Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-09-05
Announcement of Personnel
Makes Army Air Corps
Plans Virtually Complete.
TRIP EXPECTED TO BEGIN
LAST PART OF NOVEMBER
Maj. Dargue. Leader, Is Pioneer in
Aviation, and Others Are
Flyers Of Experience.

-
Department of the Army Air Corps
pilots who will participate in the South
American flight brings the project
ranking in Importance. hardships and
miles of travel second only to the
world fight-to point where nothing
moro is needed to get under way but
a nod from the State Department that
the necessary foreign approval is I'm
hand.
Roughly. the fight will be $4,000
miles in length. and the five Looming
amphibian planes will visit every coun-
try south of the Rio Grande-their
starting point. The exact time OF de
parture has not been set. owing 10
the present international status in
volving permission from several Latin
American countries for these planes
to fly over them. 1t is thought. how
ever that some time between Novem-
Der Is and December I the 10 Air
Corps pilots in the five planes will
wave good-by to Kelly Field. San An
tonic. Tex. with Boiling Field. Ana
costa, n. c.. as their objective, via
Central and South America and the
islands of the Caribbean.
Dargue i'm Command.
Mai. Herbert A. Dargue. assistant
chief Of the war plans section or the
Army Air Corps. is the comma nder oi
the project. Capt. Arthur r. McDan-
lei of Kelly Field is second in com
mand, and the third ranking officer Of
the expedition is Capt. Ira e. Eaker.
acting executive. officer OF the Air
Corps, and. like Maj. Dsraue. well
known in Washington. The other
members are Capt. Clinton +. Wool
sey of McCook Field. Dayton. Ohio;
First Iieuts. Bernard s. Thompson.
Phillips Field. Aberdeen. Md; Leonard
ID. Weddington. Fort Sam Houston.
Tex: Charles Nick. Robinson. Fort
Crockett, Tex; Muir S. Fairchild
Langley Field, Hampton. Va; Ennis
C. Whitehead, Wilbur Wright Field.
Fairfield Ohio; and John w. benton
Crissv Field, San Francisco. Calit.
Mai Darsue is one of half a dozen
men who before the World war
formed the Air Service Of the Army
He has been flying continuously ever
since and in recognition or his pioneer
work for Army aviation he bears me
designation OF military aviator, tor
which he is permitted to wear star
above his wings.
Has Had Wide Experience.
Born in Brooklyn. y. V. Novemher
II. 1887. Mai. Dargue was appointed
10 the Military Academy at West POM
from New Jersey and was graduated
In 1911. Shortly thereafter he became
interested in flying and devoted mucn
time and expense to mastering inc
difficult subject. In the capacity OF
"nilitary aviator" he served with the
nunitiye expedition into Mexico in the
early part of 1915. His next duty was
TO command the flying school at San
Diego. Calf When the United States
entered the war he was sent aprodu a.
a member of special mission u"
etudv aviation and after the war ne
attended the engineering school AZ
naytou Ohio. from which he was
graduated in 1920. lie came TO WASH
in ston for duty for two years and
then attended the command and stan
school at Fort Leavenworth. mans.
and his record reveals he was a dis-
tineuished graduate Of that course
He then resumed his duties IN -tne
office Of Maj Gen. Mason M. fatrick
chief of the Air Corps.
When Gen. Patrick decided TO De
come a pilot he selected MAJ Darsue
tn instruct him. and for many weeks
tba general and his teacher few AT
Boiling Field in the Army's primary
traininy type plane. Gen. Patrick
ma ssed the pilots examination WITH
distinction and won his wings. No
better tribute has been given Nal
Dareue for his instruction OF the gen
eral than that they are both alive to-
day and the general is a full1edged
pilot.
Mountains Big Obstacle.
Until Mai. Dargue knows definitely
what Latin American countries VIII
grant him permission to ny within
their boundaries. he cannot discuss
any details of the project, particularly
the route to be followed. It Is known.
however. that the 10 airmen will be
thrown up against almost as many
hazards as the world flyers, and their
ps rticular obstructions will be the
mountains of Central and South
America.
Advantage will be taken of lessons
! learned on the world flight as far as
advanced bases are concerned, and
It Is known that the stopping points
| and substations will be so thoroughly
equipped as to make it almost i'm
possible for a disabled plane TO he
ruled out Of the flight. The material
gasoline, oil. engines and numerous
vital airplane parts are ready to be
shipped on a moments notice to the
many bases on the 1.S00.mile route.
Leaving Kelly Field. the planes ara
expected to confine their jumps to not
, more than 500 miles daily. whic h
means eight hours Of actual flying
and consequently will result in many
hours of ground work on the planes
Proceeding southwark, the airmen
are likely to spend their first night al
Matamoras, just south Of Browns
Vile. Tex. II this route through
Mexico calls for coastwise flying they
! will jump to Tampico. Vera Cruz ard
San Cristobal. The next hop prob
ably would be to Puerto CorteZ, Hon
duras. and in order to include every
country on their itinerary the forrna
ton probably would fly due south to
iGuatamala. thence across Salvador
Nicaragua and Costa Rica to the Pan
anna Canal. Here the actual proJec'
begins. as Army planes in the pss'
have flown up through Central Amer
lea.
Will Follow Pacific Coast.
The route on the Southern CONT
nent will be along the Pacific Coast
II is not known what cities have oeen
selected as bases. but it is assumed
here that il it Ia physically posslnie
the caDitaIs will be included. In I'M