New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-07-17
CITING At AN ALTITUDE OF 10000 FEET

alternatives In case the original plan should
fail. In the Gordon-B Bennett race from Paris
in 1913 we started out toward the southeast
and at first tried to get into Switzerland and
Austria. But the general tendency of the cur
rents seemed more and more in the other d.
rectlon, so that we soon abandoned the original
idea and tried to help it all we could toward
the west and north. Our plan then was to
land in northern England, but even failing in
that we still had the chance Of SWINGING
around into Denmark or Germany After
tnlrty-sx hours in the air we were safely
across the Channel and conditions still favored
the route through England. So other plans
were abandoned and we staked all our re-
sources on the final dash toward the north,
which terminated between Bridlington and
Scarborough, Yorkshire
"Then you can't always 20 where YOU want
to?'
No, and where would be the sport if you
could! What kind of game would golf be
if you could always drive the ball onto the
green? Balooning takes wits and skill to play
it properly, and even then one can't be sure.
But this is no detriment to ballooning as a
sport. On the contrary, it is the greatest asset
1T can have. Even, golf is limited to a certain
number of courses, usually two or three for
the average player But air conditions are
Infinitely varied An interesting story could
be written about every balloon flight that was
ever made. No matter how many times YOU
go up, you face fresh conditions every time.
Economy and Extravaganza
Are Both Advisable
By remarkable coincidence, the two recent
races from Birmingham started under very
similar weather conditions. The first night
of each the balloons took almost Identical
courses. But the next day in each case con-
ditions developed which utterly changed the
character of the race. In the first one, econ
omy of ballast turned out to be the critical
factor. Most of the pilots exhausted their
ballast early among the massive cumulus
clouds and had to land in Kentucky. Only
three out of twelve got through second night
and made landings in northern Ohio and On
tario, these being without exception the ones
who had been most careful with their ballast,
and thus able to stay up the longest.
In the second race mere ballast economy was
so far from being factor that the man who
was the most extravagant of ballast the
race. The winner, Lieutenant De Muyter of
Belgium, was the first to land, among all who
really stayed in the running. By going high
early and staying at the right altitude he more
than made up for lost time and landed furthest
from the starting point which is the object of
the race In the mean time, my aid and had
finally done the right thing by going high
We got up over 10000 feet, and as there were
clouds down to 1000 feet we could not tell
exactly where were. A heavy snow finally
caught us, slowly but mercilessly pling on top
of the balloon. By that time we figured we
should be over the western end of Lake Erie
which was not pleasant, as our ballast was
just about gone. 1t was welcome sight as
we broke through the clouds to see below us,
not Lake Erie, but the Detroit River. We
landed few minutes later on the Ontario side.
RoIlo0ninp Is Much Safer