The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1924-03-19
U.S,FL|ERS. GET
START ON JAPS
ANDBR|T|SH
American GIobe-CircIers First
in Attempt to Circum-
navigate Earth.

The International "round-the'
world" Aerial Derby is on.
America came to the scratch first
when four Douglas world cruisers,
manned by the cream Of the United
States Air Service, hoped off from
Santa Monica.
Recent dispatches from London and
elaborate Preparations along a
proposed route indicate the Empire g
fliers will set out early next month.
Japan, according to press dis
patches, plans also to attempt the
flight soon.
There are rumors the Argentine
Republic and others may enter the
sweepstakes-the prize for which
is the glory Of having first en-
Circled the globe by airplane.
Officials Of the United States
Army Air Service, who mapped
out the trip, purposely chose a
somewhat circuitous route in order
that hops across water will be as
short as possible. To look on the
map at The paths they are sched'
uled to traverse, these officials ap.
pear to have succeeded admirably
in choosing as nearly an all-land
routes as is physically possible.
However, some of the jumps over
water are far from short and, of
course, are proportionately danger.
Gus.
Preparations for the flight was
started months ago, when engine
and plane parts, fuel, supplies and
food were Sailed" at various points
where the squadron will descend.
Among other carefully laid plans
however, are special detachable
pontoons, placed at various points
of vantage, which can be swamped
with the conventional landing gear
wheels.
Roughly, the route takes the
Tiers from Santa Monica, near Los
Angeles, up the Pacific coast, skirt
ing the southern shore Of Alaska, a
series of short hops along the slim
chain of Aleutian Islands, to Japan
China, French 1ndo-China, Siam
Burma, India, Persia, Turkey
Mesopotamia and the Balkans, Aus
tria, Germany, England, Iceland
Greenland, Labrador, Canada, and
to New York, Washington, and
thence by easy stages across the
United States to the starting point
The avowed purpose of the
flight, according to the United
States Army Air Service, is to, gair
experience in distance flying, par
ticularly as to supply problems
to circumnavigate the globe in the
shortest practicable time; to demon
strate feasibility of a commercial
around-the-world airway and "tC
secure for the United States the
first place Of practicable aviation,
the honor Of being the first nation
to encircle the globe entirely by
air."
A tentative schedule fixed by all
officials probably cannot be executed
it is admitted. However, unless the
flight is ended by the latter part Of
August it cannot be successful, they
believe. This because the portion OF
the route embracing Denmark, Ice
land, Greenland, and Labrador must
be covered when the waters in that
region are ice free, else landing vii
be perilous. Unless conditions are
extraordinarily favorable no great
effort to make a time record will
be made.
Elaborate preparations at home
and abroad have been made. The
officers selected were put through
q rigorous course of sprouts" al
Langley Field, Va, where they
studied navigation and meteorology
as applied to the route, supple
mented by actual flying Of the
Douglas type plane.
The Douglas world cruisers were
designed by Donald Douglas ant
constructed at the plant of the