The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-04-06
he Amateur Filler Takes Air Trip Ithaca With Old Timer
Anxious Moments While Aloft Convince
Him There's Crying Need of More
Safe Landing Places for Aircraft

came down again right side UP and re-
ported that although the wind was
blowing a little to the south Of west
tho trip. which was to the northwest,
could probably be attempted They
calculated its velocity as forty or fifty
miles an hour.
Then, after a meal which struck
THE SUN man as highly unnecessary
In view Of the expressed opinion Of the
Captain, TEX" produced strip map
OF the route.
| More Gloomy Words.
ave never flown over this mess to
Ithaca before" he said. indicating the
border line between New Jersey and
Pennsylvania and New York. Neither
has anybody else. It's real mean
country, hills. forests. rocks, mountains
and bunny country. No place TO land in
100 miles-from Jersey near the Hud-
son to Binghamton. But don't worry.
] Nothing will happen, and when 1t does
we'll land In a lake--plenty of lakes and
rivers-that's the one redeeming fea-
ture. Even IL nothing goes wrong We
may get lost In this wind and wander
around the bad country until our gas
is gone. Then We'll have to come
down" .,-
/ How can we get lost IL we've got
a map and n COMPASS ?" asked THE
Sun man, glazing at the we'll defined
States and counties in unmistakable
pinks, greens, blues and yellows.
Tex" also glanced at the map.
Wait a WHILE" he said with a grin
and handed both the map and a spare
compass to his passenger. you've
got to hang on to these and help me
figure out the way. Wen make 1t all
right, but If we don't pick up Green
wood Lake. on the Jersey-New York
border forty-five miles northwest of
here, in thirty minutes we're coming
back. because we'll know this wind
isn't helping us any, and that we'd
use UP our gas fighting it before we
hit Ithaca Are you ready?"
THE Sun man was ready-moderately
ready-so he climbed into the little
cockpit between the wings and very
carefully cinched up his safety belt.
feeling all the while that Columbus
took a very small chance indeed when
he sailed out into an unknown ocean
In real. floating solid boat. Capt.
Gehris solemnly took several pictures
and another officer advised TEX" in
low-but not too low-voice to take
along an iron bar in case his passen-
ger got lively"
Going Cp.
With last glance at the fluttering
white flag at one corner Of the field,
which indicated the direction OF the
wind at ground level, TEX" Marsh Ill
TAXED down the field for the tal-off.
The machine bumped very comfort
ably along the uneven but solid ground.
Then he turned her into the wind.
speeded up his motor to a scream of
energy and started back. A moment
later the ground became suddenly very
smooth, the earth slanted downward
and the nose Of the machine tilted
up into view, cutting Off all sight of
the ground. To the side the hangers
and barracks below could be seen pass
ing beneath. then cottages and farm
houses. brown fields and green ones.
The Bun man found himself facing
circular indicator-an altimeter,
which read 1000 feet. The whirrins
propeller in front OF him >fiung back
at his head solid masses Of air which
{ struggled hard to wrest his helmet
from its fastenings.
There was no doubt about its being
gusty, for the machine pitched and
swayed. THE Sun man took a sudden
interest in the hand of TEX" Marshall,
firmly gripping the "Joystick." Did
the machine roll to the right? "Tex"
showed the stick gently to the left, and
back to ali even keel she came. When
her nose pointed too abruptly to the
heavens he showed the stick forward
1t seemed silly sort of thing to THE
l,SuN man to trust two mems lives to
the movements Of an unimpresslve
plack stick. He saw that the pilots
feet rested on another control, the rud-
der he knew it was-which turned the
planes head right and left.
Then he felt the shoulder of the pilot
nudging his own. Through his leather
helmet he strained to catch the words
of the man under the roar of the
motor.
"Two-o-o-o-o-thous'- Shout
ed TEX" Marshall "No-w-w-w-w-
leav'-ield. Greeeeenwooooood Lake
l-thirty--or-ba-a-a-a-ack. Co-o-o-m-
pass, 'atch, an ma-a-a-ap."
on for Ithaca.
The landsman realized then that the
plane had merely been circling for
altitude, and that now the journey was
TO commerce. With one hand he
pinned the map to his knees and with
the other produced the extra compass,
His watch showed 3:15 p. M. The
pilot hitched about and looked over
his shoulder. THE SUN man peered
nervously ahead until It suddenly oc-
Cured to him they were not likely 10
run into anything at 1000 feet. A
little below and some hundreds Of feet
behind the other plane hung in space,
its propeller invisible, and the noise of
its engine unheard.
The Sound was picked up ahead, a
gray body of water not as large as is
generally supposed. and confined by
two brown, irregular shores. The
country below was becoming less and
less distinctly marked by hedges and
roads. 1t was fading and contracting
slowly into large scale map. A tiny
steamship was far below. 1t probably
was moving, for behind 1t were two
trails. trail OF white water and a
trail OF black smoke. Then there was
brown ground below again and then
dirty brown houses separated into neat
little groups by lighter colored boun-