Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1916-03-01
FORMER DECORATE GIRL RIDES
IN AEROPLANE.
Misses Ruth Harvested, Formerly
OF This City, and Alice Quire Des-
cribe Sensations After Flight
in ''Made in Iowa" Biplane
at Grinneil.

We take the following from Fri
days Des Moines Capital, which viii!
be of interest to Decorahians. Miss
Tarvestad is daughter of Mr.. and
Mrs. j. C. Tarvestad former Decor
ahians, but now living at Grinnell.
when Billy Robinson, long dis
lance continuous flight champion
of America, pulled his new made III
Iowa" biplane from its hanger on the
Grinnell Aeroplane company field at
Grinnell a few days ago two girls adj
vanced from the watching crowd.
Take us up for ride, will you?"
asked Miss Ruth Tarvestad.
Dare you to-" said Miss Alice
Quire, the second courageous girl.
Whether they meant it at that
time or not is a question, but when |
Aviator Billy said Sure, climb in"
Miss Quire backed away. Miss Tarve-
stad would not take a dare, howev-
er. In fact she not only accepted,
but urged her friend to join the mer-
ry sleighrde in the air. And Miss
Quire consented.
They climbed into Billy's biplane,
which, by the way, can carry four
people, and away they went. They
sailed around at an altitude of 5000
fleet, flirting with the clouds, for
twenty minutes.
And when once more on earth
they were so elated with the thrill of
flying thru the air at seventy miles
an hour that the first thing they did
was to compel Aviator Billy to prom
Use to take them up again. And what
could Billy do?
1T is just wonderful" said Miss
Tarvestad. II never could look
down from a high building without
becoming dizzy. / thought I might
feet the same way up in the air. But
: you don't. / thought the machine
would move in sharp jerks. But 1t
: doesn't. 1t glides along so smooth
: ly that you do not know you're NOV
: ing. l didn't know we were off the
ground until / looked over the side
and saw all the little pygmies down
; there.
; "The ground looked like a great
big map. All the plowed fields were
4
roads looked like lines on map. We
cav no hills. The ground seemed
perfectly fiat 1t seemed to me as if
some one was just pulling mon
strous map along below u.s.
81 certainly am going to ride ev-
cry time / get the opportunity, said
Miss Quire. Il was not the least bit
frightened after we were in the air.
II can understand now why those who
fly can stand anv amount of criticism
from those who have never been in
Ian aeroplane, because those who
never have, have never lived. /
would rather ride one minute in an
aeroplane than all the time want
led to spend in automObiles-and
like autos too.
Some day | am going to have an
!aero runabout of my own. 1t was so
fascinating that l thought we were
lcnly up five minutes instead of
twenty
When the two girls came back to
learth the fever struck the crowd as
|sembled. and before Billy Robinson
was given any peace he had kited
fourteen persons into the air for
lsail around the town. And now the
waiting list is crowded
The new biplane is the hrst ever
made in Iowa. 1t was made by Avn
ator Billy himself and the Grinnell
Aeroplane company will make more
lof them to sell.
!. 1t is like the scouting biplanes US
cd in the European war now. 1t VIII
carry a load of 900 pounds, which
capacity can be used in form OF
armorplate to convert the machine
into war plane, thus giving the pi-
lot and military observer protection.
1t can carry a good supply OF bomDs'
signal apparatus, supplies and pieh-
, lty of gasoline.