The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1927-06-11
Thrilling Air Escapes
Credited to Lindbe7gh

DOWN 1lrSC through snow ana tnen
through rain, to alight across a
barbed wire fence while the wind
pulled away at his parachute
threatening injury. But Lindbergh
was not as much as scratched.
That winter probably stands
next to the Spring of 1927 when
Lindbergh flew to Paris, as the most
thrilling of his life.
1t was on the night of September
Is, 1925, that Lindbergh took off
from Lambert Field, st. Louis, with
the night mail for Chicago. Twenty
miles beyond Peoria, ILL.,, he en-
countered darkness and blanket of
fog began to cover the ground. BY
the time Marseilles, ILL.,, was passed
this fog blanket from an altitude
of 900 feet entirely obscured the
earth. He attempted to fly under
it, but could not. and a flare which
he dropped hoping to determine a
safe landing place by its light, failed
to work. He proceeded on to the
haywood flying field, the air-mail
station for Chicago, but the fog was
so thick he could not locate it. He
then set out to pick up, if he could,
the beacons of the Transcontinental
air route but this also was impos-
sible.
Fuel Ran Low
At last his fuel ran low. He had
enough left for seven minutes fly
ing. There was nothing left for him
to do but to abandon the plane in
-rachute-although he could
The ground
90 feet the engine sputtered
l." Lindbergh wrote IN his
report of what was to him
y an incident in the life of a
Ilier.
II stepped up on the cowling and
out over the right side of the cock
pit, pulling the rip cord after about
a l00-foot fall. I was falling head
downward when the risers jerked
me into an upright position and the
chute opened. This time I saved
the rip cord.
Il pulled the flashlight from my
belt and was playing it down toward
the top of the fog when 1 heard the
planes engine pick up. When I
jumped it had practically stopped
dead and had neglected to cut the
switches. Apparently when the ship
nosed down an additional supply of
gasoline drained to the carburetor.
Soon she came into sight about a
quarter of mile away headed in
the general direction of my para
chute.
Il put the flashlight in a pocket
of my flying suit preparatory to
slipping the parachute out of the
way, If necessary. The plane was
making left spiral OF about a mile
diameter and passed approximately
300 yards away from my chute,
leaving me on the outside Of the cir
Gle.
IT was undecided as to whether
the plane or l was descending the
more rapidly and glided my chute
away from the spiral path Of the
ship as rapidly as I could.
Out of Sight
1.-THE ship passed completely out
OF sight, but reappeared again in a
few seconds, its rate of descent be-
ing about the same as that of the
parachute.
81 counted five spirals, each one
a little further away than the first,
before reaching the top of the fog
bank. When I settled into the fog
knew that the ground was within
! 1000 feet, and reached for the
flaShlight, but found it missing.
could see neither earth nor stars
and had no idea what kind of terri
tory was below. I crossed my legs
to keep from straddling a branch
or wire guarded my face with my
hands and waited"
Presently saw the outline of the
ground and moment later was
down in a cornfield."
Lindbergh was unhurt. He found
the wreckage of his plane two miles
away.
Lindbergh's next and his last
down from a plane by parachute
was on the night of November 3,
1925.
Near Peoria, Ill, he encountered
snow and although he descended to
an altitude of only 200 feet could
not see the ground. He citcled and
explored. looking for a spot where
the weather might be favorable for
landing, for more than an hour.
But shortage of fuel forced a crisis.