Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1918-08-22
CURTIS PLANE HERE
Lieuts. Young and Gardner
Alight at Mansfield
Sunday Afternoon

Our people were given an un.
expected treat Sunday afternoon
when Curtis training plane
landed in the j. G. Freeman field
adjoining the city. A large crowd
had witnessed the flight of the
plane over the city and when it
was seen it was about to alight,
numbers of onr citizens gathered
in the field to obtain closer
view of the plane.
The flyers were Lieut.. Russell
A. Young of Springfield and
Lieut.. Roy B. Gardner of Mans
field, O, who are stationed at
Park Field, Memphis, Tenn.
They had been at Springfield, to
which place they had made a
flight from Memphis Saturday
flying over Mansfield.
They landed here about $50
O'Clock, on account of the threat.
ening weather, and spent about
an hour here, They left Spring
field about 2:45. While here they
took advantage of their stop to
purchase supply of gasoline.
In putting the gasoline into their
machine, they use chanois
through which to pour it, thus
keeping ont any foreign sub
stances which might happen to
be in the gasoline. AS Lieut..
Gardner says, they can't afford
to take any chances with their
motor. They fly at an average
altitude of 5000 feet and at a
speed Of about IS miles an hour.
Their machine is biplane of
the observation and training
school type, and is a two seated
car, the front seat being for the
driver and the rear one for the
observer. Lieut.. Gardndr said
that he and Lieut.. Young took
turns driving. Both are instruc
tors in the aviation school at
Memphis.
The trip to Springfield from
Memphis was a part of the ttian-
ing of Lieutenant Young. That
city was selected on account of
the fact that Lieutenant Young's
wife lives in Springfield. She is
a daughter of DR.. and Mrs. Will
liam McF. Brown of 1891 Benton
avenue.
Lieutenant Young was unable
to participate in the flights given
at Springfield Saturday after
noon. on account of illness. He
recently suffered the fracture of
number of RIBS in a fall while
in training and had not fully re.
covered from the effects of this
accident.
Two stops were made on the
trip from Memphis. One at Wal.
nut Ridge, Ark, and one at Viii
low Springs. They took on gas
line at both places. The stop at
Willow Springs delayed them,
Lieut.. Gardner said. They land.
ed in a field that was too small
The first attempt to ascend land.
ed them into a corn field and
they had to cut away the corn be
fore they could get out. Their
flying time was 3:45 and the es.
timatea distance $50 miles.
Lieut.. Gardner has had about
10 months of flying experience.
He has been stationed at the av i
alton school at Memphis since
July 5. Lieut. Gardner said that
he made similar long distance
flights from Memphis about ev.
cry other week. They not only |
train the aviators for cross coun.
try flying. he said, but they also
give publicity to the aviation sec.
tion of the army.
We understand the aviators
spent Sunday night at Thayer,
The two army officers ara sub.
ject to call for foreign service at
any time. Lieutenant Gardner
Is expecting a call soon as he has |
practically completed the three
months extra training which is
given to each flyer before he is
called to foreign service. He is
about 25 years old. Lieutenant
Young is 30 years old. \