The sun., 1919-10-08
So AEROS READY TO
BEGIN RACE TO-DAY
Army Pilots Will Wing Way
Westward, With San Fran
cisco as Goal.
OTHERS SOARING EAST
First Machine Will Leave at
9 o'clock, With Others at
2 Minute Intervals.
OTHERS SOARING EAST

Fifty-five airplanes OF the best Ameri-
can, British and French models, manned
by the best pilots of the United States
Army, will wing their way from fRoose-
velt Field, Mineola, this morning across
the city of New York and away into the
northwest on the longest and most try
ing race ever attempted in the air. They
are bound for San Francisco.
The first OF the airplanes from Min
cola, a Bristol fighter flown by Air Com
modore L. T.. o. Charlton, Air Attache
of the British Embassy. who has been
permitted to enter the race as matter
OF international courtesy, will take of
from the field at o'clock, and the others
will follow at two minute intervals At
the same actual time that Commodore
Charlton mounts in the air, the firsi of
sixteen planes at San Francisco, 400
miles away, will also take off foe dash
toward the Atlantic.
The great race will be started by
Major-Gen. Thomas III. Barry, COM
mander of the Department of the East
The fiiers last night received physical
examinations to make sure that they will
be able to stand UP under>t the strain, for
daylong flying for four OF five days or
longer, such as is necessary in this race
which Is a gruelling task even for the
sturdy young men of the air service. But
all those rim the race are not young. For
example, there Is Col. c. c. Culver, who
will hop off Immediately after Commo-
dore Charlton. Col. Culver Is Al years
old, the second Oldest man in the country
to wear wings. He Is flying a Fokker,
and hopes to overcome the natural cuss-
edness of the German plano by an extra
nf ir
plotting.
All Eager to Win.
Officially the pilots in the race are
striving for several ratings in speed and
handicap competition, based on the type
and horsepower of machines as well as
on a first across the continent flight
Unoffcially every last one of the men
gathered at Mineola Is grimly deter
mined to push his particular ship. what
ever its class or type, across the con-
tinent and sight the Pacific long before
his fellows hit the Rockies or before
the Frisco fiiers go buzzing over the
cornflelds of Ohio.
They aren't greatly interested In win
ming one Of those competitions where 1t
takes several days figuring on pencil and
paper to determine the winner They
are going to be first. every one of them
is plotting one of the two big Martin
bombers. carrying five men and pro-
pelled by two big Liberty motors at
112 miles an hour. wandered into the
American Flying Club, which is man>
aging the race, yesterday afternoon and
announced that he was going to try like
the dickens to win out in the bomber
class, which, of course, consists of two
machines. His broad grin saved him.
There will be another race back across
the continent, but none of the fiiers are
worrying about that until they get to
San Francisco. At the preSent time all
their plans have to do with getting
across the American continent at as
much better time than one hundred miles
their sensitive, powerful motors. They
have also the problem of flying straight,
a very difficult one when half an hour
Of the way to a control station. There
are twenty of these control stations be-
fore San Francisco is reached, and each
pilot must stop at each station at least
thirty minutes so that his plane may
be refuelled and inspected to make sure
that 1t is mechanically perfect.
Must Keep Moving.
Fliers remaining longer than forty
eight hours at a control station are elm
mated. unless held by order of the con-
troll officer because Of heavy rains or
dense fogs, the two contingencies which
man has not yet overcome In the air.
The control stations are located as fol-
lows: