The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1920-03-16
OCALA VIEWED
FROM THE AIR
Team of Experienced Aviators i'm the
City, Giving Flights for Low Price
of Ten Dollars a Trip

Ocala people have this week their
Lest opportunity to view their city
and vicinity from above. An excel
lent team of aviators, swift and re-
liable airplane and a landing field con-
venient to the town, make up the most
fortuitous combination in that line
that has yet been here. A good many
planes have landed here, but as they
were government machines all our
people know about them was to see
them in the air, or possibly land or
take off. which last, owing to the in
accessibility of the landing fields was
something restricted to few.
Fine Landing Field
1t was when the Wrigley circus was
here few weeks ago that our people
had their first chance near home to
fly, and even then they were at the
disadvantage of having to go out to
the Anthony Farms, nine miles, to
board the planes. One of the Wrigley
flyers, G. N. Black, obliged to come
down near the city, accidentally found
a good place to land just west of
days Pilot Keightley has been taking
up passengers and giving them en-
joyable voyages in the great aerial
ocean.
Taking Good Care
We went out to take look at the
field and the airplane Monday morn
ing. The pilot and his mechaniciah
were carefully looking over their ma
chine, big Curtiss biplane. Realiz-
ing that their lives and those of their
passengers depend on everything be-
ing in order, they give the airplane a
close inspection every day and renew
every place that shows even the
barest symptom of weakness. They
could probably take the machine apart
and put it back together in the dark.
They are a capable bunch of men,
all army flyers, and what they have
done over our peaceful town is kin
dergarten work compared to the du-
ties they had to perform less than
two years ago.
Ocala from Above
The reporter took a ride with
Maj. Keightley over the city Monday
afternoon. Being the newspaper
mans second trip, it was devoid of
thrills, but it was a very comfortable
and interesting voyage. The airplane
started from the western end of the
field. TAXED about three or four hun
dred yards and then taking the air
at a gentle slope rose until it was
several hundred feet up. The course
was in a circle around the city and then
another circle over the business CEN
ter. The plane was kept at an alti-
tude that gave the observer the best
possible view of the town. Every
building was plainly recognizable,
and people were almost so. The plane
rode on an almost even keel, it didn't
seem possible for it to fall, and when
the landing was made it came down
with a long, gradual slide, hardly
humping when it struck the ground
AS the pilot of an airship we should
pronounce Major Keightley an artist
AS we remarked regarding a pre-
vious trip. Ocala is very pretty from
the air, and this second experience
confirmed the impression. Major
Keightley's plane did not go half as
high as the Wrigley machine in which
We rode over the city some weeks
ago, and contrary to the proverb we
found proximity adding enchantment
to the view. The town was not sc
much flattened out, the streets were
wider and houses bigger, but the good
looks of everything was added to in.
stead of lessened. A little streak OF
color. at one corner of the courthouse
told where the American flag was
floating proudly from it's staff. Tay.
lor's pond or one side of the city look.
ed like somebody had set out a wash
basin almost full Of water back of 9
dollhouse.
1t was easy to understand why avia
tors find it difficult to locate place.
on unfamiliar ground The different
country roads were plain enough fol
some miles but at little distance the
railroads were difficult to see. Coins
over what We knew to be patch o.
woods that looked thick from tn,
ground, it looked almost like an olG
field from the air. In order to fine
his way over country, an aviator hal
-