The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1919-10-14
FLYERS START
ON O n RETURN TRIP
AT. NOON TODAY
Captain Smith of Pancho Villa
Scout Fame Claims to Have
Beaten Time of Flying Par
son Maynard.

Washington, Oct. 13.-The return
trip Of the trans continental fliers
VIII take place within the next forty
eight hours and Sunday will not be
considered flying day and will not
De counted in the flying time of the
contestants it was announced from the
office of the director of air service
today. The men who have finished
the first leg of the race will not be
held week but wiz be held for 4S
hours at least, excluding Sunday and
may not remain for more than 96
hours. exclusive of Sunday before
starting thet' return trip. except when
their time of departure would not per-
init them to arrive at the .lext sta
ton before sundown.
Refreshed by an enforced over Sun
day rest, forty of the sixty-two orig
inal starters in the army air service
trans-continental race lined up today
at controls all the way from Mineola
to San Francisco, to take up :ne trial
completed Saturday by Lieutenant
Belvin W. Maynard, Major Carl Spatz
and Lieutenant E. c. Kiel, the three
race leaders.
Major Spatz and Lieutenant i<iel
the eastbound fliers wlIo landed here
Saturday within twenty seconds of
each other after a nip and tuck race
across the continent which Major
Spatz is reported unofficially to have
won by the remarkably narrow mar
gin of thirty-one seconds in a 2,701
mile race. were working the return
trip within the ninety-six hour maxi
mum time allowed by the air service
between arrival at terminus control
and departure on the return flight
1t was said their machines would re-
quire elaborate overf<huling and the
fitting of new wing:4 the old wings
having been rendered unsafe by the
buffetIng of wind rain and snow
which they encountered in the flight
east.
San Francisco, Oct. 13.-Lieutenant
B. w. Maynard said today he would
be ready to start on his return flight
to Mineola Tuesday.
Lieutenant Maynard said he would
use the same airplane in which he
flew westward across the continent.
The machine was in perfect condition,
he declared and thought it would not
need any repairs. He expected to make
much better time in his eastward
flight, he said because the prevailing
winds would be in his favor.
Il plan to start at 1:12 p. m. at the
expiration of the 4s hours minimum
allowed at the terminus" said he,
and explained that he supposed Sun
day would not be Souted as part of
that time. Otherwise he would be
permitted to leave today. having ar
rived Saturday at 1:12. Lieutenant
Maynard said he had not received Of
ficial notice that the return trip of
the army trans-continental flight
would be held, but that he was to re-
port to lieutenant General Hunter
Liggett today for orders.
LieJ<enant Maynard said he planned
to try for a trans-continental record
in November with a machine adapted
particularly for speed. and hoped to fly
from the Atlantic to the Pacific in two
days.
Mineola, N. Y, Oct. 13.-According
to the record in Captain Smiths log
book he has beaten Lieutenant May
nard in the tranS-contintental race.
Captain Smiths figures show he flew
from San Francisco to Mineola in "a
hours, 80 minutes flying time as
against Lieutenant Maynard's "a
hours, SO minutes and 4s 1-2 seconds
from Mineola to San Francisco. Cap
tain Smiths claim to be vAtor will
have to be officially verified before
a decision is made.
Captain Smith said that but for an
accid/ ut at Cleveland. where he broke |
several parts of his machine in and |
ing. he would have beaten Major Spatz
and Lieutenant Kie1 here.
A leaky radiator which he tried to
patch up with corn meal found him
arriving here with water flowing free
ly from his radiator. He was anxious
to be off on his return trip, he said. |
and was confident of winning the |
race"
Captain Smith, who claims to be |
the victor in the first lap of the trans |
continental air race, is % years old |
and hcs had picturesque career.
He is a Californian by birth and |
entered aviation in 1912 at Los An
geles as a mechanic.
His first experience as a flying man
vas in 1913 when he acted as aviator |
scout for the Mexican bandit Pancho |
villa in the latter's campaign against |
yictoriano Huerto. He subsequently /
to the United States and
rave several exhibition flights in ma
,hines of his own construction.
Captain Smith received his lieu
SHERIFF ADDS