New Britain herald., 1921-12-30
Faulty Oil Connection Forces Him To Descend After Being In Air 29 Hours, l9 Minutes And 35 Seconds
This Is Fourth Aviation Championship Honor to Come to Yankee Birdmen This Year.

Press) The Larsen monoplane pilot ed by Edward Stinson, which this morning broke the worlds consecu- tive flying record of "A hours 19 min utes and seven seconds, descended shortly after 11:15 a. III. after hay ing been in the air 26 hours, 19 min utes and 35 seconds.
 The official times were; Start yes terday morning at 8:5S:15. Finished this morning at 11:17:bo.
 Seven judges watched the mono plane circle over Mineola, Garden City and Hampstead.
 Observers pointed out that whereas previous efforts to establish an en- durance record has been made in the most favorable season this flight was made with the mercury near the zero mark, to the Accompaniment of strong winds and snow flurries
 The aeronautiCal chamber of com merce hailed the flight as a fitting climax to the achievements of Ameri- can aviation in 1921, when four world records were made by Yankee bird men. The other three were:
 August Is, a Looming monoplane flying boat, raising to $500 feet with four passengers, established an effi- ciency and passenger record for a ship of it's class.
 September 2S, Lieut.. J. A. Mac ready of the army air service drove an airplane to height of 37,SOO feet at Dayton O., shattering the altitude mark of 33,114 feet set by Major Rudolph Schroeder.
 November 8, Bert Acosta, in Cur tis navy racer, with a speed of 176.7 miles an hour for 150 mile course broke the record for a closed course in the pulitzer trophy race at Omaha.
 Faulty Oil Pipe.
 Stinson was forced to descend be- cause of a faulty oil connection with which he and his mechanician, Lloyd Bertaud, had battled since o'clock this morning. They still had gas enough to have flown until sundoWn.
 The pump used to inject oil into the jubricating system from the auxiliary oil tank went out of commission at o'clock. The fiers punctured the tank. set up a temporary tube and be- gan feeding the lubricating system by hand taking turns at the controls or the plane and at the oil tank.
 Both fliers were almost blinded by oil when they descended.
 In addition they were suffering in- tensely from the bitter cold, for al though the plane was equipped with cabin, Stinson had not left his seat in the open cock pit since D. m. yes terday, and his mechanician found little time to seek shelter.
 Three fingers of Sinson's right hand and one on his left were frozen. Der taud's hands were numb.
 Stinson,who halls from San Antonio Texas, and Bertaud, whose home is in New York, were a sorry looking pair when they stepped from their ma chine.
 No Food or Sleep.
 Their faces were smeared with oil and their eyes bloodshot. Neither had had a wink of sleep since they took off, and Stinson said his only nourishment had been a sWig of cof- fee. Newspapermen found difficulty in interviewing Bertaud, who was deafened by the roar of the motors.
 The niers, both 27 years old, took no particular precautions to protect themselves against the wintry wealth CT. Although they took off in snow storm, flew through bustcry gales and encountered zero weather during the night they wore only:
 Stinson-a sweater and flying coat over khaki uniform.
 Bertaud-a civilian suit, weather flying coat.
 When Stinson landed, he was given something to warm his interior
 Gosh" he said, 'I sure wish ] had had some of that at 3 o'clock this morning"
 Stinson said that he and his me chanician suffered great pain from their hands early this morning. Fin ally they became numb and no longer bothered them,
 The pilot said that the maximum altitude achieved during the night while the plane was circling over Mineola. Garden City and Hempsted was 4.700 feet. The machine carried $50 gallons of gas when she took the air and still had seventy when she landed. In order for the heavily loaded plane to keep in the air a speed of 95 miles an hour was need ed at the start. but as the fuel was used up and the machine was able to carry it's lighter load at lower speed, it slowed down to ca miles an hour.
 Trained Many Pliers
 Stinson, stationed at Kelly field during the war as a civilian aviator, because of his delicate health, prob ably trained more American flers than any one man.
 Excelling as a stunt flyer, he is proud of never having crashed during his ten years in the air. He is cred fled with not even having broken a part on plane
 Although more widely known in (Continued on Seventeenth Page).