Evening star., 1925-10-08
FLYER IS KILLED
JUST BEFORE RACE
Home.BuiIt MonopIane Co..
lapSes in Trial Before
First Contest.
By the Associated Press

By the Associated Press
Mitchell FIELD, N. Y, October
s.-Harry Bunnelli. civilian aviator.
In home-built monoplane which took
of for a trial fight just before the
first race Of the national air races to-
day. was killed when one of the wings
on his plane collapsed.
His pilot, Clarence D. Chamberlain.
was injured.
The passenger was Lawrence Bun
nelli, an airplane manufacturer of
Hartford. Conn.
which started in the first heat of the
two-seater. free-for-all race for civili-
ans, the initial event Of the meet
Chamberlin's first lap over the ive.
mile course was recorded at S5.4
miles an hour. At this point one
of the wings crumbled and the ma
chine crashed in a mass Of wreckage
about half a mile from the starting
point.
Howe Wins First Race.
Basil p. Howe of Keyport, N. j.,
plotting a Thomas Morse plane, won
the two-seater free-for-all race which
opened the national air races today.
His time for the 100-miIe course aver
aged 1929 miles an hour.
Second place was won by w. L. Gill
more OF Garden City. l.. l., flying a
TMSVB modified plane. with an aver
age speed Of 1907 miles an hour. Third
place was won by Richard II. Lees, jr,
Of Dayton. Ohio, in u Hartsell FG-z.
whose time was 94.3 miles an hour.
In great concentration of Ameri-
can civilian and service aircraft some
500 planes were here today for the
races, and a sham battle with mon.
ster foreign fleet.
During a program of 10 races, last
ing three days, IS Army airplanes,
constituting nearly the entire force
Of thoroughly efficient up-to-date ma.
chimes In the military service. will be
charged with locating and repeiliny an
imaginary enemy force of 400 planes.
The maneuver will be comma nded
by Gen. J. e. Fechet, who will or
ganize the three Army groups OF Is
planes each into a brigade. Gen.
Fechet has brought with him a spe-
cial air STAFF from Washington to as.
sist him. The chief of staff will be
Maj. Carl Spatz, who was decorated
during the war for bringing down FIVE
German airplanes.
The three groups in the air brigade
are the attack group from Kelley
Field, the pursuit group from Selridge
Field and the bomba rdment group
from Langley Field.
Will Oppose Foe" Of 400.
The plan Of maneuver will be based
on the supposition that the Navy has
been blockaded in the Pacific by
blowing up the Panma Canal. The
American flyers will search for and
discover an enemy naval fleet, with
airplane carriers that can launch 400
planes, the capacity of the British
naval carriers. The theoretical enemy
base will be at Chesapeake Bay, but
the American planes are not expect
ed to discover this before Saturday,
the last day Of the races. On Mon
day, after the races are over, the air
force will bomb the enemy" fleet.
Civilians flying to compete in the
race completed an on-to-New York
race at midnight. Seventeen of the
40 entrants arrived before the time
limit. Unofficial compilations of the
scores. which are based on distance
Travelled, average speed, passengers
carried and engine capacity, place
four men In group at the top. They
are Kenneth W. Montee and Eldred
L. Remelin Of Santa Monica, Calf,
and D. A. Askew and Herbert L.
Kindred. both Of Pecos, Tex. The
, Official winners are yet to be an
nounced. Montee, who fiew in a plane
| OF his own make, was apparently
first.
Today's program was: II a.m-Free.
for.all for two-seater, low.horsepower
planes. limited to civilians; 100 miles
in 20 laps; II entries; prizes to total
$500.
l p.m.-Free.for-a for two, three
and four place machines: 100 miles