Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-08-24
LIEUT.. WILLIAMS TO SEEK AIR
SPEED TITLE In CIVILIAN PLANE
Has Formed Corporation
to Back Project, to
Beat French Mark.
Plans Craft Which Will
Go 800 Miles an Hour
and Land at Is.

Lieut.. Afford ]. Williams. jr., of the
to clean up all existing world speed
records for land and seaplaneS and
esta blish a few that do not now exist
on the official records.
The adventure into the realm where
airplanes fly at 800 miles an hour or
more is entirely a private one, al
though the. Navy Department has
gone on record as being ready and
willing to offer every cooperation.
When Fiorentin Bonnet Of the
French Aerial Army aew his Ferbois
monoplane with 550-horsepower His
PIANO SuiZa engine at Istres, December
IL. 1924, to a speed of 27S4S0 miles
per hour, he deposed Lieut.. Williams
as the worlds speediest pilot. Thirteen
months before, AL. as he is known
throughout the service, had shot his
Curtiss racer over three-kilometer
course at speed of 266 miles per
hour for the official title.
Interested Private Capital.
Since December II, 1924. the United
States flying forces have made no
effort to bring back the title. And
since that time Lieut.. Williams has
sought ways and means of putting the
United States on record as owning
the fastest plane and pilot in the
world.
For long time Williams sought
to interest private capital in a project
of building a civilian speed plane for
him to fly for the title. He received
very little ncouragement, but the
early part of this year saw the dawn
of success. He went among his
wealthy and influential friends in his
home town-New York City-peddling
the idea, and one by one they con-
trbuted until the fund exceeded the
$4,000 mark. A corporation was
formed and now is in existence, but
the hackers of the project desire no
publicity for themselves. The only
known contributor is Alderman Afford
j. Williams of the Bronx, the speed
pilots father.
Williams then engaged the services
of two of the foremost aerOna utical en-
gineerS in the country, who are not
now connected in any way with air
craft manufacturing concerns. Work
now is in progress on the racer and
present indications are that it will be
ready for it's first flight in two or three
months. 1t will be powered with a
Packard 900-horsepower engine, the
most powerful ever installed in tiny
racing ship.
1T will be a thoroughly American
plane" says Lieut.. Williams. DE
signed by Americans. built by Ameri-
cans of American material and flown
by an American pilot"
First Civilian Attempt.
Lieut.. Williams plan has been
known in Washington and New York
aeronautical circles for long time
and is regarded as one Of the most
daring steps in civilian aviation.
Heretofore the American Government
has spent thousands Of dollars on the
racing planes and turned them over to
picked pilots of the ARMY, Navy and
Marine Corps to fly. No civilian or
group of civilians ever has gone in for
expensive aircraft for a purely sport
ing event, although much more money
has been spent on the acquisition of
racing horses, automobiles and motor
boats. The Williams corporation,
therefore, is a pioneer in this field.
The details of the plane and the
place of its construction are being kept
secret for the present. Beyond the
fact that it will be a biplane and can
be convertible into a seaplane or land
plane at will. Lieut.. Williams has
nothing to say.
II can say this much for the ship"
the officer declared, "and that is, it
will be a real airplane and not a
freak. 1t is going to have a land
ing speed of rs miles an hour-a
safe landing speed. and it is going
to have a remarkably high speed.