are a source of a.nt er-e s t and .
recreation both f'o r' the enlisted men and the officers. Some believe these fights
are much 100['e interestin~ thaD t ho se scheduled at the 10C:11 fight st adaum - at
any rate those ;'rho crave actio:: get it. Te have r;ro::1eso fi..:ct'as to si-iy that some
who are complaining would f i nd fault "ith a Lyn ch i r«, The fif:hts ,L~E' wo r-t h seeing,
howe ve r , and the Air' ,3eX>vice feels, a very1cee'1 i~1terest in their success si,nce ~e
arefu.'nishing some of the stars. 1':e have a 'Tery :;;J:'omisL'1gl'.1iddle-' rei ght , who
fights toe to toe from the "'ord "go" - and -f'or whom everyone predicts a bri'ght
future. 're il.180 enjoy the distinction of h'wing a fly-v'eight champion who will be
seen in action next week. r'e feel that that boy simply can't be beaten. Doesn!t
his champi.onship bear this out?
A number- of the officers joined the golf club at Fort McKinley,and every
afternoon they ar e tryiL1~ out new clubs, nev strokes, new balls. and sometimes n6"'7
profanity. From the rumors. howe ver , ''''6 are likely to turnout some player,s that
may make Mr. Sarazen uneasy - maybe.
A Chemical Warfare Officej,~ from Headquarters ,;:raawi.th~'us durinr; ,the past ,-'eek
giving Ln et ru ct i.ons in Chemical '':Tarf,lre. "Te have [u'st f'ound out hop the movie
actresses cry "rhenev.er they 1Trant to - t¥-r gas being the real ar~icle for that
pur poae, Iftthis isn't believed just ask some of the unfOJrtunate ones who ver-e
z.n .l'.:ot r.n z
al ov / on tneu ma'f;ks and they "'ill emphatically tell you. ' 11.11 the officers, an the,
Post comp.l e t e d thirocoufse, and by October every el'1listed man ofec>-ch ol,"ga,n:i,za-tion.
'rill have b e en ~i"en a complete course in this advanced method of l,'7arfare •. 1'r'ehave
",rished, though, th,lt some of the gas attacks could have been sta.,ged atnin.:ht -
they make wonderful fire-v'orks. ,
The 28th GO!i1)ardr,ie:1.tSqudd.rOYlreports the follo"'ing cper ata ona fa:r thevreek:
On the 22nd, Lieut. I,1aclver flev!' an NBS-I to Clark ,]l'ield, retufnin,~;same gate;
Un the 23rd, LiEut. i(essler flew i;Vl"m,s-'1 to Clark Field, retu;"~1.i:~1:same dat e j,
Lieut. Snavely f Lew a. DH4'2, to CLar'k Field, retur:'liflf same 'elate; on the 26th, Lieut.
, Lieut. KirKsey, our COL1\11andi officer, 1 1g ':"hile at gas school recently took
pa.rt in an indoor baseball Same in which all the members wore gas masks. The
bl.eacher-s were utterly non-plussed being at a loss how to get Ln their finE: work.
Maj or J.C. )',;cDonnell, Caot , Earl H. DeFord, 1st Lt s , F.V.H.Kimble, Roy W.
Camblin anc.':T.,{. I,Ia:;\:lrrell. ';;nd Lt s , 3.w, Chidlaw. J.':T.Snry, Q.R.Cook and H.M.
l~rittkop j our ne yed dovn to Camp Nichols to witness the openi.n g game of the Air
~er"ice Team in the Army League. -
The rainy season is still '''ith us, as has amply been Ijemonstrated the past
week , After a long interval of fine weather number two signal werrt up and the
raiD and 'o'ind whi ch came in "i th a ban g are still with us and show little si gns
of leaving for a long tL~1e. As a result , it has been impossible to Launch sea-
planes this month. .
The old post ex change building on the hill just above the barracks has been
sal vuged and the material '''ill be used to. repair the bath hou se a at Malinta Cove
swimming beach. The branch exchange now o ccupa e s quarters in one corner of the
recreation room in barracks. I~:'j this location it is much more convenieat for the
men and an increase in businesc is the result.
A large••
co.asd znmerrt of s oar-e oar-t s for the Dou zl.a s ciTodelCruisers
'- ..1. C
were re-
ceived from the Japan end 0 f the "lor l.d Fli cz:ht. lane engines, porrt oons , surfaces
etc. ar e diiailable. Hov-e -er, due to the fact that fuselages '-'ere not shipped as
spares for the 'iTorld El i.ch t , it "'ill not be possible to a s sem'xle a plane. It is
ho ped, hove ver , that new equa omerrt '''ill arrive in the near future. While the
pre serrt seaplane equaomerrt coul.d 'J6 l::e:"t in corrrrd s s i on for an Lnde fi ru t.e period it
is felt they ha ve more th::~:l se r-ve.I their purpose and should be "washed out" as
S0011 as new equipment i8 avad Labl e , This should not be dO~10)howe ver , before that
time, Lna smuch as It would place a flying organization in the pe cu.laar- position of
not being abl,e to function as such. From a standpoint of safety the H32L'8 have
many flying hour-s left in them.
The new allotment of lJ.C.O's for the Air Service fina.lly arrived in the
Lsl ands and consa der-ab.le interest is being shown as to just 1'1'10 will obtain coveted
promotions. '-!uite naturally. these vacanci.e s are being filled 810',71y and it is
hape d to rill them with the 11e8t available mater-La.Lin the squadron regardless of
present grades.
Our nimr:>ds and fishermen are sure in their glory here. Lieuts.Taylor, Bur-
gess and Rush are daily Ge8n on the briny deep in a banca, or headed for the wilds
of Variveles on a hunting trip.
Lieut. Lowell H. Smith, leader of the Round-the-World Flight, and the other
members of the expedition left Rockwell Fifld on November 4th for the east, expect-
in7- to make Dayton, Ohio. by easy s't a ges , Upon ar r i val, at MGCookField it is
under at.ood the wodd Crui se r s ':~ll be given a complete Lnape ction to determine their
condition after the hard flight around the gl'b')e.
Lieut. C.C. Moseley, Cor.1i'i2ndin~Officer of the new airport at Griffith Park,
Los Angeles, Calif., left on an ai.r voyage for Washington, D,C., to confer wi t.h the
Chief of Air Service r e zar ddng the Air 3ervice of the 2'1atioui3.1Guard 01 California.
Lieut. 1\1108eleywas flyi:~g a new DH4Bl #68208, phich pas remodeled at this Depot
for the Cali for.nia Natio;1al Ouard ,
Captain ''tTilliam C. Ocker ":ras anpointed Operations Officer at thi s Field.
Pursuant to instructions from the Chief of Air Service, Captain R. G. Ervin.
!i.• 3. , Engineer Officer. at this Depot" left for the San Arrt.oni o .~ir Intermediate
Depot to atte~ld the con f'er en oe of Eni!.ineer Officers held there. During' his ab-
s erice Capt ad,n J .d.Houghton, in addition to :qic; other duties "'as Acting Engineer ;
Of fi cer at thi G Depot.
-18- V;.5332, A.S.
The office of the Officerin GhD.rge of Flying estal:Jlished in 1915, was abo.Li 9h~
e d , and all duties and records transferred to the O:Jer,.ttio.1s Officer.
With the arrival of t,.,o n ev officers at t:1:t.f; Deoo't , Lice.ts. JJ.bert B. Pitts
and Bernard T.Castor, the dtuatio;1 ai: to sho r-t age of officers Wc.lS s omewhat re-,
Ld e ve d; Id eut , Caet or' was ap po i.rrt ed Adjutant, Per sonne.I ;~djuta)1t, and Ensur-an ce
Officer, relieving Captain J .H.Hou?"hton, vrho has been aetL18' Adj ut.a-rt since the
departure of Lieut. V. Hi.ne for :-5rooks Field. Lieut. JU1Jert B. Pitts, was apco irrt ed
Employll1eni; (Jfficer, .~gent 3'inai1M ulficer and Acting SifP1&l Officer.
The Third Pureui t Squadr-on t'J base-ball team grabbed the se cond game 0 f their
League schedule from the L:Jill rollers of Cam') stotsenburg by the s ccr e .o f 12 to 3.
If they keep up t'1is gait for the entire aea son they pill no doubt be able to Uc1-
furl the pennant flag OVfr their grounds.
The t.eum suffered qui t e a bIo"! last week when t''70 most promising looking
youngsters wer e drafted by the Group to play "1. th the Air 8ervice Team whi ch is
ent.er-sd in the Ar-my League of the P. D. 'l'Jhen ap::JlyinG' for enlistment the young-
s t e r s gave their names as Charles "1. Shutt (qUite a flinger of the off side type)
and Oe or ge Scott, an in-fielder who has been ho.l di n e dO":1 3rd for t he locals •
.'\. Red state havin(! suddeu l y declared war on the Blues (Variety unknown) October
1 st, 'file were quite busy doping out ways and means o f holdin:-o; our 0"":.1 u.ider wr aos ,
Of course, it is a foregone conclusion that our C.O., if given a free reL1 ,7ith the
A.S., could have brought hostilities to a close before nightfall and the rain ,.'hieh
hit this neck of the ","aods that a f't er-noon and corrt i.nue d unabat.cd "Quld not have
brought lonesomeness to a couple of the ladies of "the Field:. Lt. S.';T. (Be nnt.e )
Chidlavr was ordered on a reconnaissance mission over the Ld ne sc f the Reds and I
First Lt. P.L. (Paul) "filliams, 2nd Lt. B.,.r.(Be':'ll1ie) Chidlit", 2nd Lt. O.R.
(Kookie) Cook ffi1d Stf. S~. E. Micky pulled anchor at Dagupan bright ~nd early
Sunday morning and returned home via rail. They all seemed to ha ve enj oyed their
forced stay in that thriviag city, tho Benrn,e looked as if he had been pulled t hru
a knot hole. Paul claims that the city has real modern hotels and Kookie chirps in
to say that the bed they furni shed him was more than modern as he ',<:'asn't the only
occupant of it. Fr om all a ccou.rt s he didn't succeed in getting much sleep, as a
million and one B.B's paid their respects.
