Evening star., 1923-05-27
Naval Air Station.

The F-5-L is the standard Navy
scouting plane and was developed
during the war for anti-submaripe e
pperations. 1t is the largest type OF
plane in service use in the Navy nav
ing a wing span of 1O4 feet ana
length of forty-nine feet. Two iloertS
engines, rated at $50 horsepower 1ur-
nish the motive power. The F-o pas
a cruising radius of approximately
500 miles. 1t is equipped with raolo
sending and receiving sets ana
radio COMPASS for navigation pur-
noses. 1t was in this type oil plane
that Lieut. Commander RI. h. Gro"
esta ablished a world record tor sea-
plane endurace in 1918 when ne. re
NAMED in the air for over twenty
hours, at Hampton roads. Recently
an F-5-L was used 10 transport
twenty men from Hampton ROADS 10
Philadelphia. The normal crew Is
from four to six men. Elshteen os
these planes accompanied the fleet OF
battleships to Panama during the
mast winter and took part IN the
naval maneuvers. Aside from the
900 miles of cruising performed IN
connection with the fight to Panama
the F-5-Ls covered many -. ~ 60
miles of scouting with the feet. Sew
araI Of these planes are in service
at the station here.
Lieut.. L. H. ssnderson, United
States Marine Corps. attached 10 TINS
station, one of the foremost pllots
of the Marine Corps. will attempt an
altitude record within week or ten
days, either at Hampton Roads or
here. The scene of the test mas nol
been determined, and although the
Anacostia station is being considered,
there is a probability that hampton
Roads will win out. The plane which
Lieut.. Sanderson will fly is a Douglas
Torpedo, equipped with lanuins
wheels. and it now is at the Hampton
station receiving final finishing
touches for the flight. Last SATURDAY
Lieut.. Sanderson ascended to 2o,6oo
feet over Washington in a Naught.
carrying with him special apparatus
for altitude flights. which ne tesleo.
The climb took him 100 minutes
The fog near Uniontown, Pa. which
Monday caused Capt. Francis Mulcahy
and Lieut.. McGinnis to crash INTO d
mountain while travelling, full speed
in a DeHaviland Alb, played another
little game on Lieut.. A. w Gorton'
who with Chief Petty officer East
was returning to the station, tues
day from a trip to Louisville, Ky. Al
McCook Field, Dayton, ONO, announcer
DeHaviland took off at the time Lieut..
Gorton hit the air, to serve as a pilot
for the Anacostia ship. Somewhere in
PENNSYLVANIA the fog struck the
couple. completely losing Lieut.. Cor
ton from the other ship or vice versa.
Lieut.. Gorton read his compass and
then turned due west, knowing he
would strike familiar territory some
time He was flying high which
probably saved him the same incon-
Nenience that Capt. Mulcahy and
Lieut.. McGinnis experienced. After
many minutes of flying over fog-ob-
scured territory, Lieut.. Gorton's ship
appeared over Wheeling. The journey
to Moundsville was short, and the trip
home was uneventful- Lieut.. Gorton
and Chief Petty officer East left here
on the 18th and flew to Louisville via
MoundSville and McCook field. They
left the Kentucky city on the goth
and flew back to Moundsville. Mon
day they spent at the West Virginia
field and returned home Tuesday.
A new Douglas torpedo seaplane
was received at the station from
Philadelphia Wednesday to be put
through service trials for reliability
and to be used on a daily air route
between Anacostia and Hampton
Roads which is to be established in a
few days. According to orders re-
ceived at the station, this route is