The New York herald., 1922-05-01
THOUSANDS ENJOY
SAFE SPORT IN AIR
No Sign of Accident, but
Plenty of Thrills at Curtiss
Field Meet.

Everything there is in the flying game
from hair-raising and hare-brained-
stunts to straightaway speed transporta-
ton on schedule was cut loose yesterday
afternoon at the Spring Flying Show at
Curtiss Field, Garden City. Thousands
of persons. whose numbers taxed the
capacity of the field and whose cars
jammed the roads for miles around,
turned out early and stayed late to wit
ness the spectacle of a sky full of planes.
1t was mass of enthusiasts such as is
seldom seen even near such a center as
New York
The occasion was, the official opening
of the flying season of 1922 in this part
of the country. and those who crowded
around the nuge square OF greensward
agreed after the last ship had landed
that the season had certainly been
opened wide.
Only one feature of flying. feature
which appears to have passed almost
entirely away, was omitted from the
program Tha. was the crash. There
was no sign of an accident.
| Perhaps the most thrilling moment
Of the afternoon came when Bert
Acosta, who is reputed to be able to
! fly kitchen table, descended from the
pilots seat on the third floor OF the
gigantic Handley Pase express cruiser
| and crawled into the narrow cockpit OF
most insignificant aerial cootie with
three silver wings. Tho Handiey could
! have mothered a score like 1t as hen
/ mothers chick.
| The insignificant plane. with its tiny
wings and crimson body, however. was
the Curtiss Wildcat. and when, after
( three mechanics. with hands linked, had
cautiously oranked the stubby little
| propeller. AcoSta sent it into the air as
a bullet leaves a gun. The speed with
which the tiny ship shot sround the
field dazed the crowd. Acosta made
but three circuits OF the surrounding
country and then came down. He re-
ported thdt he wasn't getting his revs
that the motor wasn't turning at its
utmost spced-so that he was only reg
istering 200 miles on his speed indi-
Gator, and that therefore II wasn't
worth while staying up to shoot at the
mark set at 203 miles an hour by Sadi
Lecointe Of France. AS no official timers
were present a record could not be es-
tablished. Acosta on flight in the
morning made an indicated speed OF
eos miles an hour and believes he can
bring down the record.
During the afternoon the Handley
Page, after sulking an hour because one
Of les two Rolls-Royce motors refused
to take liquid nourishment properly.
went up five thousand feet and simulat-
ing the enemy. bombed Curtiss and
Mitchell fields in theoretical but telling
fashion.
In an eight mile handicap race around
the water tanks OF Mitchell Field. West
it.r nd
Oriole, finished first Bill Gilmour. Sec
ond. and 4. Henrique. in a Sopwith
Camel, third. Lloyd Bertaud. holder
with Eddie Stinson Of the worlds dura-
ton record of twenty-six hours, COM
pcted in the Mummcrt, the smallest
plane In che world. and found ut the
crucial moment he couldn't get In the
plane with his shoes on. So he flew
without them and found II breezy.
In the landing to mark contest, In
which planes at thousand feet cut out
their motors and landed with dead
stick at specified mark. Milford Simms
finished first. bringing his Jennie to a
halt only six feet seven inches from
the goal Eddie IIolderman. also In
Jennie, finished second, and Lawrence
Sperry, in tiny Spcrry Messenger.
third.
Another feature was tho flying OF an
old type OF Curtixs pusher. the same
machine In which Glenn Curtlss won the
first Gordon Bennett race in 1909 by
attaining the terrific speed OF forty
three miles an hour. Tho old plane was
not only flown. but stun,cd aud stood
the treatment as well az i922 ship.
Noted lights OF the aeronausical world
were present in great numbers. Among
those at the field were Glenn Curtiss,
Major- Ger. Mason NJ. Patrick, chief OF
the Air Service: Col. Harold Hartney.
the American ace. still lmping from a
crash in the Pulitzer race. hut acting
as referee Col. Paul Henderson. AS
aistant Postmaster General: e.. Roy
Keys. Frank Russell s. $. Bradley. Paul
G. Zimmerman. Charles $. Jones. r.. q
Schole. Augustus Post. Luther * Bell.
Richard Hoye. James u. Taylor and Carl
r. Eggcrs. superintendent Of Air Mail