1st Lt. J. D. (Rex) Bar r Lgar has the ')ri vilege 0 f dri vin." hi S 0''':1 bus once more
after a thirty day siege of hoofing it. Rex claims the old dogs feel fine ~~d he
is seriously contemplating getting rid of his bus, as he is about. convinced that
walkin~ has it on riding for teal exercise.
Mst. Sgt. W.C. (Gloomy (',us) Hunter and stf. Sgt. Pete Ra ce led the Top-kicker
of the 3rd Sqdn , (B.K.Wonso:1) astray last ~":onday evening. They tool\: him to
Angeles and threw a mean )arty. One of our cub reporters Lrrt er-va evre d Gus Tuesday
morning, or rather he tried to. It seems he wasn't putting out a:1Y info, howe ver ,
and our r ead er-s will have to 'Je satisfied 'e'ith "'hat we picked up via the grape
vine :route •. It seems th,lt one of the leadinr f emal,e social liC:hts of ....1geles put
on the party in corcr-emo r-at t on of 11[':r advent von old motheel' o.ir t h some fifty odd
summer s ago, and thE' st.or-y ;",3 .,"8 get it i3 that she put on a mean Y.lOae. -,
bag full of fodder for tic bOYJ, serving thom pink lemonado, 1011ypop6
and everything.
-19- V-5332, A.S.
'-LIBRARY SECTION
Air l;)ervice
-------- .-:-
, ~~.~~~~~::2~J.
_19_24
__ .. ~~c:.shin~on, D. c,__
The purpos~ of this letter is to keep the personnel of the'Air ~ervice, hoth
. in \vashington and ill the f Le.Ld, infcrmed. as to the activities of the Air .:;ervice
in general, and for release to the public press. o
corps, 5; U.~. Marine C/H'pS, 1; U.S. Navy) 1: ; .Enlist'ed men,' U.iJ. Army Air ser'vic~",,-
Genex-al Photo gr aphy , 105; IJlotion pic1;'J.:te's, 9 : U. :3. Matine Co::-ps' - General Phot.o-:
gr aphy , 8; Total ",Officers, 17; Enli5ted 1,1en,122•.
The course for officeI's of
the Heg\~lar Army lasts 38 weeks and for reserve
corps Or national guar d officers,- 3 months, rrhe.se two courses ccver in their .
scope all phases of the subject from E'. genoral study arid demonst~a:tion of :he fun-
damental principles involved in elerr~ITtary photography) through photog~aph1o
chemistry, mosaic makdng .and photography 'C.o and i.r.cJ:'lding photographiC interpre~~-
tion or the last minute methods uae d in E;.x-t!'ac.j~i:'lgmili ~ary information from aen.a)
photographs and in dmssemirlatiag such in;;ellige.r.ce. General photography for en-
listed men of the Regular Army covers rm ch the same ground, Lasts sixteen weeks
and produces a competent man in mos ad cs , 'I'he course for motion p i.ot.ur'e camera
operators thoroughly familiariz'es 'che graduat e wi'~h :thQse sub je ct s pertaining to
operation and maintenance of moticn p:~ct\:,re cameras and pr act.Lcaf :"Outdoor ciJ?ema....
tography on the ground and from the air, Its duration is but 6~ght weeks. .
These fout:' courses, constitutinG tho cur-r::.cula of the Photographic sehool,
are handled in so effective a mdnner't,.ha:c. \.:.~ln:e most graduates of. an institu-
tion of learning) those who sucCOSSIU.l:1.ycomplete .their instruction ar e . fit to
practically apply the knowledge g~ined.
-¥'\
. ,/
\
",1
, , I TRAHGPORTINlJ
SUPPL:tE~) VIA AIRPLANE
During the morrtns of 3eptember, OGt()be~ and November, shipment's made by air
from the Air .;iervice ~upply Depa1:, a"'.;Hidd:"e~own)pa., amounted to 3,579 pounds.
These shipments ccnsisted of airplahe spare parts and clothing, and were ~,r.~ig.-
ed to various Air ~ervice fields. 7heplanes in ~1ich they were transported were
DH4b's and :lartin Bombers.
These supplies are, of course, only a fraction of the amount tran.sported
from this Depot. It should be 'stated also that no planes<;1re S81').t to~,liddletown
for theexpres$ purpose of securin.g supplies, but whenever a p~lot makes. a.
cross-country traininb flignt and stops at Middletown en route, if.there 'happens
to be a shz.prnerrt consigned t9 the particular station for which he is bound and
therais room in the airplane, the pilo~ assumes the role of a freight carrier
and receives a shipping ticket, which he hasrectipted at destination and re-
t~rnsto the Depot.
V .. 5347 A 5
Let us assume thai a"!1'lrticuldr field is in immediate need of some airplar,s
spare parts. If ':\ pilot .from that field h~ppens to go on a cross-country flight
, and can, without going out of his way' return via Middletown, he make s a Land i.ng
there, loads in his plane whatever supplies space will permit and tr:lnspol"ta sawl)
to his homo 'station.
. It will thus be soen that utilizing the airplane as a freiD"ht tr,msportation
agency as incidental to cross-country training flights is not o~lY a rne asur e of
economy in, connection with the 8xponrliture of money for transportA.t ion of supplies.
but also aids in speeding up Air Service work.
/
/ An
AS .a result
SERVICECONTRIBUTES lL:\.""EHL\LLY TO llJUHY RZLIEF
of flerial exhibitions
FUND
liThe ti"me will come when life insurance companies will be willin17 to grant, in ..
sur-ance at re3ular premiums on the lives of travelers by air and the ~perators of
~ircr~f I ! was the predict ion made by Wl.jor', General Mason M. patrick, Chief of Air
0erV:lCe, an an address whLch he, deLi.ver-ed .on .the afternoon of December 11th to the
18th Annual Convention of the Associati'on of'Life Insurance Presidents held in New
York City.
General patrick 's addr-e as was as follows:
"\Vhen invited to address th~"s meeting I must confess that I Was somewhat
cheered,and elated by the knowledge "tha.t art association of Lnsur ance men was at
last Willing to take some kind ofa chance on 'an aviator. I hope your committee of
Arrangemen''''s has not underes'cimated 'Che haz ar-d of this risk .. ' .
For ray part I am going to ven+.ure the bold 'st:a.tem~rit that before very 'long air
traffic, air transportatiQn, will be on a p~r with oiher transportation risks.
Otherwise history will have reversed ~tself.
80meone has said that the most precious thing in the, universe is 'Time I' for
God measures it ou;t'second by second and no two seconds occur ailm,lUnl"lf,ously,
Throughout all the' ages men have been possessed with a certain ,diyine,.disc,ontent
with their means 01 annihilating space and time "they have striven to lengthen
their days, to devi.se meJ,~hud.sby w}d,ch they may' transport :themselves and their pos-
sessions morequic,l<ly hom p~~ace to place, Halkirig arid. r unnd.ng proved'too slow and
irksome, so prehistCll"ic marl har-ne es ed the reindeer and J~he ho'rae,; with oars and,
sails his boats Were prope Hed over- the wat er ; railroad trains, ,steamships and later
the automobile catered tv hio' o.esire for mor-e and mor e speed, Those of us whose
memories are long enough to span u:Cl'lya ~corf'l of years can eas:':'ly remember, ,the ,
begin~ing of man's latest attempt to achieve the conquest of the air. And today he
can ll.terally look down upon the '\lorldfroM Abu~'e, and in aircraft can surpass
birds in flight, can t~avel faster than in ar-y ainer vehicle which he has invented •
. ,Fi:s~ of all it must be remembered that although the \;right b,rot~?rs did. make ,
~hel.r hrst flight in an airplane'twenty-one years ago,. it. was .r~ally not untl.~ the
World \/ar had shown the -military va,lue elf aircraft that any consl.,derabls:, de~elop-
ment took place and during the four years thi's war lasted the impr,ovements l.n plnrlF5
and engines were entirely along military lines. This was benef;tcial; f,or _\l.n?er . ,
war's stress, with the ne ce s sxt y for improvements $0 great, much was ac~ompl~shed.
On the other hand, in this country at least 1t left a vastly oxp ande d J.ndustry .
with no peace time demand foI' i'~s products and alsO a great number ,<?{ military a:lr-
craft which Were' subject to rapid deterioration and which were' sold, or J!fered for
sale at much less than the 'c(Jst of manufacture. From this state of affa.irs we,
have not yet entirely recovei"ed. .' " ,'
It is a fair statement that t'he legitimate business-like study and'develol?ment
of aircraft ,andthis appl.ies abroad as well as in the united states, covers only
the time since the war or say a periad of only five or six years. ,
I want to touch for just a moment upon the military phase of this devehpment
and use of aircraft. The experience of -the \Jorld \Vf1rhas convinced all who hU:8
studied the matter that in futu/e wars aircraft will play an irnp'orta:.n:t or ~oSS:lblY
a decisive part; that the on+y adequate and effecti~e defense against ana~r ~t-
tack is 'an air force o,f youro'wn; and hence such an air force, propBrly: eqvJ.pped,
highly. trained, must be part of our military establishme,nt. . . .' "d-,
AJ.rcTaft operating with land, arrrd.es or ',i'lith ~ fleet on the h:lgh se as j l;lsc~n
ing to conBiderable heights, make it pc ss i bLe to see over large. areas an~ by V:lS-
uel r.econnaissance and by aerial pho-to gvaph s to secure'mil.itary irtformatl.on of .
great value. \fuen a mile high the hO.~j,l;oli is a hundred miLe.s a'!lay. and o~e ever' ...,,
looks an area of about 30,000 square rni Les , As a, strj,king r or-ee armed,w1:th m~C~:lnE
guns and bombs, airoraft can wreak havoc on aLl beneath them, whether J.t be C:lt18S,
industrial establishments, lines 'of comnuru.cat.Lon, land forces or }laval vessels •.
s o tar IlS our national safety is concerned, it Ls : my' firm cpd.ndon that .an .
adequ~e air force is'the besi peace insurance policy that this country can obta:ln.
