Evening star., 1926-10-26
ARMY GETS DATA
| ON FLIGHT SOUTH
Scouts in South America Ar
| range for Reception of
| US. AViatorS.

Plans rapidly are taking shape for
the flight over pan-American coun-
tries by 10 officers Of the Army Air
Corps, who will hop off on their 100
day Journey from San Antonio, Tex,
December Is, flying six powerful
Looming amphibians, and already ar
Sangements are under way for their
reception in cities of Central and
South American countries and Cuba,
which will be visited in the flight.
With formal permission to fly over
their territories granted by each ma
ton of the two southern Americas,
Mai. H. 4. Dargue. commanding Of
ficer of the flight. dispatched advance
agents to various divisions Of the
route to scout for best landing fields
and available sites for repair and sup
ply depotS and to confer with gov
ernmental authorities concerning eN-
hibitions to be staged by the Amer
Scan flyers at points along the route.
To Visit Havana Fete.
Word has been received by Maj
Dargue from First Lieut.. Ivan q.
Moorman, advance agent for the last
leg of the trip outside United States
territory, which runs from St. Thorn
as. Virgin Islands, stating that suit
able landing fields Will be found at
i = -
will arrive there. according 10 the
schedule, in the midst Of the annual
fiesta" Of the Havana folk-an elab-
crate festival that starts late in Feb
ruary and lasts through early April.
lieut.. Norman said the Army flyers
would be invited to join in the cele-
haton, and that their participation
would be heralded far and wide as q
special attraction.
Nr
R0rding arrangements there with Maj.
Gen. Enoch Herbert Crowder at the
American embassy and officials Of the
war department Of the Cuban gov
ernment. Others aiding In prepare
ton Of arrangements include Capt.
Henry G. Clark, assistant military at
tache for the United States at Ha-
vana: William +. Murray, vice con-
sui and Irving II. DOnnin, chairman
OF a citizens reception committee.
Lieut.. Moorman arrived at Havana
the day before the hurricane swept
through the island on October 20, but
this storm and earlier ones that
caused havoc in nearby Gulf areas
are not giving officials of the flight
cause for alarm, as the storm season
will have passed long before the Jaunt
Is begun it is pointed out. The worst
the storms can do, it is said, would be
20 delay preparations of landing fields
and other necessary stations along the
route.
Flight to End Here.
The flyers will hop from San An
tonic to Mexican cities, and passing
over Central America will continue
down the rugged western coast of
South America as far South as central
Chile. The plans then call for
l1ft Ii Ln Hx,aN
across the continent to Rio de Janiero,
then inland on u side jaunt to Para
quay, then back to the eastern coast
and Northward, and finally to Cuba,
from which the Army airmen Will pass
up the eastern coast of the United
States to Washington. concluding the
trip here.
The pilots to make the trip are to
meet at Miller Field OH November ]
for a 15-day period of intensive train
ing with two planes which later Will
be flown in the formation TO the
Southern American continent. One of
the planes, now at Langley Field, will
be flown to Miller Field as part of
the training of the pilots and the
testing of the ships, and the other one
IS to be shipped to Miller Field from
the Looming factory.
These two ships will be put through
o. series of landing and flight tests.
both over land and sea under all kinds
of circumstances possible at Miller
Field, in order to estimate hOm they
will perform under the stress of the
YigorS of crossing the mountain peaks,
desert lands and other uncertain spots
of South America.
Personnel Selected.
With Maj. Dargue in the Army
group of flyers who will undertake
the Journey are Capt. Arthur r. Nc
Daniel, who is to act as financial otfi-
Ger of the flight; Capt. Ira {. Eaker,
who will be publicity officer and his
torian: Capt. Clinton F'iske Woolsey,
engineering officer. and First Lleuts.
Bernard Scott Thompson, Leonard
Dickson Weddington. Charles Mckin-
lev Robinson, who will be supply Off
Ger; Muir stephen Fairchild. assistant
engineering officer; Ennis Clement
Whitehead, assistant engineer, and
John William Benton.
Information being gathered by ad-
vance agents will be turned over to
Can't. r. G. Hoyt of the training and
war plans division of the Army Air
Corps, to be assembled and prepared,
in conference with Mai. Dargue and
other officials. into the final plan for
the entire trip.
In addition to Lieut.. Norman. the
advance agents include Capt. WolCott
HAYES, First Lieut.. Melvin B. Asp.
First Lieut.. Samuel c. Skemp and
First Lieut. William b. SouZa, all of
the Army Air Corps.