New Britain herald., 1924-07-22

1 siaH across ana tFnsi 70 lhth' hA'
 tFansrantiReRlal nan-si0R flights and IfnduFanne records are primarily made on' the ground, sncress NF failnre
 depends largely an ihe soTk and preparation that is done hefoTe Inc plane takes the aiT,
 "Wind and weather mus hF studied
 and the nature Of The flight arranged iin benefit hy these agfGoiea. 1 Had weather iH the iaAtimr RaHid
 not bother. Ne gpuld haze started
 in FalR-stogm, had thf winds h6eH
 right and the conditions Rt night
 favorable,
 } Dreaded Night sinrms we dreaded storm conditions nEeF 1 the mountains al night No one had ! ever flown across country nHdeT thesn circumstances and He did not know whether or not plane would be | beaten ie the ground
 "Wo would take iho hfsi that Rf could gel, hut NC hoped for fui
 moon, clear sky, and strong tail
 wind, \ start Rauld have been made m the dark of Inc moon, had all other conditions been ideal,
 When the tFanseontinaufal flight was first contemplated, the prospee- tive pilots conferred with the Chief Of the Weather Bureau al Washington ta ascertain what simultaneous weather conditions might he expected over such q large area, ta receive in. formation and data regarding the speed and direction Of prevailing winds, and to geet expert advice re, specting the most logical starting point whether from the east or vest coast
 Weather maps over period of years showed an average Wind velo- city from west to east durln. the month of october of ?2 miles per hour Taking this fact into con. sideration. the chief forocaster, Major F. Fl. Bowie. recommended that the direction Of flight he toward the east. even though the distance to be travelled was considerably greater.
 After october 10 there vas prac. tieslly no moon. Had all weather conditions. and winds been ideal. the pilots would have attempted the flight during this period Of total darkness. as the cold Of winter. long nights. and uncertain weather were hazardous.
 "All was in readiness to start on short notice: in fact. two starts were anticipated during this time. and the airplane was brought out at night to the end Of the runway with the ex- pectation Of take-off in the morn ing: but later weather reports were unfavorable and it did not appear good judgment to leave under such conditions
 Was a Trying Period
 This period of waiting was trying one. Few individuals enjoy good soft beds and good square meals more than Kelly and myself, but this was not the time to be loafinG around San Diego, and we were getting desperate.
 Every time we stepped into an elevator at our hotel some one would ask ns when we intended to start.
 Tt was all right for week or so after the duration record, but later on, when the sun would be shining brightly in San Diego and Kelly and l would be making no apparent effort to go, we imagined that people would | wink at their friends and say, Those | two birds know good thing when they get if. They haven't any idea of trying 10 get across this continent. | They'll spend a nice soft winter Ll San Diego and fly back by easy stages. when it's too late to make the nonstop
 They did not realize that at that minute there were rain storms in the | Middle West and in the mountains l and high elevations that we would | cross in darkness
 "A report from the chief forecastcr st Washington on the morning of | November ? stated that weather con- | ditions would not be propitious for a start within the next thirty-six hours. | In the face of these reports, it was l not expected that start would be | made the morning of November 5.
 When E'orecastcrs Agreed
 "But on the night of November 2, he San Diego weather forecaster, Dean Blake, brought his maps to the | quarters Of the pilots. Indications "tIs IOi ItdSDIdDlS IdNOTdDl6 weather with favoring winds for prac- tically the entire route. At approxi- nately 2 ?. m. a report was received from the chief forecaster st Washing ton as follows:
 Weather conditions propitious for start Friday morning. Saturday con- ditions will be less favorable
 With the two forecasters agreeing on an almost Ideal condition, there was no reason for delay.
 "I was giving an address 10 the ! University club Of San Diego during the course of their annual duck din- ner, and Kelly received the reports at our hotel. He called me to the phone as l was finishing my talk He said: Mac, have you got your passage booked for New York?' | answered that l had my ticket. All l right; we start in the morning. Bet ter get over here right away he said. |
 'I excused myself and left the din- | 1er at 930 p, m,, without intimating | our decision The next morning, when the University cIubmen arose from their beds, their morning news |