Aircraft as weapons of war f ar-s yearly be come.une.re swift ,.mor,epower1'1Jl,' more
destructive; but it is in aircraft as agentsofcomrnerce, carrying the 'lI'o~ld's
goods and transporting the peoples of rone community to another, that the ceeper
'significance lies. ' ,
And right here it may be said that we do not yet know all that ~s~ be known
about the de sa zn of aircraft for the many and vadou's uses for whi'cn the~ -may 'be
employed. \{e ~e learning all t'he time ,"butas has been the case with a1t;other
methods of transportation, steamships , railroads, aut cmobd.Lee., we have had :t'o
learn by our mistakes. The work of the pioneers has bson beset by m~ny dan~ers,
-4- V-5347 A S
and"it .has cost, m~ny'li vas
ter~st~cally
< Mark Twain once saitlihat' the only two things char ac.
Amer~canwere ~ce water and railroad accid~nts .
. . , Ins~ran?e .agerrt s do no~ run att~r trml blat..er,s: ,:'rr:hey wou ld not be. good in-.
6uran~~ ~~~f they df.d ... So these pJ.f)neers ar-e spar-ed atlsast .this one agonizinf,
exper a.ence •. And it was a longtime before the Neanaerthal man who broke reindeer
an~t?~e three toed ho r ses Was invited to chisel~ his name on the dott.ed line •. W~
ca~f~~TJiIi&in~. h.0w, a B(ja~d o'f DirectorS treR.ted his ~ppii.c~tion. ..'" .
'd:'/:,I +~m,~~:r~ tbat ..:t~Elr~ once .v~as) po ssibly there' still' .is, a s~ott'ish Widow\!,
so-tJ.ety "t.~atwro.te ~n~urnnce. Just a hundred years' ago its Boa.rd of Directors
aft~.r" ~uch' tr'avail of spirit, gave thEiir policy holders ~ermis6ion to ride on t
steamvessals' without 'voiding their insurance, provided t}fese danger-ous eraft fo1-
It,:,,~d. prescrib'ed routes Which't ook them not far from 'land.'; And yet today there is
probablY'no safer place for a man than on an ocean steamer.': . .
. . Inevitab~y the .time will come"Whenthe'life insurance companies will be will-
ang to'grantJ.nsuranoe'at'regular: premiums on the lives of travelers by air and
the, opera.tors' of lliretaft. This would greatly 'aid .the development of air transpor-
~at~on'and l' hope that this Association will giv.e careful consideration:to such an
Lmpo r-t arrt matter. lfuile I am informed that generally speaking, insurance poli-
cies draw no distinction oetween'l.i:irand railroati travel and that.:the ordinary life
insurance once issued' applieseq1.ially'to both I there is still' a he s:ttahcy on the'"
part of some uhderwrit'ers Ito i'nsure either amateur "01" professionalf1yers: When
such ris~s are ac cept e d now: they "co'V8'honlYlimited amounts and o:t increased,'
premiums•. My 4lffi'ce is gatb.erihg 'statistic$"wh:l..ch will be useful I am' sure iii de~
termining the. premiums that should be charged and these data will be made avail-
able wheneyet,tliay are desired.' ....:.,;... .
The. Brit~sh .Aviation 'Insurance Group .win' no~ insure airplanes against fire,
theft and accidel\tal damage; piiots.thid pasrJ'engers against'injUry or death;
against injury or death to third parties f' arid !'the safe' a.rrival (1)1' 'cargoes.
It'. is . sign~fieant also that the insurance rates on' fragile ar't'icles, fashion
goo da and. the l::;,.ke shipped between Lond?n'and ~ne'continentar~.'i!~~l ,times less
by ~r than' by boat and rail when all rJ.sks are indluded. if.theft'rJ.sKS are ex~
Ciuded f.rom 'boat' and . rail coverage I the rates are praC'tical1:y ..the same. This
thefthazar\ifor such' shipments on continental trains is unusuailyhigh', . while it.;
is practically negl.ig1ble if they go by air. . . . .
.,\lhile it is knoWnthat the Natitmal Aircraft underwriters' Associ.atiol1 in ,this'
co.~ntry has been studyirig the ~atter, as .yeo£they are not prepared to ;issue poli-
cies. ' ,. .. . .
It is aftact, however, that much has been done during the past few ye~n~ to.
make flying less hazardous. This in'V'olved the consideration of':many;factors,
amongthem the" improvement of the eJtuipinentI laying 'out and markil'l.gair r-out.es and
the creation of proper"ftici1ities along them. With landing fields at pr.oper ..inter~
val!:!. many of the risks offly:iJng would be eliminate'li. So long as the power plant,
in 'the aircraft, that' is the. mo'tio r I funct ions pr oper Iy , .or .in other. words,) as. tong;
as one can. stay in the air, there is little or no' danger.. Motor fai~ure makes it. ~
necessary.to'land •. Many"of',the.accidents.whichocc:ur are dU!3'to the fact th~t
when forced to land there'. is, no nneb-stru'cteQ..field 1iponvvhich.an. airplane may
r,
alight.....:"...
That there are comparativelY few casualties suffered by the Air Mail is mar~-
ed evici.enceof the 'safety. with which. a well designated air r-oute, one. along which
there" are' enough landing f;ields, .may be traversed. The~e,A.ir Mail pilots flew
OVE;lT two million mileswi:thout a single ..fatality. On the British and DutCh air
'iine~ durin.g the 'last 'tllre'e years the average number of passenger...) air miles, per
passenger fatality was" 21663tOOO~ prior to 1913 fO.Ta number of years theT? w~.
an average of one pass'enger casualty' on our railroads for, about every two mJ.ll~on
pUd9nger. 'miles. Milit'ary flying is, of course', more dangerous than ordinary ?om-
mercial air travel~ And yet it is 'gratifyinc?; to state that our fa.tality.rate an
the Air t.>ervice measured by aircraft flying hours. 011' by the number of mi.Les
flown, is markedly less than it Was even three year s 'ago •. That air travel will be
made-rnor e and more safe as time goes on there seems.to be no :r.eason to doubt.
In f act it is believed conClusive evidence already exists that. air travel ....
under proper' oonditions can' be conducted with a degree of regularity, safety and
dispatch sufficient to establish it as a significant addition,al channel of com-
merce in the trans'Jortation resources of a nation. Air transportation has passed
the experimental stage. The knowledge gained 'duringthe p~st six. years in the
operation of regular air transportation serVices. particularly, Ln Europe, has
demonstrated incontestably that aircraftl\s' agerrt.s of commer ce have I arrived 1 •
-5- V-5347, AS
The follcwing figures, recently compiled in my office will serve as a conven-
ient me~sure of this accumulated experience: '
, l?uri~g the five years from 1919 to January 1st, 1924, regular ache dul.ed air
t~ansportat~on services have operated an aggregate mileage of over 20,0()0,OOO
m1les.They have transported during this period a total of 12l,49n passengers,
8,,?00,,000pQunds of merchandise and 7,145,000 pounds of mail.
, ,If we allow 150 pound-sper passenger, as a conservative estimate, and add to
the above figures the probable' traffic during the prese~t year as determined from
. available :statistics, re gular' air transport.ation eervt.ces will have tr~nsported by
'the end of 1924 a grand .total of 51,000,000 pounds an,aggregate distance: of ,
28,000,000 miles. It is there! ore evident that much info rmat ion has been gathered
• ,'t.o aid in judging the' merits of aircraft' as regular transpor:tation agents.
'.Duringthe past. three years ~he Postotfice Ai,r Mail servi,c€l in this country
~." has'transported over 4,000 ,000 pounds of mail along the' transcontinent~l :route
between New'York and dan Francisco with a loss of -only. five o na-bhcu sandchs or one
" ,percen~. , This may be compared with the percentage of registeredpack~~ lost in
the Unl.ted states during ,1924, namely, aeven and a ha1f~,Qne-thousanaths of one
'per cent. ' ,
This air mail has alrea'dy brought New Yo,rk and san' Francisco w~th'i!1 about. 30
hours of each other, lessening by at least two whole. day svt he. tiI)1E?otherwise re-
q~ired for the delivery of mail from one termin1;lsto t,heoth'e,r, and very soon 'it
w~l1 be possible to mail Oil letter after .the cloae, of thebusines!3 day in New 'York
with the assurance that it' will be delivered in-Chicago by',;:t}je :t;ime the riext'busi-
ness day there begins. , . " :,: : ., ' " '
, A carefUl survey hEis' shown that the average daily tr~~s,!er 'ofb'ankchecks
be~ween New York and Cleveland amount s to about <$3, oqo, 990 ~ qetween' l'lew Y"rk and
cha cage to about ~9) 000, 000. ,In fact) taking the citief3 of,:Ch.:j..cfl:$O " Detroit)'
Cleveland, New York) Philadelphia', -Baltimore andwashington,the aver-age daily ex-
change of all int~rest-bearing shipments among ,them amounts ioa.b6U~ ~?35) 000; 000,
It is a simple matter t~ calculate the interest for each' day.' saved in trans-1t.
Briefly then~ after an impartially exhaust Lve analy'sis of. ali tne" a.va~lil-l?le
evidence, we have concluded that: aircraft , unuer suitable conditioris -,
and w1th pro-
for
,
The following suggestions are nade for the advice of those preparing for a
tour in the Philippine Department with the desir,e that they May be of assistance
in the avoidance of unnecQssary e~pense and inconvenience:
There are at present three {3} Air service stations :in~he ~epartment - Head-
quarters. 4th c~mposite Group, 28th, Bombardment Squadron, 66th service squadron
6th Photo Ject~on! 42n~ Ai~ In~elligence section, and the Philippine Air Depot:
are all at camp H1chols, S1X mi.Les from l,ranila.' Since there 'are but seven sets of
'-iuarters on the post, most of the officers and all the married noncommissioned of-
f~c~r~ entitled tq separate ,:!uarters live in Manila and near-by suburbs, where fa-
c1lJ.tJ.es are readuly found at about the same rates as in the states. The Intelli-
gence Officer, camp Nichols, will have a'list of cies:i.rabH .vacarrt homes for the
assistance of new arrivals. . ' '
KindleY.Field is located at Fort I.1ills, Island of :corregi,dor, Manila Bay. The
2nd obser-vat.Lon ;:)'J,uadron is stationed there. seaplanes only are being used., No
landing facilities for land planes. Ample quarters are avaiiable. There isa
daily free government boat to Manila, t~o and one-half hours away.
