Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-09-23
Italian Auiators, Carrying
SeueralP ossengers, Make
Successful Flight From
Hampton to Capital

"ASHiNGTON, September 22.-Two
Italian airplanes which with a third
started on flight this morning from
Langley Field. at Hampton, Va, to
Washington and back, suffered mis-
haps here which prevented their return
to might.
A big Caoroni bip1ane, which brought
nine persons. broke a wheel and
smashed plano in landing after an
exhibition flight with newspapermen as
passengers, and Fiat battle plane
short Of gasoline. landed In a marsh
on the Virginia side of the Potomac
River. The Caproni plano probably
Will return tomorrow, but the Fiat
could not be extricated from tho mud.
and will be dismantled and shipped
back.
Tho third machine. n fast Pomilie
battleplane. left Washington on tho re-
turn trip shortly after 4 o'clock. reach
ing Hampton safely less than two hours
later.
The airplanes were piloted by italian
military aviators, sent to this country
to instruct American flyers. Their ar
rival hero and exhibition flights wero
watched by thousands, including gov
ernment officials and army and navy
aviators. Tho pilots executed many
maneuvcrs now common on tho Euro
pean baltic fronts. Ono cfrclinE low
over tho White House strewed nowera
along tho lawn.
SHOW LATEST TACTICS
OF AERIAL BATTLE
All tho aviators demonstrated to
Washington the latest tactics of aerial
battle. Over the tops OF houses they
SKINNED. High in tho clouds they ap-
parently lost control and went off tho
wing" In swirling. horrifyins falls, only
to bring up In a safe and graceful
curve. They pointed theirsnoses straight
for tho earth and plunged down. down.
down, until It seemed certain they were
plunging into the green sward OF Po-
, tomac Park. only to turn up gracefully
at the last minute.
It Eavo hundreds OF khaki-clad nr-
ures in the crowd their hrst impression
of what It would be to hit I'm airplane
| withaan; antfa,reraft gun. and OF tho
gymnastic prowess that an aviator must
display. -,
Two OF tho aviators, Captain Tappi.
who piloted the big Caproni, and Lieu
tenant Baldioli. who flow In the Pomilio
with Lieutenant Franklin X. Lane. Jr..
as a passenger, are among Italy's most
famous flyers. Lieutenant Baldiol, only
twenty-one years old, has had two
years service on the Austrian front.
and Is said to be the most daring of
all Italy's airmen.
LANE ABANDONS TRIP
AT PRESIDENTS REQUEST
The caproni machine brought az pas
sergers DR.. S. w. Stratton, chief of
tho Bureau OF Standards. and w. F..
Durand and w. y. Stout, of tho air
craft production board. Mechanicians
and assistants mado up the rest of
the party. Secretary Lane had intend
cd making the fight, but at the re-
quest OF President Wilson, abandoned
the trip.
Tho aviators left Langley Field
shortly after o'clock, the Caproni
machine leading. The smaller planes,
| however. reached Washington first.
The Pomilio made the trip OF lis miles
in about an hour and a half.
The airplanes started at an altitude
of 5000 feet. and when Washington
was reached they were dying above
banks of low-hanging clouds. Through
out the trip, the pilots said, they fought
a strong head wind.
Next week five Italian machines will
| leave Langley Field for nonstop
flight TO New York. On this trip one
of the pilots will drive the great tri-
plane, now at Newport News. which
carries twenty-five passengers.
pASSES UNDER BIG CAPRONI
NEAR MOUTH OF POTOMAC
| The Pomilio plane. first to arrive, left
| Hampton about an hour after the other
| two. and passed under the big Caproni
near the mouth of the Potomac River
| while the larger plane was flying at
| an altitude Of about 5000 feet. The
| Pomilo made the trip in an hour and
half. The Capront is propelled by
| three 175-horse- e-power engines, and
| has a passenger capacity Of ten.
| The beeline distance of the flight
| was 118 miles. Mr.. Stout said tho large
| machine did not cover more than 125
miles. He described the trip as very
| cold.