The Washington herald., 1911-09-07
ARNOLD GOES UP
MILE In THB AIR
BarOgraph Fails to Record
Correct Height.
WINTHROP WATCHES WORKERS
Assistant Secretary of the Navy
COngrRtuIates Army AvIatOrs.
Three NOncommissIoned Officers
Given Rides in Aeroplanes-Capt.
Beck Grazes Trees on Trip.

Climbing until his aeroplane seemed no
larger than a bird, Lieut.. H. H. Arnold,
in the Wright biplane, yesterday after
noon broke the College Park altitude rec
ord when he ascended more than a mile
in a forty-two minute flight. There was
no wind to make the flight dangerous
and Lieut.. Arnold experienced no diff
Guilty in gaining the altitude.
Lieut.. Arnold, taking a barograph with
him, announced his intention OF breaking
his record, but the height-recording in
strument refused to work, and the avia-
| tor assembled until he was at an estimated
height of 5000 feet, judged by the time he
consumed in climbing. While the ascent
took more than thirty minutes, Lieut..
Arnold reached the aviation field in eight
minutes from the start Of a series OF
volplanes and spiral glides.
Assistant Secretary OF the Navy Beck
man Winthrop witnessed most of the
flights and congratulated the army avia-
tors on their work.
Flights of Long Duration.
Most of the flights were long, the short
est being the one in which Capt. Beck
took sergt. James Hartman as passenger,
staying in the air for eleven minutes.
Lieut. Kirkland performed perfectly in
his Burgess-W Wright machine, for the ben
eft OF Secretary Winthrop, in a twenty
six-minute flight.
Three non-commissioned officers were
given rides by the army aviators. First
Glass Sergt. Burt Z. Grabo ascended on
his first trip with Lieut.. Arnold, making
a flight of twelve minutes, and shortly
after Capt. Beck, in the Curtiss machine
caused a sensation when he left the avia-
ton field with Sergt. Richter, OF his stan
of mechanics, with his aeroplane at an
altitude Of not more than seventy-hve
feet.
1t was thought Capt Beck, with the
extra weight, had been forced to de-
scend. but fifteen minutes after his dis
appearance he appeared over the Mary
land Agricultural College and circled
the aviation field for six minutes more.
After he descended, Capt. Beck said he
had missed several trees narrowly at the
first part of his trip, and had for mo-
ment feared an accident. The Curtiss
machine proved its climbing powers as
well as its great speed by suddenly
shooting in the air and ascending to a
height of about 100 feet.
Sergt. Grabo, who made his first flight
enjoyed his trip and said afterward he
was surprised at the ease and pleasure
Of flying. Lieut.. Arnold. during the trip.
tried to scare Sergt. Grabo with a series
OF sharp turns, but failed.
Surgeon Kelly Favors Land.
An attempt to make Lieut.. Kelly the
popular surgeon OF the army school.
ascend in the Wright machine and quail
ify for a dose OF his iinament, was un-
successful. It Is alleged by Lieut.. Ar
mold that DR.. Kelly had cold feet" but
the medical officer offered an alibi to
show he was busy. Lieut.. Kelly proba-
bly, will make a flight to-day. He is the
only commissioned officer at the school
who has not yet made a flight, and most
of the enlisted men have been on flights.
Capt Charles De F. Chandler, COM
manding officer at College Park post, re-
turned to the city yesterday afternoon
after his visit to the factory OF the
Wright aeroplane company, in which he
inspected and saw tried out the latest
models Of Wright and Baby Wright aero
planes. Capt. Chandler is expected at
College Park to-day, and he will shortly
qualify for his pilots license.