, ,Clark,F'i~ld, at camp stotsenburg, 52 miles airline from Manila, istheholilt:: of
the '3rd pux:suit S1uadron, with ample provisions of quar-t er-s , A. good. rona puts
Mani~a about, 2t hours away. : ,
, Each of ,these stations has its peculiar advantages, and'therf3 i~ but littl,e'
difference if any, in point of desirability. In fact, officers at each: of these
posts seem to pr;efer their present assignments: Visiting be-twee,Xlth~ posts is,
frequent. ,Social activity throughout the Department, in,fac1;,i13 quite marked.
, Nearly everyone makes a trip to China.' Japan, or "spree q:the~ part of the.
On.ent during the course o'f his tour. and it is well to antiCipate such atr,J.p at
the outset. The weather in Northern China and Japan is quite cold. Camp John Hay,
at Baguio, 1'.1., is regularly visited on detached service for recuperation a?d .
rest. Its altitude is 5000 feet, and the temperature feels even lower than ~t a s
after the heat of the lowland.
Climate and health conditions' o.t all Air service 'Stations are good, with cer-
tain reasonable precaution, which soon becomes a matter' of habit. " ' .
Drink:i.ng water is especially supplied from approved sources. Do not dr Lnk
anything excepting in places of the better sort. Exercise is the one absolute es-
sential to health, here more than anywher-e else, and must be taken re gularly.
Confer with your Post 3urgeon immedia'i:.ely after arrival. , .'
. The Philippine Islands, while a possession of the United states, have a ~1S-.
ttictgovernment of their own, .their own laws, police and judicial system, wh~~h .
is quite different from that of the united states, their own'coinage and .customs~
The principal languages, besides the various native dialects, a-t:8 of course '.'
3panish and English. The exchange value of the coinage 'is subject to fluctuat~6n,
but for some time has been established at par. 'The values in 'U.S. }J(oney, cOlinnonly
known as "gold" be,ing;
peso ,r- '- 50 cents
t peso 25 cents
.W centavos or
peseta 10 cents
10 centavos 5 cent s
5 centavos 2tcents
1 centavo t cent ' 'it '
united states coin and currency is generally understood and accepted, ~ut
is not in circulation. states checks are not popular, and it is well to br~ng
any funds herein' cash 'or some form of readily. negotiable bank paper , To guard
against possible depreciation of tne peso I some people carry their surplUS funds
in a "gold" account at the bank having a "peso" account for current use.
,In practice very little ca~h is handled. signature, on "chit" being acc?pted
almost universally throu~1out the orient. However, one should n~t e~pect h~s
chit to be accepted until he has made arrangements for 8uchcredJ.t. Newcomers
have freouently' been embarrassed in this way. prompt monthly settlements of
'1 f th 1 f "face"
accounts is even more important here th.an at home because 0 ' . e oss 0 '
involved.
Go0 d servant s are obtainable at reasonable rates, as: cook r40. to t~o;
house-boy. rIB to r30; Lavendera (Launderer) and Amah (nurse woman) accordingly • »:
-8- V-5347, A G
I~scosts about fl5 per month to feed a native se r va nt
w tho t . • None.shoUld be employed
.~ u e~a~nation by the Post Surgeon •
.All vacoa.nat i~n~ and typhoid innoculations should be completed as long as
~;~~~~~: ;:~o~~ ~:~~~~gin e~~:c~:~;~d;rt ~~~ei~f. c~il~ren. uost popular American
ticular pre are d food " .' an an S are accustomed to some par-
. ditionto t~at r ec ' ,l.t as advf sab Ie to bring at least one, month's supply in ad-
on arrival r ,~qd':'l.rehd
for the voyage. By all means consult with the Post Jurgeor.
, ega. 1.ng ealth of yourself and children "
In general it is advised't b' 't ~
of household effects 1 th' °d rl.ng Wl. h you as ll.ttle as ~ossible in the way
, c 0 l.ng an personal property. Everythl.ng necessary can be
had 10 , cally • and it. n mos cases more ~heaply than at home. . There is no duty on
Ahm~rl.dan~nufacture. Clothe.s are, much cheaper here and infinitely cheaper in"
Clona • Brl.n , g,no woo1en c 1 othes Whatever, except those' necessary " for• the voyage,
and possJ.bly one woolen suit to be used in Baguio for sports.. Khaki uni{orms will
cost you about ~lf) at the ,post Tailors, and White ,18. Civilia.l1 dinner clothes
are neoe~sary wl.th ~ravel1.ng in the orient outside the Philippines and advisable
for Baguf.c , They Wl.llcost about. r150 in Manila., , '
Furniture. rugs, draperies, linen and objects of art should all be left at
~ome. The ~ite, ant eats them, and mold and mildew during. the. rains complete 'the
Job. You wJ.ll hnd all such things very cheap here. ' .
If yo,: have a, car, it is well to bring it •. but disabuse yourseif of any idea
~hat you w11l be able to sell it,at the end of your tour, for what you gave for it
11'1 the states, The second-hand car market is poor. ObviouslY,'the more pQpular
a:~d be sf represented makes are the best to bring. Luzon has plenty of excellent
?Lrt roads. mechanical repair work. is fair, and such work as painting, upholster-
J.lJg, .etc., is cheap and good. Get a license as soon "as you arrive, also a driver's
ll.cense and acquaint "yourself by all means with the Philippine traffic Laws, En-
tanglement with them is apt to be extremely unpleasant:
Bring golf clubs, tennis rackets and shot guns. If interested in big,gawB,
tiger can be~g~tten in Indo Ohina'and Elephant in Borneo~ All fire arms must be
declared and re gistered with serial number, et c. '
It is unnecessary to concern .yourselfabout temporary accorrnnodations upon
arrival in Manila. passenger lists are forwarded by radio and it is the practice
at Camp Nichols to arrange accommodations either by reservation or otherwise for
all Air service arrivals. The arrival' off a transpo'rt, occurring as it does but
quarterly. ;.S an e ccaai.cn of great festivity in Ma.nila, the Army' and lIJavy Club
being the soene of many 'gay parties apd touching reunions •.
II"
TO.lINGTARGETS FOR ANTI-AIRCRAFT ART!LLERY PRACT!OE
ArIilYAir service pil6ts I1t Kindley Field, Fort Mills, P.L, r'ecentl~,6ooper-
ated with the Coast Artillery by towing a. sleeve target for machine gunfire. Lt.
Fowler of the Anti-Aircraft Battalion, :F'ort !AcKinley, had been conducting a class
for the Coas.t Artillery at this station. In otde:r to make the course more practi-
cal and interesting it was desired to have a target actually towed by a plane. It
was necessary to i~rovise a special reel and also -to operate .ta;r~et from the wing.
This wasneoessary due to taking off and lanciing in the. water. A light platform
was securely fastened to the wing and the reel securely ,attached. The 'm,;n oper~t-
irtg the target strapped himself to a strut and everything worked as read1,lY as J.f
he were in the cockpit.'-tuite nat.urally the target slowed .. down the H Boat con-
siderably. This Was taken into consideration in the size of, the sleeVe -and every ...
thing worked out as planned. Due to the low altitude at which it was necessary to
fly and the roughness of air in the vicinity of corregidor it required that the
pilot be on the job every moment. several hits were made by ~he machi~e gun~ers
and they Were greatly elated. Lie\lt. Fowler states that this" is the ,rHst t Lme a
plane has towed a tar get for terrestial machine gunners to fire upon. He states
that he has had several years' experience at this work at Fort Monroe'" va., and
that he is positive that this is the first practice of this nature. K~ndl~y
Field also derived considerable experience from this work, and everyone eV1.del'lCed
the greatest interest, but regrets that there was no new equipment on hand to
handle this work. "".
That the Air service cooperation was appreciated wasevide"nced b':(,the folloW-
ing letter received from the commanding Officer of the 92nd coastArlt~llery, by
the Commanding Officerpf Kindley Field:
"The Regimental commander desires to expresg his thanks for your eoopera-
tion in providing a towed aerial target during our course in' .\fiti aircraft
-9- V-534'7 A S
Machine Gun Marksmanshi.p,
J
The ~i~ and cooper~tion of Lieut,el'1tmts Burgess and Niergarth in makin'S pos- )
sible ant~a~rcraft mach~ne gun fire at a target towed by one of y~ur planes is
especially appreciated, tl
Lieut.-Colonel Barry Graham. Air, service, took over'the command of the ,~ock~
well Air Intermediate Depot on Thanksgiving Day,relieving Major S.W. FitzGerald.
who was on temporary duty at the -Depot since t'he departure of Major H.H. Arnold.
The Colonel and his family motered from the East and 'reported avery, interesting
and pleasant trip aoross the continent.
Major F'itzGerald. upon being re:l.ieved, of his duties at Rockwell. returned to
his proper, station at San Antonio, T~xas. by air, piloting a newly overhauled .,
DeHaviland. The Major, like all G~her off~cers who have had experience wit~ the: ,
Rockwell Air Intermediate Depot productions, Was not backward aboutexpress~ng h1S
appreciation of the,workmD.nship of this vepot., Major FitzG'erald too-k an'SE-5. ro-
modeled at this Depot. with him when he was transferred to Kelly Field in 1922.
An. B-year .old youngster' up in Holy()ke, Hass., apparently has a very modern
ccneept ao n of banta Claus. We just' received a letter from him addressed "santa,
Claus, U.S. Air service. washington, D.C." Which we quote as follows:
"Deaf janta
Hould you pl~ase bring me some presents a scooter or .1 game or 1
book or a steam engine you will find my stocking on the left hand side
you will see a door there there ar e two children they are norman and'
,william and there are grandpa and gr-andma and mother and father do not
t forget ray brother williar.1is sixteen years old and norman :i;s' e'ight years
old,my br~ther william would like a Pair shoe.skates or a pair of nice
.slippers or a nice fountain pen, or a nice boxo! cufl:i.nks. 'near banta
I think i will stop now! wish you a merry christmas Dear Sarita I live
on 293 Upper springfield Road. good by dear 'santa my brother wish you a
very merry christmas good by santa' dontforget me and my brother dear
banta good by."
