Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1919-07-10

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tatives in the airplane flights Tues
day-Miss Ruth Cutler and Miss
Mary Smith. Their personal stories
of the experience followo
BY Mary Smith.
would you girls like to go up in
the airplane?" the pilot asked us.
Would we? We assured him ii had
been our childhoods ambition. that
we'd rather do it than anything else
we could mention but. quite frankly,
we didn't have the airship fare in
our pockets just then.
"Well then. would the accredited
representatives of the Daily Re
Hector like to 20 up for ten minutes
or so? The accredited representa-
tives Of the Salina papers did"
Would we? We gasped, wond-
cred what our families would say,
and tipped dollar to see who
would go first. Heads was mine so
walked as nonchalantly as pos
sible around to the side of the ship
and crowded In. decided that
doors such as automobiles have
would be a great improvement.
After being wrapped up. and Cog
gled and strapped in, the sergeant
thrust paper at me and said
"sign here" gasped again. Was
1t last will and testament or sign
ing away responsibility for your
/ future-but 1t was merely that they
wanted the signature of all people
who flew with them.
Then "Ready" and "Contact'
(words I'd never expected to hear
outside of magazine) and away
we TAXED over the alfalfa field. And
then M. with an incredibly smooth,
swift motion and the thrill Of leay-
ing the earth behind.
Abilene looked like an architects
great wash drawing of n City Beau
tiful, as we circled over it, done I'M
white and soft green and browns
and terra cottas. Down at one corn
or was the silver loop of the river
and all around an endless stretch OF
green and gold country.
Everything that wasn't beautiful
disappeared. I didn't want to come
down. ever. was converted to air
traffic and longed for the day when
hangers would be as common as
garages.
Finally came the slow dive down
and the disappointing contact with
the earth again. And the disap-
pointed small boys who all wished
they WIZ reporters" 1t was the
end of the most "grand and glorious
feelin' that ever came my way.
"How high did you go?" some
body asked.
l don't know I forgot to ask.
BY Ruth Cutler.
Is IT a sensation? Is 1t a thrill?
Yes it's a thrill that comes once In
n life time and it's a combination of
all the sensations that motion can
produce
The climbing in and being "tuck-
ed awav" in the pilots leather coat
land being told what not to touch,
surpasses the thrill which comes in
leaving the ground, which in fact
lis done so gradually that there is no
chance for even sea sickness.
Swimming the bumps and lodging
air traffic cops is the real excite
ment. Ten minutes fly is necessary
to find out how really orderly and
beautiful is this spot in which we
live and to get a taste of what abb
solute freedom means. Robinson
Crusoe didn't even know the word.
Our big half mile race track takes
on the appearance Of a furnished
silver finger ring and our new 500
600 High school building which Is
really in the very center Of the
whole picture appears like a NICE
roomy play house.
Put the time you have spent on
earth and the time in the air on the
balance and If you have lived a.
long valuable existence on earth
YES very long and very valuable
maybe they would tally. Other
wise, I doubt it.
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