The sun., 1919-04-14
ROOSEVELT FLIES
IN OCEAN PLANE
Acting Secretary Takes Trip
In Machine That Will At
tempt to Cross.
TIME FOR START NEAR
Naval Men Doubt II English
Aviat0rs VIII Succeed In
Small Craft.

tTanklin ~, fOOseNelt, AspihdHt so
Rotary and acting boss of the Navy De-
partment while his chief Is in Europe.
tore q large rip In the veil OF secrecy
which hitherto has surrounded the plans
of the navy to fiy across the Atlantic
when he said yesterday just before hop
ipng into the NC-2 for a trial flight at
Rockaway that the navy has not yet de-
cided which route II will take In making
the jump. The starting time can still
be described only as "soon"-around the
first Of the month. probably.
Newfoundland undoubtedly will be the
atumping off place from the American
continent, but whether the flying boat or
boats head for Ireland. or for the Azores,
nearer by several hundred miles than the
British Isles. Is a matter which has not
been decided, and which will not be de-
cided, according to the Secretary, until
the planes arrive at Newfoundland and
weather conditions are considered care
fully
The preparations at Rockaway are
proceeding at a steady and rapid but by
no means breakneck pace. The men who
are planning and the men who will carry
sou the flight were not in the least dis
turbed yesterday by the news from
Z Newfoundland that two British con-
stestants are on the verge OF taking on
They are greatly interested in the pro-
passed exploits OF Harry Hawker and OF
Capt. f. p. Raynham in attempting the
long hop" in biplaces with only one
engine. but frankly do not believe the
British flyers can make 1t. Whether they
do or not will not interfere with the
oil -y,it Gtatn ax,tp
boat is going to come planning down into
European waters shortly no matter what
happens.
All Experts In Personnel.
Looking at the men the navy has
picked to accomplish the feat as they
stood on the Rockaway beach with the
great NC-2 swaying gently in the back
ground-Commander II. C. Richardson.
who designed the plane; Commander G.
c. Westervelt. who supervised the con-
struction Of her hull Lieut.. Commander
r. E. Byrd. expert radio man and navi-
gator without peer, who has combined
both his arts in wonderful but
secret radio compass; itue.-Commander
Harold w. Schofleld, aid for aviation OF
this naval district; Lieut.. Breese. ell
gineer Lieut.. Comma der Mitscher, pilot
and Lieuts. David Mccullough. w. Hin
ton, and L. T. BARN, pilots-looking at
these men It seemed certain that no mat
ter what happens to British or other
flyers. the navy is going over. They have
the same pep, power and push as their
planes.
As matters stand at Rockaway now
only one of the four NC type OF flying
boats is ready to start on the trip
across. This is the EC-2. The NC-l
has shot her bolt and was wrecked in
the great storm which stirred up the
city recently. the NC-3 Is almost ready
! but lacks few little essentials such as
/ propellers and controls, and the NC-4
I IL represented at Roclkaway only by her
wings. the hull and engines being still at
Glenn Curtiss's factory at Garden City.
Built for Power and Speed.
The NC looked fully capable yes
terday OF starting on the minute for
heaven. hell, Hoboken or Hengland. 10
add fourth entry to the doughboys'
trio of destinations. She is an ungainiy,
ugly looking craft. with queer shaped.
squat hull, which rests on the water like
the body of n decapitated duck 1t
would take a poet, preferably a blind
poet, to see any beauty in her as she
rolls on the surface. But she has an air
Of grim determination and physical
power which would sit we'll on the
rush hour face OF a subway platform
guard.
In flight she Is different. As she rises
from the surface of the water, whipped
white by her progress. her four engines
seem to be humming, Heaven Is MY
b. Hope, l am Stranger Here" or the
water. floating through the air and at a
reasonable distance, she Is transformed
from an ugly duckling to a swan. And
> she goes where she Is going at from
eighty to ninety miles an hour carry
81. ing along with her. II necessary. thir-
teen or fourteen tons, a very desirable
accomplishment for a flying boat with
her appetite for gasolene.
The NC-2 had three trials yesterday
On the first the fiiers has some trouble
with her throttle and she did not rise
from the water. On the second she got
on the water after thirty-five seconds of
rushing up the bay into a twenty-five
mile wind. In this trial she remained in
the air an hour and fifteen minutes. She
travelled down the outer fringe of Long
Island at the rate of seventy-eight miles
nautical miles-an hour. After some
wrestling, seventy eight nautical miles
an hour reduces. for the information of
landlubbers, to about ninety real miles
an hour. or, to get down to plain tacks,
thirty city blocks per minute. The fy-
ing boat sped down TO Fire Island and
came back again with Lieuts w Hinton
and L. T. BARN presiding at the throt-
ties. Eight men in all were on board,
the pilots and two other men sitting in a
little nacelle or boatlke arrangement
swung in between the two planes and
the others In the hull underneath the
lower wing. the ducRlng part OF the
ship. During this trip she rose to n
height OF 1900 feet which Is probably
t-igher than she will rise on the ocean
trip. She made perfect landing.
The Flight with MIR. Roosevelt.
In the third trip Franklin D. Roose-
relt was the guest OF honor, and a such
slowed himself away in one of the seats
in the pilots nacelle. where he could
watch Commander H. c, Richa rdson,
who can fly anything he can design and
vice versa. and Lieut.. David Mccullough
handle the controls. With him was
Lieut. Commander II. f.. Byrd. who had
tucked under his arm a mysterious box
which might well have contained the
radio compass which 1t is said. will mean
30 much toward the successful directing
OF the flying boat In its long journey
across the ocean. Others on board were
Commander G. G. Westervelt Lieut.
Commander Schoield, Lieut. Breese,
Capt. Parker. commandment OF the naval
= station. and mechanic--nine In all
The plane on this trip took ten
minute trip about the Point, but. just to
show the acting boss what lively old
il -l... NIaa DN,l.. 4.