San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-04-01
dives
At BALLOONS
OVER REVIEW
Lieut.. Aubry Strickland
Entertains Spectators
in Spad Maneuvers.
NEVER MISSES A ONE
Brig. Gen. Dennis Nolan In
spects Kelly Field Sat-
urday Morning.

Brig. Gen. Dennis +. Nolan, COM
mander of the Second Division and
Fort Sam Houston, was the guest of
honor at Kelly Field Saturday MORN
ing, fourteen hundred troops and forty
planes marching and flying in review
before him. Before the aerial review
General Nolan made an inspection Of
the troops and planes.
Above the formations Of ships that
were flying low over the reviewing Of
ficers, Lieut.. Aubry Strickland of the
Forty first Squadron treated General
Nolan and the large number OF civilian
spectators pre-, mt to aerial stunts new
err before witnessed during a review.
Small balloons used by the weather
bureau in ascertaining wind velocity
at -rarious attitudes were released.
When they had assembled to an altitude
of from two to three thousand feet,
Lieutenant Strickland, flying a Spad,
would start after them. He evidently
experienced little trouble in hitting his
target. for each time after gaining his
desired position only one dive was re-
quired to put the balloon out of the
air. The flier would catch the frail
bubble on the support wires Of one of
his wings, and after each attack
piece of red rubber could be seen fall
ing to the ground. Three times were
the balloons released. and each time
Lieutenant Strickland maneuvered
about it and finally brought it down
with a successful dive.
General Patrick Coming.
In addition to offering entertain
ment to the spectators by chasing the
balloons, Lieutenant Strickland loOped
and spun his ship with such daring
rapidity that it brought forth many
audible ordinations from among the
numerous spectators who had come to
the field to see the review.
The review Saturday morning is
probably the last one that will be held
at Kelly Field before the arrival OF
Maj. Gen. Mason NJ. Patrick. chief OF
the army air service. General Patrick
is expected in San Antonio Tuesday,
but no definite announcement has been
made as to the exact date of his COM
ing. Some Air Service officers have
expressed the opinion that he will re-
main in Washington until the arrival
of Capt. Thomas III. I.anphier and the
eleven other army aviators who have
just completed successful flight to
Porto Rico and return. The fleet Of
six DeHavilands is expected to Off
cially finish their Porto Rico flight
at Boiling Field Tuesday.
Salute From Ships.
All troops at Kelly Field were lined
up on the flying field when General
Nolan arrived at . 80 o'clock Satur-
day morning. After making an in.
spection of the ground troops, the or
der to march in review was given
and each company of the School and
Attack Groups passed before General
Nolan and Lieut.. Col. John III. How
ard. commander Of Kelly Field. Gen
eral Nolan then rode down the Ions
line of planes that were out for inspec
ton. He stopped several minutes fol
close look at the Martin bombing
plane and also the three GAX battle
planes.
Forty planes took the air in review
for the Fort Sam Houston commander
Taking off in formations, Spads. De
Haviands, CANS and the Martin
bomber circled the field and flew at NJ
extremely low altitude as they passed
! over the reviewing party. The Martin
bomber cleared the hangers by only ;
few feet when it flew the first tim,
over the heads of the reviewing off
GERS. One person sitting in the nose
of one of the GAX battle planes Leaned
far over and waved salute to Genera
Nolan as the three big tri-plane
passed over.