Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-06-30
Maitland and Hegenberger
Nearly Miss Islands When
Radio Beacon Fails to
Function Properly.
GO HUNGRY ENTIRE TRIP,
WITH FOOD UNDER FEET
Suffer During Record Flight With
Supply in Arms Reach-Busy
Social Program Starts-Avia-
tors Take Dip in Sea at Waikiki
Beach.
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
HONOLULU, June 30.-The pleas
ant penalties of heroism were fixed
upon Lieuts. Lester J. Maitland and
Albert Hegenberger today as all
Hawaii saluted them for their swift,
sure flight from the Golden Gate to
Honolulu.
The two trim, wind-bronzed Army
aviators had spent the night in a
private suite at the Waikiki Beach
Hotel, in an endeavor to make up
for the sleep they lost in their fight
of Is hours and so minutes from
Oakland, at the end of which they
had nonchalantly landed their six
ton Fokker at Wheeler Field, near
here, yesterday.
The two birdmen who had flown
2,4OO miles-the longest flight over
water ever made-suffered from hun
ger, while food was within arms
length of them.
Could Not Find Food.
This was revealed Immediately after
their landing. Asked if they were
tired, they said they were. a little, but
mainly hungry. They had trusted to
others to provision the plane with
soup, chicken sandwiches and cofee,
but when they searched repeatedly
for it throughout the day and the en-
suing night, it could not he found.
Some 80 hours wakefulness and SUI
preme effort without thing. to eat
and only water to drink brought them
to confess a. starved feeling.
A brother officer, hearing their CON-
p.aint, grinned.
You poor fish, he said. why
didn't you look under your feet? 1
found enough grub under tarpaulin
TO feed you a week in going over
your plane when you vacated.
An active social program was ar
ranged for the two. The schedule in
cIuded a call a. am. on Maj. Gen.
Edward NJ Lewis, commanding the
Hawaiian Department of the Arl.-y;
10 am, a call upon Rear Admiral
John D. NcDonald. commanding the
14th Naval District; IL am, call
upon Gov. Wallace harrington; II
noon. community luncheon, at
which Maitland and Hegenberger
were honor guests; z pm. dinner
given by Col. John H. Howard. de-
partment air officer, and Mrs. How
ard Q pm, a public reception.
Further social activities also have
been arranged which will keep them
busy the evenings of July and
July 4.
Scores of congratulatory MESA ges
were received by the flyers today.
There was much speculation here as
TO xxrta of fLnf1 frf1 frrl,
will have upon public interest in the
competition for Dole prizes. The gen
eral opinion is that the Dole flights
will develop into a race for the first
and second prizes of $4,000 and
100000 for the first flights from the
mainland to Hawaii after noon of
August 70.
100 Miles OF Course.
The much-discussed radio beacon
which was to have guided the big
monoplane failed to work consist
emily, due to a defective receiving
apparatus. aboard the plane. When
the honor escort left Wheeler Field
to meet them Maitland and Hegen-
berger were approximately 100 miles
| north of their intended course. AS a
result they slipped in unescorted, sur
| prising a great crowd which had
almost gone to sleep waiting for them.
They first sighted the Island of
Hawai-. Being familiar with the
Hawaiian Islands, the flyers immedi-
ately oriented themselves and turned
southwark toward Oahu.
| The aerial escort was far away,
| lingering between Diamond Head and
koko Head and becoming momen.
tarily more anxious as it scanned the
horizon toward Mauai and Molokai.
Find Flyers Already Landed.
| 1t was half an hour after Maitland
and HeSenberger landed that the air
plane escort that had gone out to
meet them returned to find the big
t'okker plane already at Wheeler
| Field, surrounded by the military DO
lice guard, and the two aviators on
| the reviewing stand receiving con-
gratulations and telling how the long.
est all water flight in history had been
! made.
| Social functions for Maitland and
| Hegenberger were forbidden yesterday
TO permit them to rest. Late yester-
day afternoon, however. they were un-
able to resist the lure of plunge into
| the waters of Waikiki beach Their
appearance was the signal for the
assembly of more than a score OF
motion picture and newspaper pho
, tographers and others. The aviators
submitted good naturedly to the de-
mands that they pose and then went
| to their hotel.
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NnANF rFcTiMN n AME