Williams news., 1922-08-11
AVIATOR THOMAS
 LANDS IN CANYON
Second Birdman to Descend in to Canyon Goes Pearson One
 Better by Landing onPlateau.

Better by Landing onPlateau.
 Aviator R. V. Thomas who arrived in Williams last week has won the fame of making the first landing ever made by an airplane within the Grand Canyon. He left Williams Tuesday morning accompanied by one of the Kolb Brothers who was armed with motion picture camera, and after cir cling above the Plateau landed safely on that scanty field, with out mishap. Unfortunately, MT. Kolb broke his machine just as he and Thomas started down into the Canyon. The following, taken from the notes of Thomas. tells the story:
 "Got up at 5 A. M, had Id breakfast and got the motor started at !5O. I then spent an hour letting the motion pie ture man take some pictures from different places. By the time we were ready to hop off the plugs were filled with oil from so much idling of the mo- tor. We finally got the plugs changed and hopped off at 9:1O. At 80 the north rim of the Canyon came into view. At $50 we were over the Can yon taking pirtures.
 ''Then I dropped over the edge of the Canyon, surrounded on one side by a cheering crowd and on the other by 5000 feet af the toughest looking country that an aviator ever buckcd up against. The wind changed sixty degrees while I circled the landing place once. The place I selected looked far enough from the river gorge while on the ground but dan gerously near to the jumping off place when viewed from the air. I told the photographer to loosen his belt ready to jump if necessary, said my prayers, throttled the motor, circled over a fifteen hundred foot chasm and set her down just over the edge of the landing place. Rolled to within ten feet of the other end of the field, probably 100 feet from the edge of an eighteen hundred foot gorge. The park Superintendent had a plot cleared of sage brush, 500 by 60 feet.
 The motion picture man broke his machine just as we started down the Canyon. There was nothing in sight to anchor to so we chalked the wheels and started for the top via mule power. Just before we reached the top a storm came up blowing the plane half way around brea king the tail skid and damaging the wing took an auto spring and some baling wire down with me this morning and made me patented tail skid.
 "1 took off at 1O:12 and cir c1ed around over the field till I gained 1000 feet altitude, then worked near the edge as l rose. It took five minutes to climb to level with the top. It surprised me the way she climbed out.
 After circling around near the hotels, snapping pictures myself, and being snapped, I came up over the edge and haded for Williams"
 MT. Thomas is an aviator of five years experience He ar rived in Williams last week Monday, flying Thomas Special which he had fixed up according to his own ideas, es- pecially for altitude flying. He is an exhibition flyer and holds the Rocky Mountain champion ship for accuracy in landing. He has given exhibitions of fly ing in practically all of the cen tral states but this is his first trip to the far west. Only short stops were made at Holbrook, Winslow, Flagstaff and other points along the line. He may remain in Williams for some time longer as he is now confer ring with a motion picture cor DOratlOn who wishes him tO re-