The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1927-09-06
old GLORY
HOPS OFF ON
ROME FLIGHT
Bertaud and Hill Leave
Maine Coast, Trying for
Record Nom Stop Dash.
OTHER PLANES WAITING
Royal Windsor Fails to Start
With Fokker; World
Airmen in India.
BIZ United Preaa

HHIIlel III InQld.
By United Press
OLD ORCHARD, Me. Sent.
Setting forth for Rome. the Fokker
monopls.e Old Glory, with L'oyd
Bertaud and ]. D. Hill aboard. arose
today from Old Archard beach and
headed out over the Atlantic.
II successful, 1t will be the longest
nonstop flight ever made.
The plane gathered speed down
the smooth, hard-packed sand that
served as O. natural runway and
scared aloft at 1:25 o. m. Eastern
Daylight time.)
Three Men In Plane
J. D. Hill was plotting the plane
which also carried Lloyd Bertaud
and Philip A. Payne of New York.
The big plane took the air In per-
feet fashion at 100-mile an hour
clip, after long run.
Just before the take-off, Hill and
Bertaud tossed a coin for the
privilege of plotting the plane. The
former won and Bertaud and Payne
were sitting in the rear of the cabin
as the big craft got under way.
Their route, 1t was announced.
would take them over Cape Race,
N. F. Bertaud said they then would
follow parallel lit degrees straight
across the northern Atlantic. This
would carry them slightly south OF
the Great Circle" route. If all
goes well, Old Glory will oass near
Bordeaux and will fly little south
OF the Alpsen route to the italian
capital.
Thousands See Start
The long delayed start was wit
messed by several thousand specta-
tors, who had come from miles
around.
The fiiers carried letters from the
three American cardinals to Pope
Plus and letters from Governor
Ralph o. Brewster of Maine and
others.
During the projected 4,600-mile
flight, those aboard Old Glory hoped
to maintain radio contact with
shore or ship stations. Automatic
radio sending equipment had been
installed during the night.
Should the big Fokker be forced
down at sea, the new radio appara-
tus would broadcast S o s signal1
automatically on a 60O-meter wave
length.
Old Glory's crew took with them
food selected by the Good House.
keeping Institute, with the maxi
mum nourishment and the mini
mum bulk. Some Of 1t was placed
aboard against the possibility that
the flight might end in nidocean.
In such event the f1iers would
lower away with their rubber boat.
which can be inflated in about eight
seconds, with the assistance of COM
pressed air tanks carried for that
purpose.
The boat would support 1000
1t was equipped with two
oars and could be navigated in fair
weather.
Device to Cheat Thirst
Aboard the boat was a patented
device which would be fastened over
the f1iers' faces in the event of dis
aster to distill water from their
breath. A large cup full of water
could be obtained in this manner
every twenty-four hours.
-Four calcium flares and four red
flares and Very pistol aboard the
plane would enable the men to sig
nal for assistance If they were
forced down. A bubble sextant, an
air mattress, charts, three pairs of
gloves, hand fire extinguishers and
a flash light completed the planes
equipment.
The long wait of the Old Glory
f1iers in New York and Old Orchard
was not in vain. Today brought per-
feet weather and a fifteen-mile
southwest wind favorable to the
takeoff.
While Capt. Eric Denshan, chief
mechanic, was putting Old Glory
its final tests, Bertaud, Hill
and Payne bade farewell to their
wives.
Hill First in Plane
Hill was first to climb into the
plane. It's 450-horsepower Jupiter
Wright motor was going. He was
followed shortly by Bertaud and
Payne. Each man had received from
his wife a letter to be opened on
arrival at Rome.
Old Glody headed. southwest, then
turned and circled the beach in
great arcs. For several minutes it
over the crowded beach !
and finally turned sharply to the
north and headed out to sea.
A few minutes more and Old
Glory had disappeared on its great
adventure.