The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1917-09-29

aliEhtin1 southeast Of the city, land.
Cd nssr the Frisco yards, on &C.
count OF engine trouble. In Q lev
moments the machine arose ssd
went TO tho field near the csyttol.
Eight monster Cur,iv "R.4' war.
planes. carrying sixteen United Stated
army aviaiors, swep, noislessly down
upon Oklahoma City today from Fort
Sill. Eleven planes started on the
II ght and three Of them arc SONG.
where In Oklahoma" ono having last
been seen by several Of the iliers drop.
ping into the Canadian river. y
Howard First Here.
Major {, W. Howard. IN the piloosj
plane, dropped into field southesSiy
OF the state capitol NJ 10 10 o'clock, juit
one hour and sixteen minutes alter
starting on the flight from Fort SUI,
ninety .fke miles away. -Four other.
planes dropped beside Major Howard's.
car at intervals of few minutes. +
The sixth plane put IN appearance
al II Is o'clock. In aligh,ing Il struck
a gullcy In the field and turned com.
plctely over, lying on its back with the
two aviators beneath. Both emeYfed
without irjuries and with the help ol
other avis'5rs the machine was right
ed. apparently without being injured.
The seventh and eighth planes followe6
a few minutes later and alighted with.
out accident,
Ninety MiIss sn Hour.
we had . pretty trip with the wind
to our tails. so iha, we had to throttle
down Our engines" said Major HowssI.g
we were travelling at a ninety mile
clip much Of the time
Among the first Of the birdmen 10
slight following Major Howard were:
Major Weir, leu,, 7. J. s., Fuller.
Lieut.. Will, Boggs, Lieutenant Muir. Z
ray, Lieut. Murray Mcconnell. Lieut.
J. j, Mettick, Corporal George Floyd
and Lieut., J. r. Carr.
The big warplsnes came over the city
from the south, cireling the State Fair
grounds, The army aviators thrilled
the throngs at the Fair grounds. BY
dipping. sweryirg, looping the loop and
performing stunts Of daring that kcpe
the crowd on tipyoe
Return In Afternoon. = Il
II IS planned by the officers In
charge Of the squad to remain on the
field near the ,t,tehousc Until sites
lunch, They expected to begin the re.
turn flight about o'clock and will ~.
back the same route they came, ciSclinG
the Fair ground, II is probable <hsS
they will linRer over the Fair grounds
a short time, demonstrating the supple.
ne" OF the new air craft 10 the biz
crowd that will gather there. "A
The return trip necessarily will take
longer than tho trip Mp, as we will have
to fight the wind said Lieu, McCon.
nell
The planes were flying at a great al.
tl,ude when they neared the city and
could barely be dscerncd. A feature Of
The flight, which surprised those who
had gathered 10 watch the machines.
was the noisele,s manner in which they
we're operated Little sound was Dis.
cernable until the planes were within
few feet OF the ground
IfOwo on fieId.
Within a comparatively few minutes
after the first five machines had
reached the ground near tho capitol, 9 7
great crowd had gathered IN the field.
|, was with grea, difficulty that the GU.
rious one, were kept back from the bio
birds, which they sough, to touch and
fondle "
Much was made of the avistoSs and
they were pressed by persons, who De.
sired TO shake hands with them and
congratulate them upon the trip.
Simple Construction.
The new Curtiss R4 machines are
by far the largest ever seen. They sse
strikingly simple ~ construction anG
present an appearance OF stability suel.
as is not seen IN exhibition machines
The under side OF planes are decorated
with red white and blue stars and the
tails painted with stripes Of the nA
tlonal colors
The aviators were a striRlngly clean,
cut bunch OF men All appeared very
youthful They were mostly from the
eastern part OF the United States and
all have been in the government alt