\ve hope that Santa,as he wings his way thro,ugh.the starry heavens on
Christmas eve in qis high-powered speed plane will~ not forget to make a landing
at Holyoke and fill up that empty stocking.
The Repair Shops at the Fairfield Air Intermediate Depot, Fairfield, Ohio,
are very, busy these days. One of the pieces of work of which they are especially
proud is the neHaviland Which is just being completed for General patrick. The
very finest material and workmanship has been put in it. It has a baggage com-
partment, two fully equipped instrument boards and many other improvements. The
fuselage is finished in light blue, the surfaces have a clear finish and the
radiator, Wheels, streamline, etco, Gre given an aluminum finish. ~his plane has
been assembled and will soon be ready for a flight test.
Readers of the News Letter, particularly those who have followed the adven-
tures and misadventures of Hashinuru Togo, the Japanese school-boy. in various
magazines, nny be interested in the following contribution sent in to us by the
Headquarters, 91st Division, Air service, San Francisco, Calif.~
november 13-1924
Hon. capt. Herold
crispy Field
Deer bir:-
batuday While making to walk near hangar at frying field I am honored to meet
ferrow who are member o.f sky men Who go top-side in motor .. kite of 316 atmospherio
squadron. "vl'hatare doing to armistis day?" I ask to know. He say "cross eyed
countree trip to stocktown for put on selebration, and you are going two." I clap
hands at eaeh other with joy. "whoray," I eject - llAm so pleased to fly over land
instead of soft water as we do at defence day peculiari t;ies." 00 on Monday we
make start at i)tocktown with 8 motor kites full of Histandup sqeeza me't os , capt.
Herold go along in De Haveland but have so m~ny horses under moto cover. he are
soon leave Curetias plane in backside, Ship who are more slow all fly togerther .
like even ducks only more so, and I sink colda, Atmosphere are such as north pole
are accustomed. Dout for oclock we approach to s'bocktown from over roof's a~d land
at field which are ;prepared to welkome pac. Battlefleets air squadron - I S:l.nk
somebudy pour water on. Mud are considerable. Capt. Eaton while drive to place
for park, make surface nose-dive in l~d, but little tin puddle jumpa come alon~
and pull out. .~fter landing are accomplished dangers of cross eyed country f11ght
begin. ~tockton people are so enthusiast about give fly ferrows good ti~e, ~hat ..
somebudy leave real cold medicine out in plain sight of aviators -~ oh b:l.gm1st~k(;
Ijhile reseptical of commerce men make spe ache s of welcome air fel1ews are r~ach1ng
for mediceine because of cold. bY time dinner are served talking are much 1n
evidence. Everybudy talk and say very little. Dinner are monstrous sucksess, And
would be more sew except ~e~. price who are proposing toast with salt cellar .
squirt salt in my eye which burn srflartly. \lood like to tell of What had fo~ d1~ne'
but cant make to remember. After about third ontray of first course, I am :l.nclJ.nc
-11- V-5347 A S
\
{
to think we have been roped int 0 family r euru oneuft , We have capt. P'btta and r.ewt.
Doc. Potta who are fright surgeon. and meet 'in ;;;tockton too more potta's who claim
are not relation; but thought have come thru mind that are kind of scotch reunion.
Every place hear either potta - potta .. potta, sound like formation flite of roar-
ing OX58 or somebody holla for' scotch. Also .seemes to be fellow by name of Borban
but did not see',l tho hear name called upon many time.
After dinner we are took, to beautiful dance by ror. Lawrence are one of enter-
t\-ainment cumnrt.ee, Mr. 1. are related to mr , Ziggfield because he know whe'rQ all
good-to~look-,c;.i girl~ live.' None of them ere home that nite - they are all with
aviators at party • Next day are armistis day and We fly over town with many '.' ..
wreaths which w-q.yabout five Lbs , per each one.' Are supposed to dump out over per-
ticular spot Which are bldg. under construction but somebudy get signal mixed and
wreath are dumped all' over sto~~ton. One lands'on top' Chinee laundry wagon, but
are not on top very long because wagon cover are rotten.. Nother land on gladd •
conservatory bldg.and at last report had make roots in baaemerrt with mushrooms.
Unofficial report say Lewt. Metskas wreths killed two japanese people, After cold
are endured for nother hour we. code" back at Crissy field on time to be shot at by
sham bat t Le , which are good thing because. keep jumping to keep,warm. Do!luctt(lna
Which we draw from cross eyed country flight and,e;tmo6php.ric Cir(;J;10f'>9 are these:-
Sham battles are more dangerous as flying.
Hoping you are the same.
r~eeda Moto ,
,I
~,
..
Major Fr-ank M. Kennedy was the recent guest of friends at Scott Field and
Belleville. He was the guest of honor e.t a public reception given by the Belleville
Chamber of Conmer ce and the Rotary Club on November 24th. Major Kennedy also
lectured to the Ai!' Service Balloo~ and Airship s onoo). during his stay at Scott
Field.
Lieut. Col. John A. Paegel m,1T , A.S.,'ilTas ih8 guest of honor at a Lun.ohe on given
by. the st. Louis Chamber- of Comncr-ce 0:1 .De cember 3d.
The Post foot ball team had a most successful season, winning the majority of.
iheir game s , Je Herson BarraCKs p.l aye d Fort Sheridan at Chi cage and claims the
Corps Area championship. Scott Field d.i sput.e e the claim of Jefferson Barracks to
the Corps Area championship, due to the fact that we have beaten them to the-- tune
of 25 to O.
With the clQse of the fooi ball season there comes renewed activity in basket
ball. The Post league is now pl.ayi.ng their schedule to determine the Post champ-
ionship. After this has been decided the t.e am will be selected to represent the
field and willpiay all the strong, independent teams of this vicinity.
The Officers I. Club ent.er-t aa n.ed the membership of the Missouri Athletic Club at
a Hallowe'en Party. Owing to the crowd thedcmce was held in Han gar- #4. The dec-
orations were entirely in keeping with the season •.
.Bi-monthly Bridge Parties are held in the Officers I Club for the benefit of
the officers and their invited guests. Prizes are awarded and refreshments served
at these functions.
:The re ~lar monthly dance at the Officers' Club was held on November 28th •
• Q~ite a number of guests from st. Louisand Belleville were entertained by the
officers at this function.
Lieut. G.E~Ba1lard, who was connected ~dth Wilbur Wright Field and with the
Repair Depot at Indianapolis, End i ana , be fore it was consolidated with \Vilbur
Wright .Field, left on November 14th for his nevi station at Middletown, Pat Lieut.
Ballard has served as Chief Inspector during mo s't of this .time and took part in
many notable flights. His many friends wish him well at his new Station. Lieut.
Ballard's place as Chief Inspector has been takon by Li.eu t , B.A.Bad-ron, who in
turn has been succeeded by Lieut. Carl F. Greone as Station Supply Officer.
Lieut. C-~E.Thomas,Jr., is nov in char-ge of the Material Section at Field Ser-
vice Section, dur Lng the absence of Lieut. G•• McPike on the Pacific Coast. Lieut.
Thomas's place as Depot Supply Officer has be en 1:,akcm by Lieut. S.G.Frierson.
On November 15th, Lieut •. C.E. 'I'homa.s , Jr. flevirto Columbus, returning 1 at er in
the day. .
On November 11, Capt. and Mrs. Blackwell entertained the f'o.l Lowi.ng for dinner
and bridge- Major and Mrs. A.w.Robins, Lieut. and HI'S. E. P. Gaines and Lieut. and
Mrs. L.E.Sharon. On the following day Lieut. and Mrs. L.E.Sharon entertained Major
and Mrs.J .H.Rudolph at dinner. .
Lieut. E.P.Gaines left by air On Nov. 16th for Bolling l'~ieldf enroute to Fort
Bragg, N.C.
Lieuts .H.E.Mills and S .G.Frierson proceeded by air to 'Chicago. several days
ago on a cross country trip and were held up by storms and snow at their destina-
tion. oThey returned to this Field on November 18.
-13- V-5347, A.S.
Lieut. J.E.Parker of Schoen Field made a brief visit to Wilbur Wright Field
returning by air on November 16.
Major A.W.Robins was appointed, COtmlandin?:; Officer of the Area purchased by
the citizens of Dayton and donated to the United states tobs used as the site of
the future McCook Field. It adjoins the present site of Wilbur Wright Field 'and
for that reason Major Robins was placed in charge. Following are some extracts
from a memorandumrecently issued by Major Robins. They have been given wide
publ'icity in the local newspapers. .
"1. W~lbur Wright Field consisting of approximately 5,000 acres of gr-ound,
has been ~fficially posted prohibiting hunting, trapping and trespassing. The
Government having accsp.ted.this land from the Citizens of the City of Dayton,' has
thereby taken this land under its control.
"2. Hurrti n g and trapping will be limited to the resident personnel of tl1is
Command.
"3. Civi.Lian residents 0 f this Post desiring to avail themselves of the'
privilege will make application the Post Adjutant for a hunting pass.
"4.M;i.litary and civilian residents shall first secure a state Hunting
License before hunting or trapping. Civilians desiring a hunting pass will pres-
ent their State Hunting License when making their applications. (Hunting passes
will be c~rried into the Field and Subject to examination.)
"5. The issue of a hunting pass to a civilian resident of this Commandis
for the individual making said application and is not transferrable. A hunting
pass does not entitle anyone to bring friends upon the reservation for hunting
purposes •.
"6. no high-powered rifles, revolvers or pistols shall be fired for, the
purpose of hunting. Their fire shal.L be limited to such ranges as are prescribed
for these types of arms. No shot larger than No.2 shall be used in shot-guns.
"7. The' game laws as pres cri bed on the reverse side 0 f the state Hunting
License, will be strictly adhered to.
A part of this week was given over to disturbances caused by the presence of
a near-by typhoon. 'It rained as it only can in the tropics and some of the new-
comers had their first taste of the nice rainy weather. Conversations like this
were heard on every hand: "Old-timer clad in two raincoats and hip boots -
cheerfully - "Fine weather we are having,eh!" New-comer, clad in fancy raincoat
and new leather boots - with a growl - ftYes,for ducks' and fish". The sun is
shining now and everybody is happy again. AnywayJ didn It "18 come to the Phil-
ippines for an educatton of sorts - we are getting it, too, really.
