Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-03-13

EALY JOO RNAL.
| again. "A good field is hard tC
find around in this part of the coun'
try"
why, you've had one in the ma
chine all the time" said I, 1t was
q perfectly rotten pun.
There was not a human being on
the horizon. We seemed as COM
pletely isolated as we had been when
$4,000 feet up in the air. Far off
to the right was a barn. Far off
to the left was a log cabin corn
crib, guarded by big tree, shorn
of all its branchesy Lieutenant May
nard set off in the direction of the
| corn crib.
L unstrapped the belt that held
me into the seat, and perched up on
the side of the plane. My wrist
watch was still doing service and
told me that it was o'clock. 1t
was a perfectly ridiculous situation.
We might be five miles out of At
lanta, and, we'll, we might be 500,
1t was piquant not TO know.
Ten minutes later the lieutenant
and several men hove into view.
Before they reached the plane, how
ever, several of the natives came
up from an opposite direction.
What place is this?" 1 asked,
oh, very casually.
| Polk county, six miles from Ce-
dartown."
|! I! !
Crowds and Questions
In five minutes more there were
at least 100 spectators, women and
| IT, n re
women all wearing faded sunbon-
nets. Whence and how they came
so quickly I don't know. They asked
questions, of course. ~.7h made me
feel terribly important by mistaking
me for a real aviator. 1 got lots
of good lead questions for future
interviews. For instance:
"How much does an airship like
this here cost"'
I had to confess my ignorance.
"This plane cost the government
$4,000" said Lieutenant Maynard
politely. 81 don't know what one
would cost now. 1t has the Liberty
motor that you have heard so much
about"
where do you sit when it rains -
One woman wanted to know Of me.
And about that time several biz
drops of rain peppered down, and
[ looked at the lieutenant question
ingly.
Suppose it should rain?" he said.
We laughed. THAT would be
story" said I.
The nearest telephone or garage,
they told US, was three miles dis
tant. Some one brought bucket
and funnel and the parson tested out
his oil supply. There was enough,
he said. How well he calculated
that gas supply, how we came in
on less than one minutes margin,
I've already told you.
At twenty-five &Rdnutes to we
took off again, and at 4 o'clock we
made our thrilling descent Al Chand-
Ter field, covering the sixty-five miles
in twenty-five minutes.
We rode back to town in one of
the staff cars, the lieutenant and L
on the front seat, the photographer
and the sergeant in the tonneau.
Colonel Bailey had returned to town
at o'clock and turned in the alarm.
Automobile Seemed Tame
doesn't this motor seem tame"
asked the lieutenant.
Anything would seem tame after
that" 1 answered. you know" L
went on, you don't seem at all like
a famous person I've read about or
Just some one I've met this morning,
but like some one I've known all my
life. I suppose it couldn't be any
other way after going through so
much together"
mo- he agreed, land you are ten
years older in experience than you
were this morning"
Lieutenant Maynard went into the
air service in 1917, and served eight
cen months in France as test pilot
at Romorantin, near Tours. He
thinks flying the sport of kings, and
says that aeroplanes will be in gen.
eral use, and we won't think much
more about them than we do auto
mobiles, in the next five years.
'..Once," he said, you could hardly
persuade a man to go up with you.
Now they nearly all are anxious to
try it,
I asked him to tell me the most
absurd and most common question
that people ask aviators.
People usually want to know" he
said, what would happen if 1 were
flying over a mountain, lake or for
est, and the motor were to quit run
ming. Many people have the idea
that if the motor stops the plane will
be Immediately hurled to the ground.
The answer that one of tn aviators
gave to a lady on the western trip
was this: We'll, madame, that is
the sad part of it. 1 do not like to
have anything to say about these
matters, because they make me feel
bad. Just think of the many of my
friends who while flying over the
Rocky mountains have had their
motor to stop on them. The poor I'M
fortunate fellows are still up there,
perishing."