The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-04-11
THREE COUNTRIES
PLAN AEROPLANE
FLIGHT OVER SEA
France, England and U. S. to
Race From Shore to Shore
in Record Breaking Feat
Sometime Very Soon.

m. . ,
=" -a"a'Vou aiTp'aHo lhsh'
across the Atlantic ocean may be &C
complished before another month is
NAT Thrao ro-.nE 49, -
H"'o oS0
contemplating the hight, ana all three
have made definite preparations for a
start Franco EnrIapd ana America
-, ~ a."
VIZ race LOT the hohors'
A French aviator. Lieut.. Fontan, is
said to be at Dakar, a cape in Sene-
gambia, on the northwest coast OF
Africa, from where he will start a flight
TO South America across the Atlantic.
Cape Dakar is the native name for Cape
Esrde, The westernmost point IL Africa.
cape in the French colony Of S~enagal.
Lieut.. Fontan will fly 400 miles to the
Cape Verde islands. From there his
route lies 800 miles to the St. Paul
rocks, where a large supply Of petrol
and other neCessaries will awaat him. |
BIS final flight will be $50 miles from
st. Paul rocks to Pernambuco, Brazil
The entire distance of the flight will
thus be LOO miles. All along the route
escort ships win Lieut.. Fon-
tan in his French Caudron machine.
British Machine tn Start
$50 ~
Meantime, a secretly built two-seated, |
twelve-cylinder, Sopwith plane with a
s4b-hosepower, Rolls Royce engine, has
been shipped to St Johns, Newfound-
land, where II will soon start on a trip
TO the coast Of Ireland, The British
navy had this plane built in two months
Of high pressure work with the inteu-
ton Of using II for the first trans
Atlantic trip This plane Will attempt
70 win the prize Of $4,000 offered by
the London Daily Mail for the first
machine to cross the Atlantic, The
sopwlth Aviation company has already
formally entered the competition.
The British plane VIII have Harry @.
HAwker as pilot, and Lieutenant Com
ms9SsF Mackenzie msf K P GTisyS; R. p y, : as
win act as starter.
Distance Is 1000 Miles
Inc distance between Newfoundland
ana ireland is l,9Ot miles, the shortest
between North America and Europe. It
expected mat the flight WIZ be made
IN about 1914 hours at 100 miles an
hour As yet no provision for naval
escorts has been made, However, tho
Iusilage OF the machine Is so made as
70 support 1t on the water, A wireless
outtit has also been Installed in the
machine.
Already a party Of airmen and
meteorological experts from England
are at St Johns taking observations
on ar conditions, They expect to re-
main several months making a study
OF WIND currents and meteorological
conditions generally through the spring
ana summer. Members Of the party
nave been assigned to visit various
parts OF the island 70 fx on the most
suitable point for the observations.
While this work is going on and while
me Sopwith plano Is nearing Newfound-
iShu. ahother plane, \ Tying boat in
vented by Lieut. Col John G.. Porte aud
built by the British government, is be-
ing sent to St Johns to try the flight
across to England. Details Of this ma
chine and flight are not yet forth
coming
4Wiu TRY DiriGihlaS
NOT satisfied with two planes for the
venture, Britain N now building two
rigid dirigtbles. Each will he 800 feet
in length and have a capacity Of 5000,
vlS 1I9lT feet b They M VII be driven by 6SSS
horsepower, and will have a hitting
POWER Of 80, compared with 20 tons, the
largest load ever carried by a diane. |
These planes are not specifically named
2 Tor the TRANSATLANTIC flight, but their
We and strength make observers con.
clude that they can be used for no other
purpose.
The next nation 10 he considered is
America
II has been reported that Lieutenant
Commander Patrick n. h. Bellinger.
commanding the air station Of the NTH
naval district, United states navy. has
been selected to act as pilot In a trans.
Atlantic flight to be begun soon. Lieu.
tenant Commander Bellinger flew over
Vera cruz, Mexico, An 1915, while Next
can snlpers tried to shoot him down,
thus winning the honor of being the
first Ameriran to fly under fire.
II IL expected that the American
I ight viii be attempted with the naval
atTnlHne NC~l, which has been under4
iaing tests at Rockaway Point, or with
another plane of the Nc type. This
Machine has an estimated speed of so