San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-02-04
|STORMY WINDS
HOLD Nd TERROR
+ OR. MI TCHELL
Army Air Chief Holds Re-
view at Kelly Field
ap During Norther.
NOT A FLYER INJURED
\ All Types Of Airplanes Take
Off and Land With
out a Mishap.
NOT A FLYER INJURED

Storm and wind makes no difference
to Brig. Gen. William Mitchell, as
/ sistant chief of the Army Air Service:
who is at Kelly Field for week OF
inspection. The first thing in order
Saturday morning following the dis
mounted inspection, was an aerial re-
4 view in which more than thirty arr
x5ips of various types took to the air
MIN the face of high gale and threat
Il ening rain. Drops of rain were fall
ling at intervals on the field when the
review began, but this threat made no
difference to the assistant chief of the
Il Air Service. The low hanging clouds
j made low flying necessity, and even
ga. the low altitude when the planes
Ecircled away from the field they were
4 lost in the hazy atmosphere that pre-
vailed all during the morning.
u Weather of less threatening preten-
sions has on other occasions at Kelly
Field, caused postponement of aerial
ereviews, but not so for General Mitchell.
Likewise, teach pilot that flew in Sat
9urday mornings review showed a skill
land nerve that probably can not be
u equaled anywhere except in the United
States Army Air Service. Each squad
ION and each ship took off in the face
|of the high. gale, flew in review over
General Mitchell and Kelly Fled Off
cers. and landed, without eneountering
IA single mfshap. Fta4 r'.. >
II Held Their Formations.
. The various formations were held
twith remarkable accuracy, and the
pilots, by the difficulty in not only
keeping their ships in the air, but in
flying them straight, performed prob
tnhl H. -. -.
the history of Kelly Fled. Some of
the larger shops seemed to encounter
some difficulty in getting off the
ground, but once well in the air they
held their place in their respective
FORMATIONS.
''The flying today is particularly diff
Vficult," one officer on the field said,
Fsbut there is not a pilot out there
who is not proud to fly under such
eeonditions for General Mitchell"
tsThe reason for this, it was explained,
is because the General asks no aviator
10 do what he himself will not do.
General Mitchell has been cIassed by
high ranking Air Service officers in
San Antonio as the best all-around
kfiier in the army. He has time and
again, demonstrated his ability and
villingness to fly st night. and to fly
tfnder conditions even worse than those
~-S prevailed at Kelly Field Saturday
morning. ri 1922 he made flight
from Washington to Dayton, Ohio, in
rain and thunder storm in order to
keep an engagement at Dayton.
Various Types Go Up. ,t
Spads, SECS. XB-1-As, De Hayi-
snds. GAx armored battle planes. and
Martin bonlbers were the different types
bf planes that flew in review before
General Mitchell Saturday morning.
One Martin bomber and the three GAN
ri-planej were the last air ships to
axe off. and the hum of their twin
notors could be heard above those of
PIE numerous other planes of smaller
types. General Mitchell, with Col. John
n. Howard, commander of Kelly Field.
And other officers stood well out in
he field all during the review. When
he Martin bomber flew over the re-
iewing Officers, one of the passengers
eaned far out over the nose between
he two motors and waved to the off
ers below.
After the aerial review Saturday
norHing General Mitchell went 70
Eighth Corps Area headquarters at
,ort Sam Houston and called upon
ffaj. Gen. f. NJ. Lewis, commander
L, the corps area, and Saturday after
loon was in conference with Col. Clar.