The Washington times., 1911-09-13
ARMY FLYERS WILL
Be CONTESTANTS IN
GOTHAM AIR MEET
Captain Beck and Lieuten'
ants Arnold and Milling
, g.. to Try for Prizes.

Capt. Paul W. Beck, Lieut.. H. H.
Arnold, and Lieut.. T. De Witt Milling
will leave for New York Monday, where
they will take part in a big aviation
meet which is to be held tnere from
September % TO October ]. The meet
will be held on the Nassau Boulevard
and will probably be the biggest avia-
ton meet yet held.
Timothy L. Woodruff. the New York
politician, is the chief promoter of the
meet, and yesterday afternoon wired
the Signal Corps of the War Depart
ment asking that the three army Of
fcers be given permission TO take part
in the flights.
The Signal Corps would not grant the
permission for the men to represent
the Government in the flights, but will
permit them to have leave Of absence
to take part as individuals.
Captain Beck will fly in Curtiss BIZ
plane which will be furnished by the
Curtiss Company of New York. Lieu
tenant Arnold and Lieutenant Milling
will fly in a BurgeSs-Wright machine.
Purses aggregating $500 will be set
aside for the army officers to compete
for.
other prizes amounting to at least
$4,000 will be offered, and the army
officers will be entitled to the privl-
iege of comp ting for this money.
Some of the worlds most famous
avIators will participate in the meet
among them being Claude Grahane
White, in a Newport monoplane; Tom
Sopwith in a Bleriot noncompliance; Lin
coin Beachey in CurtlSS machlne;
Eugene Ely in a Curtiss; Tom Bald
win and Lee Hammond in Baldwin
biplane.
When permission was asked of the
Signal Corps, Col George =. Scriven,
acting head of the office in the absence
of General James Allen, soon reached
the conclusion that II woUli be impos-
Eible for the men to enter the meet as
"army aviators, but If they wanted to
go they could get leave Of absence for
ten days or two weeks.
Captaln Beck and LieutenaEts Arnold
and Milling will apply for leave this
afternoon, and as soon as IL is granted
will begin to make preparations Tor the
trip.
The telegram from Timothy Woodruff
last evening requested that the "nIcers
fly in their own machines, but the GCv-
eminent would not permit this, for az
effort is being made TO keep the Gov
eminent biplanes from being used in eX-
hibition flights.
Curt1ss Aeroplane Company over the
long -distance telephone, and Mr.. Cur
tiss assured the army flyer that he
would give him the best machine ne
could turn out. Lieutenant ATnolu
and Lieutenant Milling got into COM
municaticn with the Burgess-Wright
people at Marblehead, Mass, and they
were assured that they could have
their pick Of machines in the factory
there.
The army flyers will enter the meet as
individuals and will be entitled to COM
pete in all races during the meet.
Chances for the army men to come
back to Washington the winners of
many laurels are good, for Captain
Beck ranks as one of the best Curtiss
flyers in the country, CHASING along
with. the peerless Lincoln Beachey,
while Milling and Arnold rank at the
top Of the Wright flyers. Milling's vic
tory at the aviation meet at Boston
last week, when he won the $500 purse
offered for a biplane race. stamps him
as a great flyer. As to Lieutenant Ar
mold, he has received offers time and
again TO compete in big meets all over
the country and across the water.
The official list of aviators to enter
the big meet at New York has not vet
been given out, but with Timothy Wood
ruff backing the project it is probable