Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-01-13
LOST 1000 FEET IN THE AIR.
Aviator's Experience In a Fog a Mile
Above the Earth.

1T was only a joke" said one of
the officials of the great aviation
meet at Belmont Park the other day,
when he was asked by an indignant
Frenchman If he had said tnat he
took up Mrs. ]. B. Eustis, a New
York society woman, for a considera-
ton in cash.
IF he admitted it 1 would have
struck him." said the tall, 1.-THE young
man in the costume Of Paris. Il am
a gentleman sportsman, not an aerial
chauffeur"
The young man was Count Jacques
de Lesseps, grandson Of Ferdinand
de Lesseps, the originator Of the Pan
anna Canal. He flies for fun, not
money, and more than a few Of his
flights have been spectacular and
some of them dangerous. He has
crossed from Calais to Dover over the
English Channel. He has been more
than 1000 feet in the air in his mono
plane. He has won many a prize
for the fun of the thing. Among
other prizes was the one for the
flight over the city Of Toronto, Can
ada, last summer. He went back to
France, only to return for the Ameri-
can meet during the last week in Oc-
tober. There he distinguished him.
self by flying 1000 feet high in fog
and then getting lost.
He was utterly lost in the air, but
he found himself and came sailing
back out Of the gloom after an hour
and a half trying to see either earth
or sky. 1t was a marvellous expe-
rience, and he was asked to tell some
thing about it.
How does it feel to get lost up in
the air?" he laughed. well, my
dear sir, it is no fun. Men have been
lost on land and on sea, under land
and under sea, but I was up in the
air. where 1 could see nothing
either sky or land, and 1 had to find
my way back to earth. I was actu-
ually lost in the heavens.
"Well do I remember it. I could
see nothing. 1t was black, black, all
around me. The clouds were closing
in so very fast. The sun had set. All
had was my compass. For an hour
and a half I plowed through the
clouds trying to find my way. At last
saw a gasoline beacon burning and
made up my mind 1 was back over
was simple enough. just came down
easily and landed where I wanted
You see, my monoplane is very good
one. If once 1 can see a good place
to land 1 care not whether my mo-
tor stops or not-I can vol-plane back
to the earth"
The young French nobleman shrug-
ged his shoulders-to him being lost
In an aeroplane mile in the air where
he could see nothing overhead or un-
derneath seemed only part Of the
rigor Of the game.
What induced me to take up fly
ing?" he answered to question.
why, simply because 1t was so in
teresting. 1 saw the others fly in
France. and I decided that 1 could no
longer stay on the ground. 1 didn't
want to look at them. I preferred to
go up myself. 1t was Alfred Bleriot's
great feat in crossing the English
Channel that finally made me make
up my mind. l would fly too.
He made his remarkable feat in
July, 1909 I saw what wonderful
machine he had and 1 resolved to
own one. 1 would fly at Paris and
| started out 70 learn how. A year
ago machines were not so common
as they are now, you know. 1t took
until November 20 last, for me to get
mine. Then I started to learn how
to fly.
1.-The first three or four times I ran
it over the ground until I could be
accustomed to the controls. This was
at Issy-les MolineauX, near Paris, q
famous place for aviation. The first
time I was really up in the air ]
stayed for an hour and a half. Then
thought 1 would like to try cross
country flying.
MY bad luck began at once. There
was trouble with my motor and I was
forced to vol-plane to the ground. /
landed in bad place, but my machine
and myself were unhurt. The second
time l went up my propeller broke
when 1 was 800 feet in the air. Once
more I had to vol-plane back to the
ground. l landed on rough ground
and smashed my machine. But I was
too interested now; l got new one.
The first time I tried it I fell eighty
feet and hurt my leg-bah, it was
nothing. That is part of the sport
of aviation, m'sieu.
1T seemed as If when 1 had to vol
plane back to the earth that I could
never find a good place. was always
unlucky. But that changed only a
little while ago when I was flying at
Issy. 1 managed to get up to 2,170
meters, which II much above 1000
feet.
"Ah, 1 felt fine up there in the air.
1t was a beautiful day and my motor
was working beautifully. 1t was a
new sensation; felt as If I was SWIM
ming in the air. The first time 1 went
up at all far l was so busy with the
machine that I had no time to look
about me. But now l had my conf
dence and l could look down over the
country. 1t was a beautiful sight.
You see. m'sieu, in fine weather
an aviator always has control. He
has almost nothing TO do at a great
height except to see he has his con-
tTOlS. IL lie KNOWS Ills IldCnlIe he
has plenty Of time to look down upon
the country below. 1 did not have
that pleasure when l was up the other
day at Belmont Park in the clouds
and darkness. l was afraid all the
time Of a church steeple or a Chin
ney. and / was utterly lost
But if one goes up in bad weather
there is so much to do that there is
little chance to observe the country
beneath one. The strain is too great
on ones nerves and too great on the
machine itself. Bad weather de-
creases the efficiency Of the motor
among other things, you see. The
efficiency of the motor is sl0iled by
a stiff breeze. 1t is all right if one
has to go only one direction, but If
you go to one place and return in a
hard wind, you cannot get the eff
cheney out of your motor that you can
on a day when there is little or no
wind. What you gain going with the
wind is more than lost in going against
ii. On the average you cannot make
the same speed in high wind as you
can in moderate weather. You lose
more against the wind than you get
back from it"
The young Frenchman was all en-
thusiasm now. He wanted to take
out his own Bleriot and fly in the face