Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1921-10-31
Fast Plane
Of Cox Is
Protest.
Chief Designer Of. Curtis Com.
pany Declares "Texas Wild.
cat" Is Too Speedy
For Safety.
Ship Declased Unsafe

An eleventh.hour protest has been
made against the speedy Texas
Wildcat entry OF s. F.. J. Cox, in
the Pulitzer trophy race at the In
ternational Aero congress to be held
in Omaha next Thursday, Friday
and Saturday.
The protest was made late Satur-
day night by Chief Designer Booth
OF the Curtiss Airplane company.
The ship is unsafe" he stated TO
the technical committee OF the con-
grcss. "One flyer was injured in Il
at the Gordon-Bennett race in Paris
last year and has been mentally un-
balanced ever since"
Owned by Millionaire.
The Texas Wildcat" is a triple
planed ship owned by s. E. ]. Cox,
millionaire oil operator OF Houston,
Tex. Mr.. Cox also has entered his
Cactus Kitten small biplane, in
the Pulitzer race.
The protest against the Texas
Wildcat viii be passed on by the
technical committee tonight at spe-
cial meeting in the Hotel Fontenelle.
The committee is composed of the
following: Glenn Martin of Cleve-
land, Chance Vought OF New York
City, A. H. Fctters and G. NJ. Bel
lanca of Omaha.
c. B. d. Collyer, air mail pilot,
is scheduled to fly the Texas Wild
cat" in the Pulitzer race. When told
of the protest Saturday night. he
informed Mr.. Cox over the long
distance telephone.
Pilot Is Disappointed.
With tears in his eyes, Pilot Coli
yer told Cox of tie matter.
Leave it to the technical commit
tee" Cox advised the pilot.
Booths protest is based on hui
manitarian reason. he said.
That ship can't land without an
accident" he said. 1T is too speedy
for safe hop-offs and landing. In
trial flight for the Gordon Bennett
race in Paris, Roland Ralphs, the
pilot, broke his collar bone and has
been mentally unbalanced since"
Cox Willing to Withdraw.
Mr.. Cox told Pilot Collyer that he
is willing to withdraw the plane, if
in the Judgment Of aeronautical en-
gineers, the machine is unsafe. The
gincrs, the machine is unsafe. The
Texas Wildcat" is a peculiar ship.
It is not much, larger than a sedan.
With the arrival in Omaha OF
pilots. mechanics, planes, aerial en-
tkusiasts and publicity men from all
over the United States, the closing
days of preparation for the Jnterna-
tional Aero congress give this city
the appearance of having already
achieved its ambition to become the
air center of the nation.
Representatives of the National
Aircraft association, headed by S. S.
Bradley of New York City, president,
are actively engaged in lining up
their various entries. Planes said to
be capable Of 200 miles an hour are
being tuned up at the new field.
Will Try Out Planes.
Two Thomas Morse aerial speed
sters probably will be given their
preliminary trial in the Nebraska air
today. They will be flown in the
races by Capt H. E. Hartney of the
Aero club Of America and Capt. ].
A. McReady, noted air racer. Clar-
cnce Combs will fly the Cactus Kit
ten"
Every business man in the city has
joined in the work of boosting the
aero congress and the headquarters
in the Hotel Fontenelle have taken
on a cosmopolitan aspect where
financiers, debonaire pilots and skilled
aerial technicians meet on common
ground.
A special committee of the con-
gress is in Kansas City to invite dis
tinguished visitors attending the
legion convention, to the aerial meet
here. Flyers from various sections
Of the country will begin arriving in
Omaha today.