The Washington times., 1925-09-08
ms TANCES
GIVEN Of
Official.
SLIPS
Aviation Expert Lays Loss Of
Pho to Ignorance of
Service Chiefs

y
The National Capital is filled
with supporters Of Colonel Will
liam Mitchell, deposed assistant
chief of the army air service, who
has plunged official circles into q
state Of turmoil by his sensational
charges Of almost reasonable
administration" of army and navy
aviation services.
Not only do his friends, both in.
and out of the Government serv-
ice, substantiate his charges, but
they go even beyond his state-
ment, volunteering personal ex-
periences of lack of efficiency in
air-service administration.
Lost Plane Cited
Il was intimated today in SEM
official circles that. the ill-fatsd
PM. No. l, lost in the wastes af
the Pacific Ocean, was lost because
its gasoline supply was "rationed
by officials who had little or no
actual knowledge or conditions the
plane would be called upon 70
face.
THE estimate made on the
amount OF gasoline which would be
required for the plane to cross the
Pacific to the Hawaiian islam Isl,
was based on the superstition tElal
weather conditions would be uali.
formly good all the way over" lie.
clared one of the pioneer American
aviation experts. now in Washing
ton as a representative of a large
aviation manufacturing concern
which does a large volume Of
Government BUSH ess.
The gasoline supply was rationed
on as small margin as fifteen
minutes. Gauges were placed on
the gasoline line to regulate the
flow of gasoline and prevent too
great a rate of consumption.
The flight was made when
meteorological conditions, as far as
could be determined, were favorable
over the entire distance. The az
mosphere over the Pacific Ocean.
however, contains many local dis
turbances which cannot be covered
by a general forecast.
THE PM, No. 1, ran into one
of these local disturbances, in all
probability, which delayed it enough
to make the gasoline supply run
short before the plane could reach
its goal.
Had the crew of the plane been
cut down, as it might well nave
been, and additional gasoline car
ried, am confident the ship
would have reached it's goal.
Supports Mitchell
Another prominent aviation leader,
who recently entered the manufac-
turing business and who depends
upon Government contracts for his
business, professed the strongest
support for Colonel Mitchell.
Il can't talk for publication he
said. 1T would ruin my business. :
This man, formerly a Govern
ment official, is a personal friend
of Colonel Mitchell. He declared
he has had assurances from inc
fiery colonel that his fight will con
tinue despite all opposition and
despite all consequences. Colonel
Mitchell will not resign from the
army, no matter how far he is de-
NOTED, this friend declared, nut
will continue his fight from within
for betterment of the service and
for advancement of aviation until
he is Jailed or discharged by order
of court martial.
mo sea captain who ever took
steamer out of port would put
foot on a vessel as its commander
under the conditions facing Com
mander Zachary Lansdowne when
he left Lakehurst on the final
flight of the Shenandoah" declared
a former army aviator and now a
prominent aviation supply manu-
facturer.
"A sea captain is supreme on his
vessel. Not even the owner of a
steamship line can order the cap
tain of vessel to clear port
against his Judgment That cap
tain is protected in his stand by
the board of admiralty, to which
he is responsible and he clears
only when he knows conditions are
safe.
Poor Lansdowne, however, hadn't
this protection. He was ordered 10
make that fatal flight against his
judgment, it has been stated, and,
despite his protest, he was forced
to go.
when officers in the army and
navy air services can be ordered
out, to face possible death by non.
flying officials, especially in peace
time
Command of the army and navy
air services should be entrusted
only to experienced flying men who
know thoroughly the conditions
under which their men must OPP
crate, in the opinion of a majority
of Washington aviation experts, it
was revealed by an investigation
made today by The Washington
Times.