Evening star., 1922-09-30
|PLAN 2,7(()-M|[E
NONSTOP FLIGHT.
Lieuts. Oakley G. Kelley and
J. A. Macready in Ocean,
to-0cean Dash.
EVENT FOR NEXT WEEK
Monoplane To Remodeled for Use
in Transcontinental Thirty
Two Hour Trip. {
EVENT FOR NEXT WEEK

A nonstop flight from the Pacific to
the Atlantic. over mountains. ravines
and deserts, covering distance Of about
2,700 miles and necessitating an endur-
ance of more than thirty hours, will be
attempted the latter part Of next week
by Lieut.. Oakley G. Kelley Of Grove
City. Pa, and Lieut.. John A. Macready
Of Los Angeles. Army air service. sta
toned at McCook Field, Dayton, Ohio.
Air service engineers have about COM
pleted the remodeling Of the monoplane
T-2. for use in the transoontinental trip.
The ship was originally designed to
carry pilot and eight passengers and
to have normal gasoline capacity of
130 gallons, with a flight endurance OF
about six hours. In preparation for
the long distance dash the machine has
been changed to increase fuel capacity
about skiold. 80 that an adequate fuel
supply for more than 5000 miles will
be available.
Three Gas Tanks Carried.
AS remodeled- the T-2 will carry
725 gallons Of gasoline distributed
in three tanks. together with reserve
water and lubricatinE oil tanks. The
two pilots will be sent. so that they
can relieve each other at, intervals in
the expected thirty-two-hour flight.
Provision for. dual control. and for
. means to pass back and forth from
one compartment to the other have
been made in the plane. which has
also been reinforced throughout to
carry the additional load. The re-
modelling work required about six
weeks.
In preparation for the flight a spe-
ofo of oir n
find the lowest altitude for crossing
he Coast range, Sierra Nevada and
Rocky mountains, as with the heavy
burden of fuel with which the plane
will start the journey, 1t would be
impossible to cross over the usual
courses at high attitudes. The weight
in the ship at the start Will be $500
pounds, which will preclude reaching
an elevation Of more than 5000 feet
VIII Follow the Canyons.
The course decided upon leads
through the valleys and canyons in
southern California for q thousand
miles, following the lowest possible
elevations to the fiat country beyond.
By the time the plane reaches Tucson.
Ariz., about six hours out from the
start, it will be necessary to go up
1000 feet, but the fuel aboard will
have been used up IN that time sufti-
oiently to permit this cllmD. AT
Carthage, N. NJ, ten hours out, an
altitude Of $500 feet must be crossed,
but about 1900 pounds of the initial
lead will have been used up by that
time.
Plans for the trip would bring the
machine to the vicinity Of Tucumcari,
N. NJ. about dusk and the greatest
danger in night flying will follow.
but II the start can be made about
October S, a good moon will be OF
aid.
Fly From West to East.
The flyers will meet the new day
at about st. Louis and should reach
New York easily before darkness again
overtakes them. Decision to fly from
west to east was reached in the belief
that much can be gained In speed by
riding tho breezes from the west all
the way to the Atlantic seaboard.
The weather bureau has co-operated
In working out data in that connec-
ton.