Evening star., 1925-08-09
RACE PILOTS Named
BY ARMY AND NAVY.
Flyers Are Chosen for Sen
sationa' Contests in
October.

the Army Navy and Marine Corps
aviation branches were given pilots in
those three services Yesterday with
their designations To participate in the
Ia nd and seaplane classics. the former
10 he held at Mitchell Field, Long
Isla nd, October 8. 9 and 10 and the lat
ter 10 be held at Baltimore. October a,
where aviation's honors of the world
will he fought for.
The outSta nding events of the two
dates are the Pulitzer trophy race for
high speed planes to be flown October
10 at Mitchell Field and the Schneider
cup contest at Baq Shore Park near
Baltimore the latter part Of the
month. In this latter competition,
American pilots will fly against planes
from Italy Great Britain and possibly
Fra nee for The possession of the cup
which was won in 1928 by the Navy
racing team in England.
The lad plane contest at Mitchell
Field All. surpaSS any previous Pul-
fTz"r trophy race. officials declare. be
cause Of tile keen competition existing
this year In the past the results
have he-n See-S3a ": i. e. the Navy
would bIIld new racing planes one
year ana race them against old Army
planes ana carry away the trophy.
The touuwinc year the Army would
have new planes To fly against the
Navy and il would take the honorS.
The last instance Of this kind was at
ST. Louis in 1928. Last year the Navy
did not enter and the highspeed con
test Al DAYTON was an Army affair.
Each Has New Plane.
In October. however. two bra nd-new
;1I, tol- ho oit
piloted by a Navy officer and the 9th
er by an Army officer. There will he
other and slower planes in the Pull
itzer event. but all interest is cen
tered about the new Curtiss racer now
being built. They will be sister ships.
as near alike as human ingenuity
can construct them. Therefore. It is
taken for granted that it will he q
fight of skill against skill.
In the Navy plane will be Lieut..
A. j. CAD Williams. ir. of the Naval
Air Station here, holder of the worlds
closed course speed record of 243,67
miles per hour, which he established
by winning the Pulitzer event of 1928.
This will be Lieut.. Williams third
Pulitzer race. In the Army plane will
be Lieut.. Cyrus Bettis of the First
Pursuit Group. Selfridge Field, Mount
Clemens. Mich. winner of the race
ton of a speed of IT'S miles per hour
Both the Army and Navy Air Serv
ices strive to pursue policy of al
lowing officers in each branch one OPP
portunity al a spectacular and note
worthy undertaking. and not put them
in a second or third time. The Army
this year has picked 'newt man to
win the Pulitzer race. but incidentally
not a green one. The Navy ards
The victory of such supreme impor
tance that il has set out to win the
contest AT all costs, and il is known
that Rear Admiral Moffatt chief Of
the Bureau of Aeronautics. disregard
ed the tacit understa anding when he
selected Lieut.. Williams to bring the
trophy to the Navy the second time
because of his past performa nces.
In addition to holding the closed
course record. Lieut.. Williams estab-
liShed a maximum speed record of 2bb
miles an hour. but this since has been
raised by Adjt. Bonnet of France with
a speed of 27S miles per hour
New Record Expected.
w While the speed of the Dayton event
last year fell way below the standard
set in 1928. all aeronautiCal Washing
ton is confident that the new CurtisS
racers will exceed the performance of
their sister ships. AT least $50 miles
an hour is expected here.
The Schneider trophy this year will
be defended by two naval aviatorS on
duty here, Lieut.. George T. Cuddihy,
executive officer of the naval Air sta
ton. and Lieut.. Ralph A. Ofstie of the
Bureau of AeronauticS. 4 third naval
aviator. Lieut.. +. n. Coma nj, recently
ira nSferred TO the bureau from the
Fighting Squadron on the west coast
md native of Annapolis. will fly pro
viding the Army does not enter its
Pulitzer land plane in the seapiane
classic.
Lieut.. Cuddihy and Lieut. Ofstie
last year established sea plane records
a Baltimore al the time they were
to defend the cup against foreign
competition, which, however. failed to
materialize. There Lieut.. CuddihN sci
the world official record for ma ximum
seaplane speed al 1852 miles per
hour and Lieut.. OfStie made seaplane
speed records for distances Of 100 and
200 kilometers at 1925 miles per
hour and for 500 kiiometers at 16I.14
miles per hour. Lieut.. Cuddihy has
been assigned as alternate for Lieut.
Williams in the Pulitzer race and may
enter that event flying an Army
Curtis PWSB pursuit plane. if ar
rangements for acquiring one can he
made.
Other Entrants Named.
The other entrants in the Pulitzer
race are Lieut.. II. j. Norton. L. 5.
NJ. C.. of Quantico who will fly Cur
tiss PWSB; Capt. Harvey w. Cook,
instructor at the Army Air Service
Tactical School, Langley Field. Va,
wartime ace and Lieut.. Leo II.
Dawson. l.. :. A.. Of Chanute Field,
Ill. another officer with a distin.
gushed war record in the air. These
two officers viii fly PW8BS, standard
Army pursuit ships of more than 200
miles an hour speed
Lieut.. James ". DoolittIe. Army Air
Service. has been chosen an alternate
for Lieut. Bettis and it is understood if
the Army decides to enter it's racing
plane in the sea plane cup contest.
Lieut.. DOolittle will he given the as
signment. Lieut. Doolittle is pilot Of
much skill and he also possesses q
comprehensive knowledge of aeronau-
ticaI engineering. lie is AT present on
duty at the Rostan sir port
Two days before the Pulitzer race
the Liberty engine builders trophy
event viii be held and the Navy will
he represented by pilots on duty in
Washington. The Army has not yet
announced its selections for this or
other events at the land plane meet
Three standard DIi4E observation
planes will be entered hy the Navy,
fitted with Liberty motors. The pilots
will be Lieut.. 6. Il. Henderson.
t. S. n. and Lieut.. Ford O. TEX
Rogers. u. s. NJ. {. both of the Naval
Air Station here ard Lieut.. T. p. ,Ieter,
T.. S. n. of the Bureau of Aeronautics
Lieut.. c. D. Palmer. L. s. N. radio
officer at the station, is the reserve
pilot for this race.
The following day the Detroit News
pir trapSport trnphy race fo,. loroo