Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-01-17
american Air Records
T is fitting that America. the birthplace

T is fitting that America, the birthplace of
the heavier-than-air flying machine
should continue her advancement after
the World WAR and produce in the year 1921
four important new air records.
On August 16, Looming monoplane es-
tablished an altitude and efficiency record
for flying boats hen it rose to a height of
19 500 feet with four passengers.
On September 28, Lieutenant J. A. Nc
Cready, Of the Army Air Service, established
new altitude record for the airplane by
rising to a height of $4,000 feet at Dayton,
Ohio. The highest previous record, of 3d.
ia feet, was made by Major Rudolph Schroe-
der, also of the Army Air Service.
On November 8, at Omaha, Nebraska, Bert
Acosta established a new speed record for a
closed course, by driving Curtiss machine
at average speed Of 1857 miles per hour
for a distance of $50 miles in the Pulitzer
trophy race.
These three notable records eliminated on
December 20 in a most amazing nonstop
record by Edward Stinson and L. oyd Bertaud.
formerly of the Army Flying Corps, who
drove an American-made monoplane designed
from a German machine for a continuous
period of 26 hours, 10 minutes and IS Sec
|onds.
Their flight was two hours and % seconds
longer than the previous longest flight, which
was made by Broussoutrut and Bernard,
French flyers, in France in June, 1920.
Although no re ;ord was kept by Stinson
and Bertaud of he distance they covered,
it estimated that they flew, at least
$500 miles, basel upon the amount of fuel
consumed and record of their speed.
During part their flight they drove at
speed of ninety-five miles an hour against
a gale blowing seventy miles an hour, in
binding snowstorm, al temperature below
zero, with snow and hail ana oil from their
motor tearing at their faces. practically blind
ing them
TLoir f1iohf re hon tvs v hnn
covering $500 miles, was longer than Hawk
er's flight from Newfoundland to Ireland. 1t
was longer than the transatlantic flight OF
the late Captain Alcock and Lieutenant Ar
thur w. Brown. 1t was longer than the
flight of the United States Navy aviators
across the Atlantic.
Undoubtedly this marvellous achievement
presages the development of airplanes capa-
BILE of sustaining themselves in flights across
the Atlantic and across the American CONT
nent. On trans-I ontinental flights 1t will
not be necessary for machines to keep them
selves continuously in the air. as they can
come down at landing fields to replenish
their fuel and make motor adjustments.
Transatlantic flying, of course, must be
undertaken without these advantages.
The United States government unlike
many governments in Europe, appropriates
little if any funds to aid inventors or de-
velop inventions. American initiative is
relied upon to make it's own way and fl
nance it's own projects, no matter how dis
couraging and difficult tie upward climb.
The government since the war has practically
deserted the airplane except for Army use,
though the American people were keenly
enthusiastic in the prospect Of great Air
Service for carrying the mails. which could
be diverted to military uses in the event Of
war.
Yet IN spite Of these drawbacks. American
invention, American daring and American
enterprise have continued to go forward
so that four of the most important air rec
ords are now held by the country where
the airplane was first made a reality by the
Wright brothers in 1908.