Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-05-06
IMMENSE CROWD
SEES THRILL INC
PERFORMANCE BY
ARMY AIRPLANES
Eight Giant Machines Stage
Hair-RaiSing Stunts as the
Thousands of Persons Look
ON in WOnderrnent Below.
PLANES REMAIN AL0FT
FIFTY-FIVE MINUTES
AIbuQuerQUeanS Not Taken for
Rides as Had Been Expect
edi Visitors Are Entertained
at Tea and Dance,

For almost an hour yesterday prac-
tically every citizen of Albuquerque
and hundreds of visitors from all parts
of the state gazed skyward either
from the aviation field on the mesa
east of the city or from points of want
age down town, and watched the aeri-
al performance of the Victory Loan
at the same time. and it was almost
impossible for spectators to keep an
eye on all of them at once.
The first plane left the aviation
field at 1920. followed by eight Others
within a period IF about five minutes.
One of the planes however, a Ger
man Fokker, after remaining aloft a
few minutes, developed engine trouble
and had to descend and did not go up
again. The other planes remained aloft
for fifty-five minutes. the last one
landing at 2:15.
Three planes flew over the city and
dropped Liberty Loan literature. How
ever, they We're flying at such q high
altitude at the time that few OF the
limits. stiff breeze was blowlnc;
end E.oat OF tie litcftl 're was earied
niles away Tie sta h9hi, MI 70, N
Inc snps of paper made them look
like tiny bits of silver as they were
thrown from the planes
Eight Machines Stage Exhibition.
One Fokker, two British s. f. SIS,
two French Spads and three American
Curtiss planes staged the exhibition.
FLYING at an altitude of from 1000 to
1000 fet above the ground. The whir
of the motors was plainly audible, even
at the high altitude and became al
most deafening as the planes ap-
preached nearer the earth.
All of the planes performed hair
raising feats, but the German Tokker
performing alone and the three Cur
tiss planes working in unison perhaps
attracted the most attention The
Fokker could always be picked out
tecaUse of the loud exhaust of its
motor. 1t is capable of making a
speed of 140 miles an hour and devel-
ops 260 horse power The pilot per-
formed the Immclman turn, one of
the most difficult and dangerous feats
attempted by aviators. 1t is done by
the pilot driving his plane forward
at topmost speed, suddenly throwing
it upward and back and shooting
through space upside down for per-
haps hundreds of feet before he rights
the plane.
The three Curtiss planes performed
the same stunt in unison They would
shoot ahead. make the upward turn,
doop the loop and right themselves as
one machine maintaining perfect Ca
dence like a company of perfectly
drilled Soldiers
The machines also performed loops
tailspins and other stunts which
caused the crowd to gasp.
Speed of Various Planes.
The Fokker as stated, has a speed
of about 140 miles an hour. The Eng
lsh and French planes are not far be-
hind. They are capable of sailing
through space at Il speed of 130 TO
l35 miles an hour. All of these ma
chimes were in service on the French
and Belgian fronts during the war
The Curtiss planes, however have a
speed of only about ninety miles an
hour and are used for training pur-
poses. They are not swift enough for
combat work
The Germans were compelled to
surrender 1000 planes of the FokkeI
type to the allies under the terms of
the armistice.
Rope had been stretched along the
left side of the aviation field for a
distance of nearly a mile, behind
which everybody had to stay unless
they had a special permit to go on
the field. a number of former sol
diers were on guard duty to keep the
people from flocking around the
planes or getting in the way and run
nlng the risk of getting hurt when the
machines were ascending or landing
The squadron was in charge of Mai.
Carl, Spatz. Capt. w. j. Hoov
er had supervision over the ac.
tual flying operations The othel
rembors of the party were Capt
,nnIInuaI m Papl. IIrl