New-York tribune., 1921-10-08
SeaIola,ae Flies
Is 8 & Miles i'm
Eighty Minutes
Craft, Carrying Four, Sets
Record for Its Glass i'm
Flight From Aberdeen,
Md, to Port Washington
Clifford Webster Pilot
Travelled at Height of 10, 900
Feet; Same Machine Had
Made the Altitude Mark

A new world record for seaplanes
was established yesterday when a
Looming flying yacht flew from Aber-
deem, Nd, to Port Washington, L. T.,
distance Of 1888 miles, in eighty min
utes, more than two miles a minute
The distance from Philadelphia to the
Battery, eighty eight miles, was COW
cred in thirty-two minutes
Clifford Webster, pilot Of the ma
chine, was handicapped by strong wind
currents which made it necessary for
him to fly at an altitude OF 10000 feet.
He said last night that he found favor
able flying conditions at that altitude.
The usual altitude for such speed per
formances is between 1900 and 5000
feet.
Four Make Trip
Those who made the journey were
Grover Looming, designer and builder
of the machine; Il. c. Richardson,
commander of one OF the NC flying
boats in the transatlantic race; a
mechanician and Webster, the pilot.
The distance from Aberdeen to Port
Washington was covered yesterday
morning, but strong headwinds made il
difficult for the plane TO make it.
highest speed.
"We left Aberdeen, where had been
called on business, at $40 in the after
not TO follow the water route generally
used By aeaplanes, but to take the di-
rect land route back TO Port Washing
ton. We had made many tests with
the fiving boat and believed that it
could negotiate the distance without
any trouble.
"For a short distance We flew at =
height Of 1000 feet, but the pilot ex-
perielsced difficulty with a strong wind
current, which made it difficult to pet
the desired speed out Of the plane. He
decided to climb TO 10000 feet to ind
If the air was better there We
mounted the 5000 feet at the rate Of
1000 feet minute.
Ideal Conditions at 10000 Feet
Here we found conditions ideal
There was q good tail wind which en-
abled US TO go forward with increased
speed. We travelled the distance be-
tween Aberdeen' and PHILADELPHIA in q
half hour. Thlrty-two minutes after
We left Philadelphia we were over the
bdNcSIS. II - HOItH NOtlnG that had
anything gone wrong with our engine
we could have glidcd from the height
wc maintained to waterway landing
spot with perfect safety.
owe could have clipped a few min
utes from our time, if it were not for
the necessity OF coming down from
10000 feet I feel certain that the fiv-
ing boat can better that time and hang
up new record which will remain Tor
some time"
The boat was the same one used in
establishing O. new altitude record FOR
flying era of its kind on August Ia,
With three passengers and a pilot it
climbed 1850 feet in forty-eight min
utes. Former Lieutenant Commander
David McCulloch, who was pilot of the
NC-3 in it's attempt 20 cross the At
lantic, was at the helm. Mr.. Looming
Lad islags D'Orcy and /. r. Grumman
we're the passengers. The flight was
made 1T Port Washingt ton.
mr. Looming said afterward that the
machine could easily have climbed 49,
900 feet, but the pilot vas forced to
descend because Of the temperature.
The thermometer registered 23 degrees
below zero at the peak Of the climb,
when the ground tpmpcrature vas Is.