Evening star., 1923-10-04
AIR SERVICE HEAD
EFLYS RARL|NG SHIP
Maj. Gen. Patrick Handles
81
+ Largest Bomber in Forty
" Mile Test Flight.

BY STAFF Correspondent.
81 ST. LOUIS FLYING FIELD, St.
Louis county. Mo-. October Mai
Army Air Service. yesterday made a
thorough inspection of the mightiest
of heavier -than-air craft, the Earling
bomber. by flying from Scott Field.
Belleville, ILL.,, to the local field. dis
tance of more than forty miles. At
one time Gen. Patrick, eager to learn
all he could about the supreme bomb
er, took over the controls from Lieut..
Harold r. Harris and handled the
twenty tons of steel, wood and fabric
himself. The fight of the bomber
was epoch making in that distance
from Scott Field to this place and
marked the last leg of the first cross
country, long-distance journey she
has made since her launching several
weeks ago.
Shortly before noon Gen. Patrick
was flown over to Scott Field by his
aide, Capt. st. Clair STREET.. They
were escorted by beautiful De Hav-
Hand from the San Antonio air inter-
mediate depot. piloted by Lieut.. Clay
ton L. Bissell, aide to Brig. Ger. Will
liam Mitchell. assistant chief of the
air service. who carried the writer as
a passenger. After lunch at the
Army's lighter-than- lair station the
six motors of the Darling We're
warmed up, each separately in order
for the pilot to adjust his ear to the
tuneful tour the twelve cylinders
pounded out.
Rises In 500 Feet.
With Gen. Patrick. Capt Street,
and Walter H. Barling, designer of
the huge ship, tucked away in the
tremendous fusilage. Lieut.. Harris
swung the bomber around to the left,
TAXED up the field at slow speed.
turned into the wind ard, after paus-
ing few moments. shot forward the
throttle controlling 2.400 horsepower
roar ensued, the fall lifted slightly
and the twenty-ton ship was equally
balanced on its center wheels, tearing
down the field at more than sixty
miles an hour. With the agility of a
De Haviiand, it slowly rose into space,
all within a distance of 500 feet.
Preceded by squadron of eleven
De Havilands. the Darling was picked
up" after it had gained sufficient al
titude, three escorts to one side, three
on the other and five in the rear
Five minutes later Lieut.. Bissell and
his passenger pushed off. and it was
q matter of only few minutes before
our ship was on the tail of the bomb
er. Across the Mississippi river she
flew. circled now and then by the es
corting planes, and then over the
heart of st. Louis.
Stateliy turning to the left. the
Barring headed out into the county
came up almost even with the field,
banked steeply and settled slowly to
earth. 1t TAXED down to the southern
end of the field and proudly showed
fhrnnUS nm q
largest heavy bomber, capable Of
Carrying 10000 pounds of bombs.
Gen. Patrick was highly elated over
the performance of the ship. but the
happiest man aboard was the quiet lit
tie Englishman, Mr. Barling.
The flight of the bomber was the
biggest event in this aeronautically
charged atmosphere. The Navy yester-
day was quiet, with the exception of
final test flight of the Curtiss tri-
has been a bee in the bonnet Of the
Army for a long time. Lieut.. D. c.
Allen of the naval air station at Ana
costa put this ship over the course
I'm preparation for the observation
plane race today and turned over
q speed of more than 140 miles per
hour. The Navy now is ready was
the word coming out of the camp.
Two accidents occurred on the field
yesterday. Lieut.. Alex Pearson. fly
racer, was testing out metal pro-
peller and engine cowling which few
off while the ship was doing $50
miles an hour. Officers marveled
that the metal cylinder did not fly
back into the delicate tail controls
or otherwise injure the pilot. A safe
landing was effected. 1t had to be
rolled into it's hangar.
A few moments later Capt. Street,
was landing and just as his wheels
touched the ground a tire blew out.
He was close to line of planes, and
they were threatened with COL
lisfon but for a sharp turn which
completely broke the wheel of the
Fiat. The field now is hard and solid
and virtually every plane is set for
the races today.