Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-04-22
CONEY'S LOG
PAINTS CHARMS
OF SKY TRIPS
Posthumous Document of
Great Filler Reflects Noe
turnal Beauties.
FACTS EXCEL FANCY


continental pilot, just made public by the
Army Air Service.
Lieutenant Coney made a record fight
from California to Florida with but two
stops, each being necessitated by acct
dents to his plane. He crashed and was
killed on his return trip. The report
which is now made public was written by
Lieutenant Coney upon his arrival at
Jacksonville.
Had it been written thirty years ago
twenty years ago-lt would have been put
down as an excellent piece of magma
tive writing, and the action 1T chron-
icles wholly impossible of accomplish
ment. Into the stiff, stilted form Of an
official army report Coney managed to
weave some of the beauties of those moon
lit wastes that lay miles above the earth,
and also some Of the dangers-such as
coming out Of cloud thousands Of feet
up and finding a capped mountain
peak only a hundred feet below.
PAIL OF CLOUDS
MARRIED START.
Scores Of pilots have been killed in
Just such a way-running full tilt into
mountain peak shrouded perhaps in
mist while hurting through the air any
The report reveals that Coney's start on
his Inflated trip was not suspicious.
1T was raining and very stormy" he
wrote. 1.-The clouds black and very low.
The last minute adjustments and a re-
checking Of compasses were accomplished
in a downpour Of rain. 1t was decided
that as soon as the clouds broke to the
west would take off and climb through
the hole and then turn on my course.
FULL MOON ABOVE
RAIN CLOUDS.
Shortly before I O'Clock a hole became
visible in tho west and l took the air.
The ship was a little Ioggy and tail heavy
from excess weight, but handled fairly
we'll. I clrcled once over the crowd on
the field. picking up their location by the
numerous automobile lights, then began
picking my way through the rain clouds
At T:35 I had climbed above the clouds
and was greeted by a bright full moon.
The coast range of mountains was direct
~ below, although entirely invisible
from my position.
PLANE BATHED
IN ARGENT RAYS.
THE weather from Yuma east looked
very bad, the clouds extending from the
mountains up to at least 1000 feet. Fly.
ing at 5000 feet, I started to climb, as
had to have at least ZOO feet to clear
the mountain range northwest Of Tucson,
Ariz The motor was working beautifully
at l 800 revolutions a minute; the on was
steady at thirty pounds. The clouds wer1
all around me, the ground being visible
only in small patches through the clouds
The moon rays touched my plane only
Mt intervals 1 believed that 1900 more
feet would put me above the clouds and
continued a slow climb to reach the
top.
Small lights began to appear through
the broken clouds Those 1 took to be
towns along the Southern Pacific. Twas
flying now at $4,000 feet and the air was
getting very rough and the clouds were
thicker and heavier.
SANDWICHED
IN THE CLOUDS.
"At 10000 feet l ran into a heavy snow
storm. Hoping to fly through it in a
short time l continued on my course
rather than lose time trying to go
around Shortly after II 80 my compass
began to act queerly. 1t inclined to the
eft Il corrected on my controls without
RESULT. then 1t made a number Of revo-
buttons, became quiet and remained In
clined to the left.
The air was very rough and on ac-
count of the extra weight found it diff
cult to keep my balance. In fact, did
make two complete turns before l
realized It,
"A few minutes later l put the plane
In a glide toward the Southeast, as /
remembered seeing thin white clouds in
that direction prior to entering the snow
storm. Soon was out of the snow, but
~. l.. mn
LANDSCAPE SHEET
OF SNOW.
The mountains ahead on my course
were almost touching the upper layer of
clouds, while their base was enveloped
in clouds that appeared to contain rain.
Just before reaching the ridge 1 few into
down current of air and lost 700 or 800
feet altitude. Showing my throttle full
On l tried to regain my altitude but
could not. Turning sharply off my
course. l headed north for ten minutes
md found hole in the clouds below me-
few minutes later l was below the
clouds at an altitude Of 5000 feet. All
charted landmarks had been wiped out,
rs my flying above and through the
snow had made 1t useless for me to check
the country as l passed over.
sOLOING THROUGH
A CANYON
Getting under the clouds, near the
ground, felt more comfortable. Picking
The largest pass or canyon in sight, l
started through toward the East. Here
I ran into a heavy rainstorm and was
forced to throttle my motor to 1850 revo-
buttons n minute to save the blades Of the
propeller.
(Pelting rain will quickly knock a
a.
very rapidly. Raindrops viii make dents
In the hardest woody
Going between the mountains was not
so bad, but 1t did keep me worried, as l
did not know at what turn l would find
a mountain stopping up the exit to the
pass.
GETS COMFORT
FROM MOON.
Shortly after midnight I had flown
out of the rain and mountains and was
passing over fairly good country, billy,
but no mountains; the moon was shin
ing through the clouds. adding greatly
to my comfort. l opened my motor wide
again and climbed back to 10000 feet al
titude The clouds by now were punched
in. heavy banks and from their posi-
tion 1 Judged my compass course to be
the same as Yuma, with the addition of
one point to take care of magnetic devia-
ton.
JUST 100 FEET
ABOVE PEAK.
Flying under or over or around the
clouds, through them only when I felt
sure they were light and small, l pro-
ceeded on. Once while banking to avoid
a heavy cloud center, I noticed a snow
capped peak less than 100 feet below and
touching the cloud 1 was flying through.