Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-03-12

New York. March 1.-THE U. s..
navy hopes to be the first body to sendl
airplane across the Atlantic. In
Jan effort to beat competitors the nav
recently withdrew its largest a
|plane from the aeronautical EXPOSE
ton at Madison Square Garden. ,
Now every effort is being made at
to start the navy's flying boat on its
]transocean course before Great Brit
aims dirigible or the machines Of any
other nation make the flight.
Inquiry as to the cause for with
drawing the navy's largest exhibit,
1.-THE N. c. I. at the last moment
brought a statement from Secretary
Daniels in Washington that his de-
partment wants the credit of making
the first ~transocean flight.
Aviators and explorers agree that
a successful trip owe the Atlantic
would be one Of the greatest feats
of the century, and the name Of the
pilot making the flight would be writ
ten in histories for all time.
'"The trial will be made in the N.
c. 1. Or a vessel of that type" said
Secretary Daniels. Reports that the
start will he made in the next few
be some weeks before we can start
our flight" o.,
No Time to he Lost.
The secretary did not say that the
arrival in Newfoundland of a British
expert to designate a landing place
for a British machine Of the nonrigid
dirigible type soon to leave England
for this side was the cause of with
drawing the n. C.. I. from the expo
sition. -
1t was learned. however, that the
navy received word there was. no time
to be lost if the department is to get
across the ocean ahead Of the others.
The days spent in transferring the
giant N. c. I. from Rockaway to Mad
ison Square Garden would be a waste
Of time that might prove fatal to their
plans, navy officers said today.
for a t-ransocean flight. Just what
type of plane will be used has not
been. decided. Army officers and
heads Of the aircraft department were
interested in many of the larger types
of machines today. They would not
commit themselves as to the army
Endurance Test Soon.
The N. c., /. will receive an endur-
ancet test Don It already has made
successful flights as far as Washing
ton and other points along the coast.
The navy has four separate ma
chimes Of the same type. The N. c.
n. ais, originally built had an upper
wing span>SQf 1875 feet and the lower
wings had a span Of ninety-four feet.
The body OF the craft is eighty-four
feet long. The lower wing is twenty
four feet above the ground. 1t may
be driven at will by two pilots sitting
side by side and "a carry a crew OF
five men in its enclosed cabin.
The N. c. I. has carried in sus.
tanned flight fifty-one passengers and
has made eighty-five miles an hour
1t climbs at the rate of 1000 feet ir
ten minutes. Commander John H
Towers is in charge Of the oversee.
flight.
The army is building its plane
which will probably be of the Glenn
Martin bombing type, and strictly
land machine with nc pontoons.
While the navy craft is expected
to make the 1900 miles between New
foundland and Ireland in about fif
teen hours. the army plane will b
compelled. say experts. to make it IL
jumps, taking the Azores route ant
landing either in England or France
The naval flight will start from
Far Rockaway. Just where tn
army will launch its craft has no
been decided.