Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1916-02-03
Flight OF lST
AERO SQUADRON
GREAT SUCCESS
Machines Made $50 Mile Trip
3. in Texas Without MlShap
to Any OF Flyers


moving of the First Aero Squadron
OF the United States army from Fort
Sill, Oklahoma, TO Fort Sam Houston.
Tex. without a single mlShap. The
distance travelled was $50 miles and
the men made the flight in five days.
stopping a number OF times.
The 450-mile flight was more sue
cessful than even the most optimistic
of the aviators had expected None
of the pilots suffered any mishap. but
an electrician had a leg broken, while
travelling overland. and one OF the
motor trucks was destroyed by fire
at Fort Worth.
Besides the six aviators who made
the flight under command OF Capt.
B. d. FoulOis. there were forty men
in the signal corps and six mechanics
The signal men made the trip to San
Antonio in eight heavy motor trucks
and the mechanics on motorcycles.
The squadron began the journey
from Fort Sill on Thursday. Nov. is,
reaching San Antonio Nov. %, in five
flights, the intermediate stops being
at Wichita Falls (TeXD, Fort Worth,
Waco and Austin. During the greater
part of the journey the six airmen
flew at height between 1000 and
5000 feet and averaged a mile min,
ute. When flying from Wichita Falls
to Fort Worth a good north wind &C,
celebrated their speed, and much Of II
was at the rate of eighty miles an
hour
Under Real War Conditions.
This was the first general flight OF
the squadron since its organization
The army authorities arranged condi.
tions as if in real Warfare Flights
began early in the morning and usual.
ly occupied but little more than one
hour for each leg. Thousands of Tex.
ans waved greetings to the flyers.
officers preceded the flyers and Sc,
leeted landing sites, each of which
was marked by a large white letter
IT. :" The squadron spent the night
at each stop, and city officials, Cham.
bers of Commerce and other organi
cations banqueted them.
In the flight from Waco 10 Austin
on Tuesday four of the aviators be.
came confused, two having landed at
Waco-Austin air line They had fol.
lowed the Santa Fe tracks instead
of those of the M. X and T. Rail.
road. Another landed at Kingsland.
The six men did not gather at the
Austin field until late that afternoon,
although they had begun the flight
at $50 that morning. A thirty-five.
mile wind and haZy atmosphere pre-,
vented them from seeing their way
clearly. 1t is ninety miles from Waco
to Austin. Z.
Lieut.. ]. K. Carberry was first away
in each flight, while Capt. Foulois
always brought up the rear, the ma.
chimes leaving within two minutes OF
each other. The other f1iers were
Lieut.. T. S. Bowen, Lieut. C. G. Chap
man, Lieut.. l. A. RAIDER and Lieut.. T.
d. Milling. All except Foulofs are
unmarried
The six machines had to be gone
over carefully and adjusted before
each hight, maps and topography of
the next leg carefully studied by all,
atmospheric conditions considered and
weather predictions obtained. One
of the dangers of the trip was the
possibility Of collision. Instead of one
landing to be guarded there were six,
and, counting each stop, there were
thirty landings that had to be nego
tiated. The aviator has much more
difficulty in making a safe landing
than big liner has in entering port
| in a storm. Besides the aviators had
to keep in direct communication with
the motor squad every day anu wait
for it to come up; so the trip did
! not lack thrills.
Difficult All the Way.
THE flight was difficult the entire
distance" said Capt Foulois, be.
cause of the high winds during the
early stage of the trip and the haze
during the last half A gale sweep.
ing thirty to thirty five miles an hour
tended to drive us from our course.
Passing over Fort Worth the wind
was exceedingly choppy We found
the weather comfortable at 5000 and
5000 feet
The Aero Squad will maintain per.
manent headquarters in San Antonio
and perhaps take part in border troop