The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-09-28
GIANT CAPRONI GIVES
CITY FOLK THRILL
Twelve Wise Men Go to See
Gotham in Liberty Mo-
tored Air Ship.
DAY OF DOINGS ALOFT
At Mitchell Field Maj. Zen.
Kenly Scars Inspecting 75
Other Craft A-wing.

Really the only way to see New Yorl
f. to crouch between tho two gas tanks
not far--not far enough-from the nost
OF the new American made Liberty mo.
tored, bombing Caproni airplane and
inspect our TOULOUSE city from on high
80 situated one never. never will cart
whether the Forty-second street shut
tie ever resumes shutting or bother his
head over the prospect of two cent
transfers on Mr.. Shonts's earthbound
street cars.
The three Liberties click sweetly to-
gether At least II Is to be assumed
they click. as such sweet tempered mo-
tors should do. but much nearer al
arms length from the tourist between
the gas tanks, the two forward propel-
lers roaring in concert with the real
one the "pusher." beating out tumul'
that would shame a thousand subway
expresses, bending the ear drums de-
spite cotton wadding and helmet ear
laps silence the engines. One shouts
and Ane can't hear himself Your vocal
cordsN seem incapable of vibration. But
one can see--oh. one can see-and feel
Twelve Passenger in All.
It's all been written about and an
alyxed down to the last flicker of SEN
sation. It's an old story now. But to
be there oneself. to be one of twelve
men riding a Caproni over the city to
look down at the gapers in City Hall
Park instead Of being one of them. az
usual. to share even as a wingless pas
senger in the making Of an aviation
record or two and to hear those Italians
talk about the American made Liberty
motor before the Journey starts and
when it ends-Italians who have sailed
over the Matterhorn and bombed the
Austrians--well. there were twelve men
In yesterdays skyshooting jury, and
without leaving the box they returned
q verdict of guilty on every count
against everybody who has a chance to
take a Caproni ride and doesn't take IT,
Two italian officers sat at the twin
hand wheels. One was Capt. Ueo d An
nunzio. whose father, Gabrielle d'Annun-
zio. poet and aviator. only yesterday few
from Venice to Paris. The other was
the pilot OF this Caproni. Lieut.. Giuliano
Parvis. Above the Statue OF Liberty the
biplane stood on its ear so that an in
suitable movie man. a glutton for pun
ishment, could shoot the bay and the
silly little ships thereon with his camera
shooting straight downward.
At this precise moment Capt d'Annun.
Eio wrote on the scratch pad which ap-
pears to be an essential part Of aviation
equipment: Are you enjoying your
self?'' and passed the note to THE Sun
reporter. But as the Captain wouldn't
give Up his pencil for more or less justi-
fed fear that it might fall overheard and
nick one Of the precious propeller blade.
the question never was answered and
never will be In public.
Again, when the Caproni was over
eome kind of pockmark on the map OF
Long Island in the general region OF
Garden City Lieut.. Parvis pulled some.
thing and the mammoth plane pitched
Into another OF those wicked spirals
which cause the sun to appear where
one knows the earth ought to be because
one had Just seen II there. The engines
were shut off-all three OF them, 30 that
the propellers merely huffed the air In
stead Of pounding the life out OF It.
And the Pilots Laughed.
Between THE SUNS witness and the
chetkerboard which is Long Island. there
was nothing but a cylinder Of gasolene
which he certainly had been told he
mustn't touch under any circumstances
II looked as II somebody else would
have to find out the first name of the
patrolman that reached the spot first
and notified the Coroner and fix I'D the
casualty list. But glance at those two
Italians right there In front-how re-
assuring! Parvis, with one hand on his
wheel. was waving with the other
D'Annunzio was shouting something
through Parvis's left ear lap. Both were
laughing.
''why did you stop out there near
Garden City and do that tumble?' one
of the passengers asked Lieut.. Pary,s
when n was all over.
"Oh. that? Why. I see a pretty girl
YER pretty girl, and SO, naturally, ]
salute"
Fastening to the facts OF what took
place. yesterday was big day In Ameri-
can aviation. In the first place, Major
Gen. William l.. Kenly. chief of the
United States Air Service, reviewed al
Mitchell Field seventy-si& machines in
simultaneous flight. Ths sky was alive
With, with what hat, is Is, said have been the
calls them. that has been seen In this
country.
They were trotted out Of their han
gars and lined up, seventy-six abreast
Before each plane stood its pilots and
mechanics and ground force. at atten-
tion. while Gen. Kenly TAXED UP and
down the shining row. first behind the
fleet. then in front OF II, like an Admiral
reviewing his feet. Beside him sat Col
e. X. Rhinehart. commandant OF the
Long Island flying fields, plotting the
Generals robins egg blue machine
which they call the Blue Bird Then the
Blue Bird took wing. and one after an
other the seventy-six in the group that
was being subjected to inspection sprang
into the air
Birds of All Feathers.
In a moment or two they were all I'D.
There were CurtIsses OF several types
De Havilands with Liberty Motors. fleet
little fighting Spads and Nieuports. a
THOMAS Morse scout and others that
America is using or trying. They we're
Of all colors. In the air the colors COM
bined as II by mutual attraction. The
reds Joined the reds the blues the blues
and so on. That was the different squad
IONS getting together. each squadron
having It's own color. Gen. Kenly whizzed
up and down scrutinizing the splendid
spectacle.
The squadrons split into groups of Ave
each. the commonest flying formation.
Some groups went sailing off for their
daily stint. Others settled to the ground
The new Caproni came over from Hazel
hurst Field and had a look. new
Handley-Page bombing plane. the Lang
ley, driven by two Liberty motors,
screamed past. These monsters lumber
as compared with the smaller machines
which Gen. Kenly was inspecting, but
they certainly helped to top of a good
show.
The second Official event was the FIRST
Government test, under Gen. Kenly 8
49, H. II