The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1924-03-06
TOTRY TOBEAT
u. S. AIR RECORD
England, France and Portu-
gal Prepare for Round
the-WorId Flight.

are worth while, including those for
speed, altitude, endurance and dis
tance, the United States will now I'M
dertake to be the first to circumnayi-
gate the globe by air. England tried
last summer, but failed, the attempt
ending disastrously before the grand
circuit was half completed. But Eng
land is planning to try again, and
France and Portugal are also prepar-
ing to make the attempt during the
coming summer.
Accordingly the plans of the army
air service are now going forward in
order that an early start may be made,
possibly in March and not later than
May /, in order that the country that
is the home of the heavier-than-air
craft may be first to accomplish the
epochal feat.
Not only must an early start be
made, but the most careful and most
elaborate preparations must be made
to guard against every possible con-
tingency that might defeat the under
taking. The route must be mapped
out with exactness, supply depOts es-
tablished and stocked with every pos
sible necessity, landing places selected
and marked, and a thousand and one
details looked after, any one Of which
might seem incOnsequential in advance
but might prove to be the one thing
upon which success or failure hinges.
Have No Thought of Failure.
The men who are courageous enough
and willing to risk their lives in the
effort to achieve this further distinc-
ton for their country will be backed
up in every way, and If failure should
result it will be due to causes unfOre-
seen and that could not have been
guarded against.
As a matter of fact the men who
are laying the plans and making the
advance arrangements have no thought
of failure and say that the nonstop
transcontinental flight was in many re-
spects a more difficult feat Secretary
Of War Weeks was convinced that
there is an excellent chance of sue
cess and approved the project early
last month.
Equipment to Be Used
Four big air-cruisers, American-de-
signed and American-bullt, and equip
ped with Liberty engines, will be used
in the undertaking. The start will be
made from Washington and the finish,
If the flight is successful, will be at
the national capital.
The tentative route that has been
mapped out contemplates flying from
Washington to Seattle, thence north
ward along the coast of Canada and
southern Alaska; across the Aleutian
islands, down through the possessions
of Japan to Nagasaki; along the shore
Of China, French IndO-China, Siam and
Burma; across India; up the Persian
gulf; across Turkey and Europe to
England; thence north through the
Farce islands to Iceland; thence to
Greenland and southwark along the
eastern shore of the continent to Cape
Farewell, Greenland, from whence a
direct flight will be made to Hamilton
inlet on the coast of Labrador; thence
bVuln"dlN int Cilldtlldl CbuSl
and inland to Montreal, and thence
south to Washington.
Proposed itinerary.
1t is planned TO time the flight so as
to avoid the rainy seasons in the
United States and India, and to pass
over the Iceland and Greenland sec
lions during the months of August and
September.
The proposed itinerary has been
divided into six divisions, as follows:
First, beginning at Washington, D. c.,
and ending at Attu island in the Aleu-
tians; second, ending at Nagasaki,
Japan; third, ending at Calcutta, In
dia; fourth, ending at Constantinople,
Turkey; fifth lending at Hull Eng
land; sixth, ending at Washington,
ID. C.
zone advance officer will cover each
section of this route" said an expert
in describing the undertaking, obtain
ing detailed information on landing
and seaplane facilities transportation,
airways, meteorological and climatic
conditions, etc, and will make the ar
rangements for the passage of the air
ship through the territory to which
he is assigned. Supplies will have to
be shipped from the United States to
various points on the route several
months in advance of the flight, and
for this purpose each division has a
main depot with one or more sub
depots where major items of supply
will be allocated. Gasoline and oil
and smaller articles Of supply will be
placed at practically all stops"
Will Garry Pontoons.
At Seattle the landing gears will be
taken off and the planes will be
equipped with pOntoons in order to
make water landing in the sheltered
harbOrs along the coast of Canada and
Alaska and through the Aleutian is
lands down to Japan Landing gears
will be used again either from Ma
gasaki or from Calcutta, depending
upon the conditions encountered at the
time of the flight. They will neces-
sarily be used across Asia Minor and
Europe, as far as England, where pom
toons will be substituted again and
used until Montreal is reached or Key
port, N. j., where the planes will be