The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1922-01-06
EDWARD STINS0h WINS
WORLDS CHAMPIONSHIP

Stinson, city electrician and long.
time citizen of Aberdeen. has won
the worlds record for nonstop
| flight in a heavier-than-a machine.
The previous record was "a hours.
19 minutes and seconds. made by
two Frenchmen., Edward Stinson
! beat this record. staying in the air
26 hours. 19 minutes and 35 Sec
onds. He made this flight in a
heavy snowstorm. A description of
the fight. given by Stinson himself
to the Associated Press. follows:
Our first four hours IN the air
were flown between so and rs feet
above the ground. The snowstorm
was so heavy that we could not go
any higher and see the earth.
We were flying on 4he ragged
edge at about 50 miles an hour. If
we, had cut the number of revolu-
tions we would have lost our alti-
tude. and if we had increased them
we would have used too much pow
er for an endurance flight.
A strong Northwestern followed
the snowstorm, and it was hard,
bumpy flying all afternoon. From
sundown to 8 O'clock the weather
was fine but cold. Then the gale
came. The wind was so stiff and
the ship 80 heavy that when she
slid off an even keel we both had
to grab the controls and exert all
our energy to get her back on the
level.
The motor ran beautifully and
never missed a sh, t, but the ex-
haust pipe. usually burning hOt,
felt barely warm to the touch.
About midnight our fingers be-
came numb. but except for the cold
everything went well until about 2 /
o'clock. when the oil became so
chilled that it was like grease and
the pump could not force it into the
Iubricating ss.em.
At daynresk. when it seemed |
colder than ever. the radiator shut |
ters iammed, but we got around
that by retarding the spark. which
kept the engine warm.
1t would have been great in
balmv June weather, but never
again in the winter time
Stinson was forced to descend be-
cause of a faulty oil connection.
with which he and his mechanician.
Lloyd Bertaud, bad battled since 3
o o'clock in the morning. They still
had gas enough to have flown until
The pump used to inject oil into
the lubricating system from the aux
iliary oil tank went out of commits
sion at O'Clock The flyers pune
tured the tank, set up temporary
tube and began feeding the lubri-
eating system by hand, taking turns
at the control of the plane and at
the oil tank.
Both men were almost blinded by
oil when they descended. In addi-
tion. they were suffering intensely Il
from the bitter cold. for although
the plane was equipped with cab
in, Stinson had not left his seat in
the open cockpit since 4 D. M. and /
his mechanician found little. time
to seek shelter.
Three fingers of Stinson's right Il
hand and one ON his left were froz-
en-. Bertaud's hands were numb.
The official times were: Start on
Thursday morning at S:5S:15; fin
ished Friday morning at 11:17:50.
Stinson. stationed at Kelly Field, II
Texas. during the, war as a civilian
instructor because of his delicate
health. probably trained more Amer
can flyers than any one man.
Unexcelled as a stunt flyer, he is
proud of never having fallen during
MS ten years in the air He is cred
ted with not even having broken
part on a plane.
The love of flying runs in the
family, for two sisters, Marjorie and
Catherine. also are adept pilots.