San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-03-03
GIANT PLANES
OFF FOR LONG
AIR JOURNEY
Six DeHavilands Leave
Kelly for Porto Rico
Saturday Morning.
CROWD VIEWS START
Trip of Zoo Miles and
Return to Consume
One Month.
Lake Charles. La, March s.-The

Lake Charles. La. March 3.-The
six giant De Haviland airplanes, en-
route from Kelly Field, San Antonio,
to Porto Rico. passed directly over
the business section of Lake Charles
at 1 81 o'clock this afternoon. The
planes were apparently about 5000
feet in the air. They did not stop
here.
Notwithstanding adverse weather
conditions, the six giant DeHaviland
planes composing the Porto Rico fleet
took off from the Air intermediate De-
pot, Kelly Field No. 1. at exactly one
minute after S o'clock Saturday morn
ing.
Capt. Thomas Lanphier. flying ship
No. /. Man o War;" was the first
pilot TO take his ship off the ground.
Captain Lanphier commands the fleet.
The five other ships took off in rapid
succession, and at one and half
minutes after s, ship No. q, the photo
graphic shiIs left the ground. 1t could
easily be seen that the Photographic
| ship was loaded more heavily than the
! others, and considerably more ground
space was required to get. lit off the
ground. Lieut.. f.. T. Slezer of Kelly
Field was plotting it. Lieut.. G. Kirk
sey, the Photographic officer, was in
the rear cockpit.
The schedule for the flight follows:
San Antonio Air intermediate Depot
Charles. La, 325 miles; Lake Charles
to Montgomery, Ala, $50 miles; Mont
gcmery to Arcadia, Fla. $50 miles;
Arcadia to Havana, Cuba, 800 miles /;
Havana to Santa Clara, Cuba, (emerg
ency) 11J miles; Havana to Cana
guey, Cuba, 32J miles: Camaguey to
Guantanamo, Cuba, 300 miles; Guam
tanamo to Port-au-Prince. Haiti, 22J
miles; Port-au-Princc to San Do
minso, ID. r., $50 miles; San Domingo,
ID. L., to San Juan, Porto Rico, 80
miles.
Distance About 1900 Miles.
The total distance is approximately
2Io0 miles, and the same route will be
followed on the return trip as fer as
Arcadia. Then the fleet will head east
! 10 Washington.
A large crowd Of army officers and
civilians saw the take-off. All the off
ficers from the A. |. ID. were present.
also a large number from Kelly Field
No. and from Fort Sam Houston.
Two planes from Brooks Field flew
over to see the flight begin. Several
photographers were on the ground. as
were three movie men, taking pic,ures
of the ships and fliers as they lined up
and took off.
Captain Lanphier, Fort Sill, Okla.
with Lieut.. Ivan G. Moorman, Air In
termediate Depot, were the first pilots
to take off. Then followed Lieuten-
ants II. Longfellow. Mitchell Field,
New York, and Charles b. Austin of
Langley Field, West Virginia. in ship
No. ,: Iicutenants c. V. Haynes. of
flee of the chief of Air Service, Wash
ington, ID. c.. and James A. Woodruff,
of Kelly Field. in ship No. ); Leu
tenants, r. X. Stoner, of Langley
Field. and G. c. Mcdonald, also of
Langley Field, in ship No. 4; Lieu
tenants +. Ii. Nelson of McCook Field.
Ohio, and Delmar II. Dunton. Kelly
Field. flying ship No. 8, and Lieuten-
ants G. Kirksey of Fairfield. Ohio, and
f. L. Seller, Kelly Field, flying ship
No. q.
Planes Numerous About Field.
As early as o'clock number of
the fliers we're at the test hangar put
ting the last bit of baggage into the
tail compartment of theis planes. Cap
tain Lanphier, in ship from Kelly
Field No. ., made a short flight
around the field to observe weather
over. At 80 mechanics began wheel
ing the big DeHavilands out OF the
test hangar and lined them up, nosing
west.
Soon after the first plane, "Man o
War;" was placed on the line, for
nation from the Third Group Attack.
Kelly Field, took off and flew direct
~ over the test hangar. Soon another
formation from the sane group took
the air, and il was only few minutes
until planes were swarming all over
the flying field. The entire Third
Group Attack, including the three big
G.A.X. battle planes was IN the air,
and when the Porto Rico fleet took off
the Attack Group followed 1t east for
a few miles. Just before the take-off
formation Of DeHavilands from the
Ninetieth Squadron. Kelly Field. flew
across the flying field at.an extremely
low altitude, the pilots waving at the
filters of the Porto Rico fleet who were
then out in front of their ships.
Tommy" in Spectacular Stunt.
The most spectacular send-off given
from Kelly Field was that of an NIB,
Thomas Moorse. plane belonging to the
CONTINUED on next page.)