First Lieut. Earle G. Harper pr-opose s to take a trip to Legaspi to look over
a proposed landing field there. The Municipal government has offered us one and
if it can be made into a suitable field this will afford us a trip there at least
twice a month. .
Captain Rosenham Beam is making preparations to leave about November first,
to look over a landing field at 'I'acloban , Leyete. The Air Service will take part
in a carnival to be held at Tacloban about Christmas time.
The. Shriners of Manila will hold a barge party on the Pasig Ri ver , The
Shriners of the Post are getting their f e z ae s out and givi::1g them the once over
(that might not be the right way to spell that word but its meant to imply the
cute little red hats that all fashionable Shriners wear).
In a recent letter from the Editor to his correspondent at CrissyField he
makes a mention of his correspondent from Wilbur ''iTri ght Field using pink paper
to send his news items in. This "reek we started to make the l1Tilbut' vfright Field
reporter real jealous and use lavender paper and white ink, but after all he,
. isn't acquainted wi th the Santa Ana Cabaret, so this wouldn It mean as much to
him as did the pink sheets.
The 28th Bombardment Squadron reports that due to the heavy and continuous
rainstorms this week very little flying was engaged in. On September 29th,
Lieut. Monahan, pilot -NBS~l, and Lieuts. Andrews, O'Connor and Gross returned
from Clark Field, where they spent the week-end. ,
We'are still optimistic - our baseball team is sur-eLy going to prove a winner
this season. In the first game played with ~ort Santiago, the score was nine to
nothing in our favor ~ I f we just keep that up and don't win the pennant vre will
at least be among the top ones this season. .Br-owni.ng,our big pitcher, was sent .J.-
on the mound in the fifth inning and pitched wonderful balls. Out of nine men
,The usual garri son duties were performed by the entire Post during the past
week. A little rain, a little sunsh.l ne , morning, noon, and night with nothing
important happening in the land of mosquitoes.
lYe aren't quite so optimistic'about our baseball team at this writing. We've
played three games and lost two, the second one, a goodgame, was lost by a score
of three to two, but the last one - well - to say that we lost it is sufficient -
it's hardly proper to mention the score. We still have hope, however. Browning,
our st ar- p i t cher , has be eri sick and we believe that as soon as. he is better we
can, show some of these da sbe.l i.e ve r-s that we still have some pep left. We do wish
,;,e could put an ad in some paper for a few good pitchers J we need them badly
enough - maybe the next -transpod will fill the bill.
Preparations are be i ng made for the Department Military Tournament whi ch is
to be held at Fort William McKinley during the month of December. The Air Ser-
vice made a splendid showing at the tournament last year and we hope to repeat
the performance at the next tournament.
Our champion feather-weigh~, Kavanaugh, knocked out his opponent in the
third round of a scheduled six round bout at Fort McKinley last we ek , Whatever
else goes' wrong "vecan always depend on Jack to even things up for us.
The Shriners on the Post advi se us that their Barge Party held on the Pa.sig
River last Saturday night was a huge success. They say the very fact that there
was no work the next morning made it all the more enj oyahl.e ,
The 28th Bombardment Squmdron, due to the heavy and continuous rainsto~ms
during the past week, performed no flying. This gave the Squadron an opportunity
to recondition and repaint all ships.
First Lieut. Earle G. Har-pe r , of the 28th, left' for Legaspi to look over
and make recommendations concerning a new Landd ng field which it is proposed to
construct at that place.
Pri vate Hi ghfill returnod from the West Point Pr-epar-at ory School, stating
that hi s feet gave out. That makes us wonder if they gave full pack fatigue
over there as punishment for poor less9ns. '
A poor fish belonging to the 6th Photo Section met an untimely end today
near the offi ce of the 42nd. 1Ne really can It de cide whether the sucker COTil-
mitted suicide by drowning or met wit.h foul play. '!ie wonder if he win ';e S;ivfm
"in line of duty". He was a spe cial friend of ours too. We fed him crumbs and
worms every morning. "Poor Fish".
Our ball team stepped out for its first game on the home diamond last weck ,
playing to the largest cr-owd ever turned out for a ball game at this field; and
we dedicated the new diamond by defeating the strong 31st Infantry team by the
score of 4 to O. Browning, our star pit cher , had the heavy artillery 0 f the
doughboys eating out of his hand, striking out fourteen of them. In the field,
Bathey, our elongated fi ;1st baseman gave a demonstration of how first. base should
be played, while Parton at short and Scott at second, the "G;old Dust Twins", fro-
ceeded to dust base hits into ~uts.
On Sunday last, the ball team repeated, winning by the score of 4 to 3. ~t
took two pitchers! and eleven innings to do the trick, but with the assistance of
the "Gold Dust Twi:1s" and McKinney, all three of whom made spectacular catches, '
the feat was accomplished. Two most enjoyable afternoons were spent by all ex-
eept the 31 st In fantry.. .
Major Re i nbur g, accompanied by CaptaiL1 Downey, C.A.C., and Li eu t s , Harper,
Gross and Snavely, flew tVI'ODB "s and a Bomber on a cross-country trip. for the
week-end. They e.nj oyed a pleasant trip with Colonel John son and they roport the
duck and snipe hunting to be good.
The 28th Bombar dmerrt Squadron r.epor-t e the following operations for the past
week: 0:1 the 13th, Lieut. Walker flew a DB to. Clark Field, returning same date;
On the 18th, Maj or Reinburg and Lieut. Snavely - pilot NBS-l and Lieuts. Harper
and Gross,piloting 2 DH's, flew.to San Jose, ,Mindoro, staying over the week-end.
On the'same date Captain Beam, Lieut. O'Connor and Master Sergeant Kolinski flew
three DH's in formation over the S.S. "Empress of Asiall as.she entered the harbor,
simulating an attack on sea craft.
We made. two important captu.res dur Lng the past we ek t one bold and ambd, tiQus
dove which invaded our 'barracks 6.J.'1d an equally ambitious soldier from Fort Me-
Kinley 'who abs conded with Some $2,800.00 gold.
We read the de t ai.Le 0 f the case in the morning Bulletin and inside of a half
hour we had the man. Private Snead having performed the arrest. 1~e intend to
.d~corate him at the breakfast table ~ith a pan-cake med~ilf (provided we can find
a chisel that will cut one).
The past week was. a disastrous one for the ball t eam of the Third Pursuit
. Squadron. On Saturday i t went down to defeat at the hands 0 f the Government team
to the tune of 4 to 2 and on Sunday they lost to the Camp stotsenburg Q.M.Detach-
ment 4 to 3. ,Both games were bitterly contested,but the breaks of the game were
agarnst our boys. It may not be ard s s vt o mention our galloping Adjutant, 1st'
Li eut , F. V.Ii. (yon Bimble) Kimble who perforri'ed behind the 1)at and on the coaching
lines in Sundays game as one of Cpl. iV1cDonald's speedy shots caught the tip of
the forefi'1ger of his unpadded h and in the second Lnnd.n g splittir'lg and breaking
the digit. But a little thing like that didn't bother VO:N any ; as he carried
right on to the finish wi th )~:i8r.GOttOever i~l rdnd "T~ey canno t pass and let "em
try to steal", and came out of the ga0e errorless and without a stolen base
chalked against him. On Friday the VolleySall Team 0 f the organi zation stepped
on the court having as op ponerrt s the. team representing Battery "P!! 24th F .A. All
the 24th got for their exertion was SOUR GR;UDES unfermented, as they came out on
the tail end in both games the scores being 21 - 18, 21 - 14.
Capt. Earl H. (Trouble) DeFord left for Kindley Field, Fort Mills, Corregidor
Island, to sit as aeui.o r member on a Board of A.S. officers for the purpose of
making an investi~atioil as to the condition of the HS2L seaplane eqUipment noW at
that station. S "nou gh to aay that when the Board gets thrn the powers that be
will know whether or no t the cr-at esr are fit for fU:1l:hel" dut y ,
The loyal rooters of the Air Service Team in the Army League'slipped do~m to
Camp.Nichols to help root the boys to their first victory of the season. At the
present \vri ting they ar-e on -the wrong end of the percentage column, havi;1g lost
two games. Amon.",'those Le avd.n z were 1st Lt eut s , F.V.H. Kimble, W.A. Maxwell
and W.M.Lanagan, -2nd Id eu ts , Cl~idlaw, Cook, Spry and Fadrweat.he r Wittkop~
Capt ~ E .H. (Trouble) DeFord returned f r-orn Kindley Field, Cor-r-egi ao r :r"lar..d
in the best of humor-, Evidently Trouble let the other members 0 f the Board he
presided over know that he was among those present.
VONHIMMELand his loyal rooters helped to put over the Air Service Team of
the Army League for their first win of the season last Saturday.
The 3rd Pursuit Squadron Base Ball te~n dropped an eleven (11) inning game
last Saturday to the Trade School of the Pampanga League 1 to O. Sv.nday t~ey
dropped a game to the Government team 10 to6. Today they slipped one over on
the Trade School, copping the game 5 to 4, Capt. E.G.Reinartz, our genial Flight
Surgeon and Athletic Officer, pitched for the Squadron and had the natives who.
I make up the Trade School team swinging allaround the ball, but it failed to hit
their bats. Von Himmel showed up at todays game but wasn't abl~ to take part in
the actual play due to his finger still being in splints.
Camp Stotsenburg put on their first annual Sports Carnival i festivities
starting bright and early yesterday. Quite a few visitors wended their way up
from Manila, and the local officers' line was the scene of many parties. Prac~
tically all of the A.S. officers in the Department spent a few hours of the past
forty eight at this Field and quite a few were entertained over the week-end.
Major Geo. E.A.Reinberg was the guest of our C.O.,Major J.e. McDonnell for'the
Carni val period.
Capt. E.G.Reinartz and Mrs. Reinartz returned from a 10 days stay at Camp
John Hay, Baguio.
Lt. F.P. (Pop) Kenny, Group COst Officer, who makes his headquarters at this
station, returned home yesterday after a two weeks' abgence, spent at the other
A.S. Stations in the Dep't., in connection with his official duties. Our local
cost office, which has been very qui'9t during Pop's absence, will be the scene of
many a tal.k-rest during the next few days.
