New-York tribune., 1919-05-19

gained. The undercarriage was ad
mttedly weak, and collapsed under the
strain. Had Raynham been able to fly
directly into the wind he probably
would have attained flying speed be-
fore the axle buck1ed.
Missed by twenty-five Yards
Raynham would not add to the state
ment he made to friends Immediately
after he had recovered from the tenn
porary collapse he suffered when his
craft broke down. This statement
was:
II was just beginning to get lift.
| felt the under carriage weaken, and
pulled back on the control stick in an
attempt to assist the machine clear of
the ground But the propeller struck
and we spilled. Another twenty-five
yards and we would have been away"
Hawker had provided against such
mishap by installing an all-steel un-
der carriage on the Sopwith for safety
in taking off" and a device for drop
ping it when we'll off the ground.
Hawker also had installed detachable
primer and band starting magnetic.
both of which were left behind when
he dropped his under carriage.
After Hawker dropped his under
carriage his machine was left without
any landing gear at all, and should he
be successful in crossing the Atlantic,
he must risk crashing his machine
when landing.
Small steel rails or skids had been
provided to help lessen the danger, with
which it is hoped the machine may glide
along the ground and come to stop.
There is believed to be but one chance
in thousand that the speedy Sopwith
biplane may make the flight success
fully, but to insure that once chance
every mechanical and meteorological de-
tail must be in favor of the airmen and
their machine.
Small Lifeboat Attached
When Hawker and his aide took
their places in the small fuselage of
the plane they were incased in full
length, non-snkable suits This, to-
gether with the ingeniously construct
ed lifeboat which forms part of the
ctwling Of the fuselagc, is their only
means of immediate safety should they
be compelled to alight on the ocean in
the course of their flight
This boat is said to possess a con-
siderable degree of scaworthiness and
is fitted with provisions and signalling
devices In case he alights on land
; Hawker had early arranged to release
and drop the boat by means of an
automatic device controlled by a but
ton near the pilots seat.
Unlike the huge seaplanes of the
American Navy which flew from Ire
passey to the Azores on Friday last
the Sopwith machine is purely land
type of airplane. 1t has no pontoons
to keep it af1oat or permit of it's being
towed in case it is compelled to alirht
on the ocean. 1t is a small biplane of
the scout type with wing spread of
only forty-six feet, and an overall
length Of thirty-9ne feet. 1t is driven
forward by Twelve cylinder Rolls
Roye horsepower engine, fitted
with quadruple ignition system.
Depends on 1s-Hour Flight
Hawker expected his machine to
make an average speed of 100 miles an
hour at the start, which he hoped
would be accelerated to 1O6 miles as
soon as ne released the undercarriage
| OF the machine. A favorable wind
might increase this speed. All his cal
culations, however, were based on
nineteen-hour flight for the 900 miles
to Ireland.
Hawkcr and his companion, Grieve,
n Hoi ;nl,
for "The London Daily Mails" prize of
Soo,o0o to the first successful aviator
who flies across the Atlantic while OBJ
serving the rules of the contest
Under these rules the flight must be
completed within seventy-two hours of
the start, and if the machine is COM
PEELED to alight on the water it must
| get OIL again unassisted
Commander Grieve announced his in
tention Of flying straight out to sea
Tor distance of 600 miles and then
heading the machine into the regular
transatlantic steamship lane. The
Hers expect to land in the Brooklands
aerodrome just outside Of London.
Navigate by Sextant
sextant and compass for navigating the
machine for use with which the plane
carries specially tabulatcd calculations
drawn up before the start.
Heading east into the night they ex-
pcct to meet the sun on its westward
path at time to give them a good
observation for their course to ap-
proach the Irish coast, as we'll as to de-
termine their exact position.
During the night Grieve said he
would "shoot tbs stars" every two
hours to obtain the position Of the
blplane and keep it ON Its course.
Hawker expected to fly at an average
altitude Of 5000 feet, although he said
the atmospheric conditions during the
Hight would he the determining factor
in this matter.
Tho romantic aspect Of the adven-
tnrous fight attracted tho people of
St. Johns to the hangar for tho take
cfY. While nil cxnrcgacd adm;r.+;rx