Evening star., 1923-05-30
PLANES TO BATTLE
AT DIZZY HEIGHTS
Largest Naval Flying Maneu.
vers in History of Capital
to Be Held Tuesday.

The air above IIains point, in
Potomac Park, will be the stage Tues
day for the largest naval aeronau-
tical maneuvers ever witnessed III
Washington, and which are part Of a
special program arranged for the
benefit Of the visiting Shriners.
Twenty land and seaplanes of the
Navy will participate; bombs will be
dropped on a target, torpedo planes
will release dummy torpedoes from
the air through thick smoke screens
and pursuit planes will do battle at
dizzy heights.
One feature of this exhibition
which will give many thrills and fur
nfsh spectacular treat in itself may
fall through, owing to the condition
of the Potomac river. 1t was plan
Langley. the Navys aircraft carrier,
anchored nearby. TO send up COM
bat planes in defense of the bombers.
To see several planes race along the
Langley and drop off into space is
something only few Washingto-
MANS, and perhaps an equal number
OF the visiting Shriners, have wit
messed before.
The Langley now is at Hampton
4
find - route that will take the ships
draft all the way up TO Washington
However. ii the Langley cannot get
up here. that part of the program as
signed 10 her will be carried out al
she naval air station.
Six pr torpedo planes and an equal
number of F-5-L bombing planes are
TO fly here from Hampton for the
maneuvers.
At 10 o'clock Tuesday morning the
y 4, L.. 1.
and the six PTS carrying dummy
torpedoes will laave the Anacostia
air station and hop to Mount Vernon.
where they will land and lay to until
l0:45 o'clock. At that time the
off and proceed in division column
to Washington at an altitude OF 800
feet, where they will find a bombing
target moored in the river off Hams
point. They will bomb this, obstruc-
to west and from an altitude of 500
feet, first by dropping single bombs
each and then section and division
salvos.
While the bombers are approach
ing the target. four pursuit planes
will take off from Boiling Field and
climb as though to attack the for
nation. Three minutes after the de-
parture of this first group of pursuit
planes, four more will take off from
the Langley and make ~ counter
attack. These two groups of planes
will maneuver in formation until the
bombing division is coming on the
range. The pursuit group from the
Langley will at this time be at the
greater altitude and will dive on 70
the pursuit group from the air sta
tion as for an attack. After the in
itial dive. the units Of these two
groups Will separate. attacking plane
Fl, al in N q
from the Army hangers Of Boiling
Field across 10 the western bank Of
the Potomac. Will conduct aerial COM
bat for about ten minutes. The
pursuit planes from Anacustia then
will spin down and return to their
field. while the Langley group will
climb to $500 feet and circle over the
target.
immediately on completion of bomb
ing in division formation by the
F-5-Ls. the AnacoStia'S F-5-L, equip
ped for laying 4 smoke screen. Will
take off from its base and lay a cover
III the shape OF d quarter circle about
the target SO that ii will cover an arc,
the end Of which is directly down
stream from the target and the other
end directly athwart the stream from
the target and lying TO the westward.
At u o'clock. the PTS. which have
been waiting at Mount Vernon, viii
proceed up the river to Alexandria,
where the beginning or the smoke
screen will be visible to them. When
the screen has been laid they will come
up the river at such an altitude that
they viii be behind the covering and
invisible to the spectators i'll Potomac
Park. on approaching Anacostia they
will veer out TO the left from behind
the screen and drop their torpedoes.
They will return to Alexandria, while
the Langley group lands on the deck.
The L. 5 s. Sandpiper. tender,
will be moored off Anacostia air sta
tion throughout the week. Capt. ".
e. Gherardi will be the commanding
officer of the naneuvers: Lieut.. Com
lnander Bartlett will command the PIT
torpedoes and Lieut. J. l.. Monfort
will be in charge Of the F5Ls.