A few of the Staff N.C.O's of the Third Pursuit Squadron who couldn't see. •
their way clear to associate longer with the High-brows of the organization da-
cided to take off by themselves, and in some way they se cured a set 0 f quarters
on the row where they are greeting their friends with the salutation (which seems
to be the pas a-wor d of their little club) "Low-brow". Mst. Sgt. (Gasoline Gus).
Hunter is credited with being the supreme Low-brow and is as?isted in the arduous
duties of his office by the following Staff Sergeants: H.B.(Papp) Srote,A.S.
(Sap) Separovich, F.M.(Bark) Barkhurst and G.A.(Hoosier) Wiggs. Papp claims he
is ahead three (3) cartons of Chesterfields by the move and will be able to
purchase a pair of new rubber boots for the goat this month.
Staff Sergeant E.Micky and Sergeant A.Haskins, both of whom spent the past.
four years in the Land of Sunshine and bugs as members of the 3rd Pursuit Squad-
ron, re cei ved orders during the past week to take 0 ff on the 'next transport
(Which is scheduled to sail Nov. 15th) to the home of Coqa-Cola and like bever-
ages. The former goes to Selfridge while the latter ~~ll carryon at Langley.
Five students (three from Mitchel Field, one from Bolling Field and one
from Langley Field) arrived by air to enter the Air Service Technical School
during the preceding week.
During the past week end cross-country trips to the points designated were
made by the follOWing student officers of the Air Service Technical School: ,
2nd Lieut. John M.Weikert with Co.rp.Bre,nch, in a JN4H, to Schoen Field,'
Indianapolis, Ind., and return; 2nd Lieut. hobert B. Williams with Lieut. John
G. Salsman, in a JN4H, to Sco-tt field, Ill., and return; 2nd Lieut. Joseph H-.
Hicks, with 2nd Lieut. John W. Warren to south Bend, 111d.• , and return; 2nd Lieut.
Stewart W. Towle, with,Private Robbins, in a DH4B, to Clinton, Lowa , and return;
1st Lieut. Charles Backes, with Sgt. Lingenfelter, in a DH4B, to Minneapolis" .
Minn,., and return; 2nd Lieut. Herbert K. Baisley, with 2nd Lieut. Gilbert Waller,
AS ORC, in a DH4B, to Mt. Cl emens, Mi cn , , and return.
Capt. Ralph P., Cousins, A.S. temporarily in command of the Post during'the
absence of Major McChord on Airways , initiated the first dinner dance of "~he fall
.social season 0;"1 Friday evening at the 0 ffi cers I cl.ubv- .
Tastefully de.corated, the scene of the piquant festivity was enlivenec 'Dy
the brilliant assemblage of party gowns, interspersed with a mar-t.La.l, array of the
white and gold of officers' dress uniforms with here and there the prosaic garb
demanded by staid conventionality lending 'a subdued note to the affair.
. '-17-- V-5347, A.S.
An elaborate six course dinner, temptingly prepared, was served •. Munic was
'\,
furnished by the Chanute Field Orchestra.
Departing at a late hour, the ho s t received the' p.l aud.i t a, of all the ;sueJts
on the ?erfect ensemble bf their evening's entertainment.
** .j(- * *';r * 7(.
During the past week two games were played in the Interorganizational
basket.bal.I t.curnament ; On Monday evening Section "AH played Section "B'",
romping away with their opponents to the tune of 22 to 10. The 15th Sqdn.
had an easy victory over Section "E'", winning by a score of 47 to 28. ...
Luke Field, T,E., November 14t.h.!.
The month just ended has been of particular interest to the officers and men
on duty at this Territorial Air Service Station, both tactically and in a rl?c-
reational way. .
Football looms large on the G.I. horizon in these parts. The four posts
adjacent to Honolulu ha;bor formed a Sector League, and the battles already
fought on the gridiron have put Luke and Shal'ter contending for first place.
Thi s blooc'.-letting event will be staged at our own grid next Wednesday. Wi'nner
plays Schofield winner at Schofield December 17th for the Island championship.
(Schofield Barracks is a big inland post, maintai4ing some 7,000 troops of all
branches, safe from harm - meaning it's 26 wiles to Honolulu.)
The Post officers practice polo three afternoons a week out on the flying
field. As there are good mounts on this"Rock" (ye a , Luke Field is an island
entirely surrounded by Pearl Harbor, area - 600 acres) the officers have many
tough scrimmages amongst themse'l ve s , occasionally journeying to an outlying
(or inlying) Post to match onions i~th ether teams.
Reverting to football again, we have two entr~es on the All-Army team.
First Ld eu t , John V. Hart, and Staff Sergeant Samuel J. Sampson, 6th.Forsooth
'Squadron, Air Servi ce , Both these gentlemen put up a mighty scrap with their
t eam on Armistice Day (just passed) when they crossed necks with the University
of Hawaii layout •• and then uncrossed them, with a big score agin 'em "Youth
must be sel~ved."--Socrates. il..lJ.-Army meets Navy on December 20. for the triple
scrap of the Island ,the series, and the yeal~ 1-9-8-4.
First Lieut. Ray A.. DU'1l1,who has functioned as Post and Group Adjutant and
Commanding Officer of Group Headquarters De+'ach;nent, was transferred from his
well known post at H.Q'. to assume the dut i es of Post Quartermaster, vice Captain
Alexande r C. Doyle, Q.M.C., who returns to the Mainland on the next transport,
account expiration tour of foreign aer vd ce, .
Succeeding Lieut. Dunn rises First ki.eut. Richard H. Magee, from his post a~
Personnel Adjutant, to that of Post and Group Adjutant, and C.O.of Group H.Q.
De t , We wish these officers well in their new assignments.
Sergeant Richard C.Reed, veteran of'ihe4Ist. Air Intelligence Section, is
busy this week platting newl j' de ve Loped landing fields , situated on the nei gh-
boring islands of the Hawat i.anrlr oup , His labors will be of much value to our
many flying officers, who frequently perform Island-Island missions; and find it
handy.to have some place to "set" when they reach.their objective. The Sergeant
has unhappily just left for TripIer General Hospital for observation. Frater-
nally speaking, we would diagnose his temporary indisposition as arising from'
malnutrition of the po cket-book. Here's hope it's no.thir,g more . lasting than that.
Some trap-shooting events were. shot off last fir-nth, iDwhich Captain Richard
J. Kir!tpatrick came off vd ct or , HE!and the balance of the t eam journeyed to the
Island of Maui I s Fair Shoot, wher ed.n Captain Kdr kpat r-t ck came off first, his team
second. Four teams competed. All the Squadrons and De t a chmerrts spread their
lead on the Pistol Range in October, starting with reveille at 4:30 A.M. As a
form of outdoor sport this Military Fun ct i on will never become too popular. Not
even the Famous Earthworm of the !.dag3 can be found wriggling around in the open
at that eerie hour. An old-line N.C.O. made high score 'for the Post with 94.3.
Other sports actively engage~ in at the present time beside football, are -
soccer, volley ball, and basketball, the latter of which having given birth to a
team this very afternoon. Tennis and swimming, of course, remain popular as
ever.
Twice nightly our motion picture shows continue to function at the Service
Club. fu~d they contribute nillcr.ly to the joys of officerg and m~Ylon duty at this
r~ral spot. M?nthly dues were reduced to $1.00. This card entitles a man to
• as well as occasional
It's a big dollar's
t r-anspor-t at i.on to outside
worth.
the wind with word of the usual quarterly
smokers and athletic
For good measure the E.& R. orrs cer has just sowed
Hangar Dance to be given Thanksgiving
events •
Eve •. This features much re fre'shment. aspe ci.al. train and special boats for
civilian guests, i.e. l~a-d-i-e-s.
More power to the E.& R:
First Lieut •. Henry W. Kunkel, Commanding the 41st. Air Intelligence Section.
bought us some good seats from the Detachment Fund on Armistice Day and bade
"us" disport ourselves in the Festive City for the day and evening •. Blow my
webs, (as the Limies on the Special Service Squadron say. whi ch looked in on
T.H. last June) if we didn't see the Holiday football game twixt. Army and
I University of Haywire (afore noted); eat copiously of Muscovy duck. oyster
cocktail (no other kind but-) and then front seats at the "Princess" to gaze
rapturously upon Milt Sills in the elaborate production of the "Sea-Hawk."
It were a gruesome picture, mates, with much dripping of haemoglobin, scan-
d~llonious love-making, pirates, Egyptain Akhr-Al-Murza's, and fifteenth century
galleons. Good perfecto's cheered us on the way home, whence we came pleasantly
to earth and reportorial duties next A.M.
Well, I've disquished at considerable longth on everything but flying.
Sure, we have airplanes, MB-etc's. NB-etc's, DeH-etc's and JND-etc's here.
also hangars. pilots, mechanicians, an -aerdromo, dollies, monkey-wrenches and
all the other appertainings of a.reg'lar Air Service station. We had forty-two
ships on the line, fuelled, tested and ready to "take-off". at the last Gener-
al Inspection.
There have been the usual "Aloha" missions over departing and arriving
Transports. ,nllien Major-General Charles P. Summeral, retiring Commander of the
Hawaiian Department, left in August for the U.S. our pilots did their particular
best to entertain him with aerial "pretties".
But OWing to the gasoline shortage. which has afflicted us for the last two
.woeks, even routine training was curtaileill, flying programa were decimated, and
only missions of particular importance were accomplished. At that, the Group put
{ in 243 hours' flying time in October, which is barely Over half of September's
mark; 38 hours' time on inter-island flights - which is over twice September's
total; 35,000. and some cross-country man miles, which is the same as September,
wi th a daily average of 10010 for condition of ships in commission. What could.
be sweeter?
By the. way, might mention that wo were honored a wee k ago with a visit from
Mr.Crinkly~haired Eugene O'Brien, he of movie-fame, who spont an afternoon lunch-
ing at the Officers' Club with a cousin-officer. Mr.O'Brien was here in Paradise
(~at's wot the magazines call it) shoOting ship-wreck scenes (very wet) for his
forthcoming picture "Ann's An Idiot."
