The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-07-19
MEN. WOMEN
 AND THINGS

this column in order that it may be read by wide circle of my friends.
 experienced absolutely no dizziness or any unpleasantness whatever, but on the contrary the sensation was most pleas urable. The only trouble being I have lost any desire to walk, ride horseback, drive spirited team or motor. The tnlng which now appeals to me is flying.
 Now this is really no exageration, but IS piain statement of fact. I only hope that airships will come into vogue as quickly as did automobiles. and that air routes will be mapped out for regular traffic, and that the fares will not be prohibitive. for I want to make use of them on every possible occasion when I have to travel.
 Speaking as layman without any technical knowledge on the subject. the thing which stands in the way at pres ent of their becoming popular among men who are willing to take chance is the lack of provision for landing places. I learned one thing, however and that is 1t is much easier to land in small space than it is to rise from one. It takes noom to get good start.
 Wednesday morning we had to go by and carry some gasoline down to the fair grounds, and when I got there my son, Frank Willis was on hand to sec me off He took great interest in watch ing the preparation for the flight. The gasoline was strained through a chanois skin into the tank. Great care must be used to see that no trash gets into the engine to clog it, for when one is thou sands of feet up in the air there is no chance to fix balky piece of mechanism.
 
 think I rather gave Harper Johnson shock when I appeared on the scene with my walking stick, for he inquired | rather anxiousIy if expected to carry | it I told him that I had brought it in case that I had to get out and walk or could use it for crutch if we had an | accident. He laughingly replied that if it was necessity he would store it some where. I had simply expected to poke it through passing clouds.
 | Although was in a hurry told him to take plenty of time to warm up his engine, as had the afternoon before seen a machine fall because it had not been sufficiently tuned up, and did not want I to have similar experience happen to us as I had date I wanted to be sure | a n6 T f,,+ passenger who was told by the pilot if 1 he was not in too big hurry he would l like to repair several guy wires which had come loose. Don't hurry on my ac- count" said he
 l We got beautiful start. The rise was gradual, but we were going strong all the time. In a few minutes we were above Oxmoor furnace, and it had the ap- pearance of pipe organ. Then we skinned over "Bracewood," the lovely country home of MT Barrett on Shades mountain, and he and Mrs. Barrett waved at me while Edward was dancing with joy at the thought of his partner who road in car to Andalusia with him was flying high above him.
 The Cahaba river bridge came in sight so soon that I could hardly realize it.
 I looked at my watch and we had made it in about 10 minutes Then Helena showed on the map, and it was a joy to fly high above our Baptist mountain at Pelham Heights. Calera hove in sight with it's railroad yards. and I congratu- lated myself that had lived long enough to get through it without having to stop. Very much to my surprise we were soon skirting the Coosa river. We never got closer than five miles to it, but it was a petty sight as it wound its tortuous way towards the sea. The great dam out from Clanton attracted my attention, for it seemed like great comb as the yellow water flowed over it. We got near enough to Columbiana to see it, and . Wetumpka was in plain view.
  One of the prettiest bits of scenery ] saw was at Speigners. The lake looked like small pond and the dead trees in
 the upper part of it had the appearance
 of bean poles- The pecan orchard from
 above showed to fine advantage, and the growing crops and the well titled fields P and the homes plotted out the prisor 3 walls, and no one would have been able to imagine that beneath us in such g e lovely spot men were prisoners.
 The Alabama river came into view wher . we were miles away. I could easily set
 the railroad bridge. The first thing t,
 rise above the city of Montgomery wa T the state capitol with its white dome. e had flown high above 1t with the darS
 devil Steele, who put me through tn,
 third degree in the heavens. I was III
 in a raref1ed atmosphere, but I knev
 that in a short while I would be in thu
 midst of turmoil where a great issue wa
 being fought out.
 The country is beautiful from aloft but great city also has its fascina tion when seen from the clouds, for i is continually sending up it's spirals o smoke. Next to the capitol the mos d the sky is the First Baptist church, bull : out of white marble with it's bright til
 roof. Then the skyscrapers loomed u to break the sky line.
 the field which had picked out as tn
 place we would use to land. It was file iwith herd of cattle; I felt the airsh q lower and lower and lower it went l l liar xxyoS Civ1p