The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-12-22
LEAK IN GAS TANK
ENDS LONG FLIGHT
Army Plane Forced to Land at
Mitchell Field After 18
Hours in Air.
FIANCEE WATTS BELOW
Grows Hysterical as Plane Dis
appears for Short Time
in the Dark.
FIANCEE WAITS BELOW

Lieut.. Ross c. Kirkpatrick. after
being In the air over Mitchell Field on
Long Island since 1880 o'clock yester-
day morning in an effort to make
sustained flight of thirty-six hours,
was compelled to land this morning
at :36 o'clock because OF a leak in his
gasolene tank. Lieut.. Kirkpatrick was
therefore in the air Is houds min
utes. Had he succeeded in flying for
thirty-six hours he would have estab-
lished several new worlds records.
Through tile day the airplane attract
ed no attention because ship in the air
I'm the vicinity of Mitchell Field Is moth
Ing new. But last night when darkness
came. the race between time and tic ma
ehine's gar supply took on weird as-
pcct. The airpiane became shadow
dancing across the banks of mackerel
clouds ,and occasionally cutting across
the face Of the moon. From time 10
time, Lieut.. Kirkpatrick swooped down
in wide spirals. coming to within 200
feet OF the field, only to climb back TO
the altitude from which he started. His
plane carried no lights and was Invisible
except when II swung into the illumi-
mated sector of the sky.
With Lieut.. kirkpatrick was Max
Goodenough, an old army flyer. Good
enough served as mechanician for the
flight and alternating with Lieut. Kirk
patrick as pilot.
The ideal conditions OF wind under
which the flight was made had failed 20
blind Major Arthur Christie, command
ant Of the field to the possibility that in
the intense cold both pilot and mechani-
clan might find the suffering unbearable
and make a forced landing. The men
took with them eight quarts of hot coffee
and a supply OF sandwiches. The only
other baggage was supply OF extra
clothing, necessary because the small
size of the planes cockpit and the fact
that it was not heated rendered the driv-
ing of the machine a cold and uncom-
Portable job
At c o'clock in the evening six big
flood lights were placed around the mar
gin of the landing field to guide the avi-
ators. should they find 1t necessary 10
descend, and to show them the limits OF
the circular route they were ordered 10
follow in the flight.
When the flight started az I 80
o'clock yesterday morning, Major Chris
tie and Major Henry Miller. adjutant
OF the post. as well fs other Junior Off
GERS. were on the field. After the plane
had circled the field dozen times and
the race was well under way. all but
the official observers for the War De-
partment disappeared, and Lieut.. Kirk
patrick and his mechanician were left
to themselves. It was explained thnt tn"
fight was ordered by Major-Gcn. Mem
oher. commanding the army air service.
and that II was expected the aviators
would demonstrate fully what an Amer
lean made airplanc and motor could do
when called on to make an unusual
effort.
The plane used for the test is
one of the Eagle type and was con-
structed at the Curtiss plant for passen-
ger service last summer. For the pur-
poses OF the flight the passenger com
partment was redesiRned for gasolene
and oil storage. and when the ship took
the air its tanks contained $50 gallons
of gasolenc and forty Of oil.
The wing spread was sixty-one ieet
and its length thirty feet Its motto; Is
one Of the 400 horsepower Liberty en-
gines burning about eighteen gallons
Of gasolenc an hour.