The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-11-25
FASTEST OF PLANES
WILL COMBAT TO-DAY
Great Air Race. for Pulitzer
Trophy This Morning on
Long Island.
TO CONTEST IN, GROUPS
Verville, With Six Hundred
Horse Power Motor, Picked
to Win Easily.

Forty-four of the fastest airplanes
that ever flew, including the verville
biplane. believed to be the swiftest in
the world, will take the air this morn
ing at Mitchell Field. Mineola. in a speed
battle for the Pulitzer trophy and a
number OF other prizes.
The course is 40 miles, around a
thirty-hve mile triangle. whose other
points are Wantagh and Babylon, l.. 1.
The winners time is expected to be
considerably less than one hour.
The pilots are the crack fiers OF the
army, navy. marine corps and civilian
life, and are carrying the keen rivalry
of generations into the air.
Yesterday afternoon at the field
monoplanes. biplanes and triplanes
screamed through the air at a rate that
caused blase young fliers to stand mo-
tlonless with dropping jaws. The YER
Vile Packard, whose six hundred horse
powe- motor makes 1t the favorite in
the 3e did not take to the air in an
effort to break the mile and kilometre
records, as had been promised. This
plane, piloted by Lieut.. c. c. Moseley,
is expected to-day TO make about zoo
miles an hour. and If it finishes at all,
even the other contestants admit 1t
probably will finish first.
The winner in the Pulitzer contest
will be the plane making the 14o miles
In the shortest elapsed time. In ad-
dition to this contest, however. the
planes have been classified and will be
dispatched in seven groups Of flights.
The first fight to take the air Will
consist Of two Thomas Morse scouts.
piloted by Capt. II. +. Hartney and
Lieut. Leigh Wade, two Orenco planes
of the Ordnance Engineering Company.
piloted by Lieut.. st. Clair Street and
Lieut. o. c.. Kelly. and Looming spe-
cial monoplane. piloted by Lieut. q. q
Bradley, United States Marine Corps
and a Sopwith Dolphin. piloted by Lieut.
| c. +. Haynes. These little planes. which
which are equipped with 800 horse power
Wright motors. have a speed of about
! $50 miles an hour. a Fokker scout
with 800 horse power Packard motor
piloted by Major c. II. Wash. may COM
pete If It can be put In condit on In time
The second and third flights are OF
| De Haviland planes with 400 horse
| power Liberty motors. They are piloteo
! by thirteen Army. two Navy and tive
| Marine Corps men.
The fourth fight consists of six
Vought v. EFT planes with Wright lS(
horse power motors, driven by three
Navy and three Marine Corps men.
Five S. E-5 British planes. also with
| $50 horse power Wright motors, are
handled by Ave Army pilots in the fifth
flight.
In the sixth flight are two Looming
monoplanes with Wright 800 horse
power motors, piloted by Navy fiiers
! three Italian Ansaldo planes, piloted by
civilians, and a French Morane Saulnier
with little 10 horse power rotary lie
| Rhone motor.
The seventh flight consists Of the Yer
vile and two Curtiss Kirk triplares
with Kirkham $50 horse power motors,
handled by Lieuter ant-Commander w
B. Haviland and Second Lieut.. w. d.
Culhertson. United States Marine Corps.
The planes of the first and seventh
classes are considered the swiftest. but
all entered can do more than lis or 100
miles an hour. Prizes will be awarded
to the winners in each of the fight
groups. so there Will really be eight
races.
Guests to-day include Newton Baker.