The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1919-08-19


! l am surprised at the very great inter
est being taken in flying by civilians, and
about how one feels in the air. They
seem to pay more store to passenger S
testimony than they do to that of a
/ professional.
For instance, the night before / left
Demopolis wealthy citizen of Birming-
ham stopped me on the streets and re-
quested that tell him bit about my
flights and to tip him off as to whether
thought it really safe for him to make
trip the next day to Montgomery. He
was also anxious to know if his life in
surance would be invalidated
Now l am not posing as an authority
on the flying game, but have been up
with Lieutenant Steele, who gave me all
of the stunts which can be done in a
biplane, and while I am glad to have
had the experience / do not care to re-
peat it, for the simple reason there is no
special thrill in looping the loop or go
ing through the other circus tricks, and
there is an element of danger.
The trip with Harper Johnson to Mont
gomery was the most pleasurable one 1
have ever taken. The weather was per-
feet for flying, the atmosphere being
clear and therefore from the start at the
fair grounds until we landed on the field
in Montgomery there wasn't a moment
in which we had any trouble about know
ing just where we were, and then the
cloud effects were simply gorgeous.
The ascent from Bessemer with Lieu
tenant Harrell was made with threaten
ing clouds all around, and we both knew
that we were liable to have a mean trip
but it was our only chance to get Frank
Willis Barnett" the pit game, to the
show in time, and so we took it in spite
of unfavorable conditions. On the way
to Montgomery we did our best flying
at height of about 1000 feet, but there
was hardly a time on the way to the
rooster sale that we got above 500 feet on
account OF the low visibility.
For instance, we had settled on route
1t was the plan to follow the A. G. S.
to Woodstock crossing and then take up
the Louisville and Nashville to the Bloc
tons, and make straight for Greensboro
We were flying only a few hundred feet
above the railroad at the junction and
seeing the nose of the ship headed
straight for Woodstock I waved to the
left. but Harrell never altered his course
and went on towards Tuscaloosa.
After going 25 or 30 miles he veered to
the left and soon picked up the Warrior
river, but it looked so little he n1istook
it for creek, and went over it at a
great speed, and it wasn't very long be-
fore we were on the Tombigbee and in
full sight of the railroad bridge this side
of Epes We then changed our course
towards Demopolis, passing over a river
steamer.
We were making good time, although
we had gone out of our way probably so
miles on account of the fog and the
clouds. We were travelling without map
or compass as we both felt that we knew
the country we'll enough to take a
chance. Soon Demopolis hove in sight.
but in circling over it we failed to find
the landing field, and lit in a meadow
near the town The car, which was
keeping us in sight, soon showed up and
we hurried into town after a pretty
strenuous flight
l asked Lieutenant Harrell why he
failed to take my signal at the Wood
stock crossing, to be told that the direc-
ton in which l pointed was so thick
that he didn't care to get lost and was
following the track until he could find
bit clearer sky or catch on to some
place which he knew to guide by.
aughingly told him that 1 believed he
vas taking a census of the cemeteries
along the route for it seemed to me that
we flew over a score or more.
I had the privilege Of flying from De-
mopolis to Tuscaloosa with Lieutenant
Trotter, one of the best pilots in the
game. or l might not have been alive to
write this story of the trip We got
good start and the air for awhile was
fine. The sun was shining and the coun-
try below was a perfect picture, with
the green grass, the brown ploughed
fields and the white lime rocks and the
Well kept homes.
/ noticed the ship began to pitch for
ward and to roll. and l couldn't under
stand why, as everything around me
seemed perfectly lovely. We flew low
at Epes to read the station sign and
then went up to height of a little over
1000 feet and headed south for Livings-
ton, where we Topped and returned to the
Tombigbee river. We had been up in the
air over an hour and it looked like we
would soon be in Tuscaloosa after a fine
flight with the exception of a bit too
much motion
Soon we began to strike cloud banks
and would dive through them or climb
over them, but within five minutes the
whole heavens changed to a threatening
aspect. 1t was no longer possible to
dodge, dive under or climb over the
clouds, for the horizon became a black
inverted bowl which seemed closing down
on us. The rain began to beat against
he shin and tho forca of 49,,