Now to make any Non-com aspirants in more outlyi~&wP0sts than our mvn feel
envious and blue, at t errt f on is invited to our recent/rssue .of Non-C.O's and
specialist rat~ngsj allotted the 5th. Composite Group under the new ~~ble of
Organization, from the O.C.A.S's o f'f'Lce, effective October 1st. T~ net increase
13.8. it appeared on the right and Le ft bi ceps a f the' men on duty here was 8 Master
Sergeants, 6 'I'e chn a , 42 (forty-two, count 'em) ~ Stiff Sergeants, and scads of
Bucks, Corporals, and oodles of ratings. So, singly and collectively, we all
.approach the pay table with grins, assorted sizes.
Such it is to' be a Nephew of Uncle Sam, on foreign servi 66, in time of peace.
And now that recruiting is closed, us Air Service warriors are getting to be reg-
ular Greek Letter Society brothers. Selah!
50TH OBSERVATION
S(JUo-\.DRO.N
During the week of November 9th to 15th, tHe following missions were parti-
cipated in by the 50th Squadron: 1 Tactical Maneuver ,nth Fort Eustis co-oper-
ating with Coast Artillery Units there, 2 formation flights, 5 cross-cou~try
flights, 5 cr-o ae-ccou.rt r-y flights to Bolling Field and return , 3 Aerial Gun:1ery
flights and 15 flights for the training of Aircraft Crews. Lieut. John F. ~Vhite-
ley, lid tl1 Sargt.J. C.Miller as passenger, flew to Mitchel Field, Long Island, New
York, 0"1 November Lfrt h , and returned on November 18th. Total flying time for this
2ND. PHOTOSECTlOiL
Activities of the 2nd Photo Section were somewhat ourtailed lately because
of lack of per s'onne I and insufficient laboratory apace , However, routine work is
being carried on as usual.
The work on our new laboratory is progressing rapidly and the Section hope
to be installed in it before long.
Lieut. Williams and Sgt. Houston planned on a photographic mission to Balti-
more Saturday but the weatl~or was not conduci VB to either flying or photo graphy
so the trip was postponed until better weather conditions.
Flying during the past week was curtailed as the weather turned considerably
colder tha~ usual for these ?arts.
The basketball team started in to train and at present there is some good
material in that line shOWing up. It is very good weather for the football
enthusiasts an d the Squ adr-on 's t.eam is havi.n g some good work-outs.
Lieut. Harry- J. Brady left on the Model Air"voJaysthis week.
vVhile perusing the columns of the Air Ser"nce News Letter under date of
October 31st, 1924, we stumbled on t ne following item, "Langley Field take
notice", and it wound up by giving routine time of the 40th Schoo). Squadron of
Kelly Field, al so at at Lng tha.t if we ever intend to see the light of day in regard
to flying -time lire had better, "Make hay while the sun shi.ne s'", we would like to
ask thru these colurrills if the 40th School Squadron (Bomb) hqrbor the wild idea
that they can compare 'vi th a hard wor-kd ng li fe"J:'li z e Se r vi ce Bombardment Squadron.
We, the 96th Bombardment Squad1 on, beg to di ffer in that respect.
1
We have infor-
mation that we feel would be hard to discredit, thai t ho 40th School Squadron had
between 50 and 75 pilots flying at the time tInt they rolled UP .J50and 330 hOU1'S,
respectively, while the 95th Sqdn. had on the rolls for that mon-th of July four
qualified pilots, one of the above being on special duty which required most of
his time, also one on detac~ed service at Miller Field, N~~ York. Considering
the fact that three pilots rolled up a total of 171 hours we sincereIy feel that
there can be no comoar-a s on whatever. And thG~l, again, during the month of August
efficiency with a dapital E repeated itself. This Organization flew 254 aircraft
hours, with six of f i.cer-s assigned, 0:1.6 of these. 0;;1 special duty and t'",TObeing
Reserve officers called into active service who did not arrive until the lOth of
. the month to be F~in 't ak in g their Bombardment instructions. We still maintain that
we are safe Ln reiterating our statement that there can absolutely be no compari son,
Let the 40th Sqdn "grab the Ozone" as we have done and then begin to sing their
praises, but Napoleon was rijlht when he said that an army should not .fight among
themselves, hence this squabbling must cease.
On No veiabe r 10th, we received from the Aerial Repair NBS-l No. 68517, which
was among the missing since the middle of September, due to an unfortunate. ~iece
of luck which caused a forced landing about two miles from the Airdrome. After
having undergone a general o ve r-hau.l it is literally speaking, "rearing to go".
The addition of this ship to the "in-commission" list boosts the list to 10010 whi.ch
which was always the order prior to September 15th.
-20- V-5347, A.S.
.I' After- having reported the latter part of last, week, 2nd Lieut. E. CpC''''OS3, A< S.
(ORC) began his Bombardment trai~ing the first of this ,;"eekand undo r .-t'h~ al-)~_e
instructions of Ls t , Lieut. L.L.Bowen has proven himself to be an apt pup::'.l" rr"J.t:-
ing :fine pr-o gress , In. the near future we hope to have another pilot who \;iiil eak3J
,"1;0 the Ozone like "a duck takes to water", in the. person of Lieut. Cross .•
. Ala's, we find that the Air Service is going, "on the rocks", but it j s
military and it can't be helped, Corporal Barron and Pvt. Glass, both jud',strious
members of the domain of which Sgt. Kelly is monarch, the same When reduced to
plain United states, means the Armament Department, are going to leaveth~ fold
of the;ir Uncle and go into hard-life known as civil life. Everyone sincer"3ly
.~opesthat they wear gloves when they get out so they won 't wear all the .skin off
,th;eirknuckles on doors, et c.
During the past week this Or-gana aat.Lon flew 51 hours and' 25 minutes, 8 hours
.and 5;>.minutes of this time was cr-o ss-ecount.r-y
work.,
. ,TheMr Service Tactical School is entering upon its sixth week of instruct-
Lon, '1I"ehave 7 DH4B., 8SE:-5, 3 MB-3 and one Martin Bomber in. oomrrd aai.on , .these
.airplane-s are flown every day by s,tudent officers.
There have been very few acti vities in the Squadron during the past. week
oWing to inclement weather.
Lieut. Rodgers flew a Martin Bomber. for two hours and thirty minutes on
Monday at an altitude of 5000 feet for the purpose of aiding Fort Monroe A.A.
Batteries in testing out a new sound detector machine •.
Lieut. Sutter completed his instructions on Martin Bombers and was doing
several hours solo work during the past week.
Sgt! Day, the Engineering Supply Sgt, discharged Nov. 17th. left for
Philadelphia. He claims that he will not reenlist, but the Squadron hopes to
see him back in the very near future when he gets tired of civilian life.
Captain R. Gilpin Ervin, Chief Engineer Officer of this Depot, will leave
here in a day or two for San Antonio, Texas, to attend the conference of Engineer
Officers to be held at that place. The Captain will fly a DeHaviland on this
trip.
Captain George G. Dunn, O.R.C., has been placed on active duty and reported
here from Los Angeles for 15 days' training.
Captain John \'IT. Signer and Sgt. Kelly of Crissy Fiel,d, San Francisco, flew
down early in the week for the purpose of ferrying a DH4B and Curtiss JN6H-I back
to the northern field.
Hqrs. 2nd Division Air Service, Fort Bliss, Texas. November 21-Dec.5.
Lieut. Gale and Capt. Bender made a cr-o es-ecou.rtr'yflight to Tucson .an d Yuma,
Ariz., ~ov. 19th for the purpose of inspecting airdromes and Im'lding fields at
these places. After completion of this duty Lieut. Gale proceeded on an author-
ized cross-country flight to San Francisco, Calif., and Capt. Bender proceeded
on leave for six days to Los Angeles, Calif.
Lieut. Clark leads in flying time of the 2nd Division, Air Service', for
November with 71 hours. Staff Sgt. Pierce came in second with 43 hours.
.", Cross-country flights during the above period were as follows: Sgt. Pier?e
and Sgt. Johnson to Big Springs, Texas, Nov. 26th, returning Nov. 28th; Sgt. P~erce
and Pvt. Rodreick to Globe, Ariz., and return on Nov. 29th; Lieut. Clark and Pvt.
Donnelly to Denver, Colo. Nov. 29th, returning Dec. 1st; Sgt. Tyler and Sgt. John-
son to Big Springs, Texas, Nov. 30th and return Dec.lst; Major Heffernan and Sgt.
Holmstrand to Tucson and Douglas, Ariz., and return Nov. 20th; Major Heffernan to
to Fort Apache, Ariz., Nov. 30th, returning Dec. 1st; Sgt. Pierce to Fort Apache,
Ariz. and return on Dec. 1st; Lieuts. Weddington and Clark to Fort Bayard, New
Mexico, and return Nov. 2lst~
Sgt. Harold E. SiUin,an, 32d Ai r Intellige:lce Se ct i.on, dis charged from the
service Nov. 20th) reenlisted the followinit day and left on a 3 months' furlot:gh.
Captain 'Valier Bender is scheduled for a period of six weeks' detached ser-'"
vice at McCook Field.
Lieut. Clark and Sgt. Livesay returned No v, 16'i;h' f'r-oma cross-country fligr.t
to Kelly Field, Texas.
Lieut. Gale and Capt. Bender- made a r e connad saan ce and courier mission on
Nov. 17th.
For the past faw weeks practically 2.11 time was devoted to small arms
practice. ~ieut. Rush putting both officers and men through the course. The
rainy season completely halted this ?ractice when only partially completed.
Hopes are entertained that the firing will be completed by the end ,of October.
The big question n01.'1
among pilots is "When will the new Douglas planes
arrive?". ,'!Vehope it will be soon. It will be a great pleasure to pilot modern
equipme~t again and to make some real cross-cou~try fli[hts. The spares from
the ~orld Flight continue to arrive. If they ean be used as spares for the new
equipment the Field will be well supplied as far as part~ are concerned. It is
hoped that someone will speed the shipment of fuselages. in whi ch event at laast
two cruisers could be assembled now. Seeing the Navy in action ~aily with their
Douglas planes makes us all the more anxious to join them.