Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-09-05
COURTNEY BLAMES WIND.
Flyer, in Own Story, Tells of Hop to
Spain.
RY CAPT. FRANK 7. COIRrNEY

BY CAPT. FRANK I. COURTNEY.
b. Gable to The Star and the North Amer
lean Newspaper Alliance.
CORUNNA, Spain. September S.
We have been worsted, but only tenn
= p0rarily, in our attempt to make the
first leg of our hop from Plymouth
England, to New York. We are far
from discouraged and are eager to set
out again for the Azores, and then to
Newfoundland and New York on what
we hope will be the first successful
transatlantic flight westward. We
decided to start our flight Saturday
from Plymouth instead of Southamp'
ton, because from various considera-
tons it appeared better to try to reach
the Azores in the daytime. The fore
cast showed that the winds were like
~ to be so light as to make this easy
with time to spare.
Immediately after we left Plymouth
we came into thick sea fog. This
continued about 80 miles. We We're
flying 500 feet up at 80 knots on a di-
rect course for the Azores. We then
came over calm water with a heavy
swell. The sky was covered with
high light clouds. After Downer, the
radio man, had checked over his navi-
cation instruments he attempted to
use the wireless. He received. but
found he couldn't transmit. After
considerable delay, he managed to
transmit by reducing the power.
Easy to Handle.
The Whale was exceptionally easy
10 hold on a steady compass course.
at 8 o'clock Saturday morning, about
two hours and a half after we had
hoped off, we met a fishing fleet and
q large steamer. At 9:25 we ran into
a squall which wasn't as per weather
forecast. We flew at 800 feet in a
heavy rain and southeast wind At
$40 we got clear of this and came into
patch of amazingly flat water with
hardly any swell.
Downer got in touch with shipping
and found at all times at least three
ships in range. AT 1890. Downer
took the controls, while l had coffee
and sandwiches. At 1870 we ran into
another heavy squall with rain and
very low clouds. A southwest wind
sprang up and the calm water rapidly
broke into white-crested swells. This
wind was dead against us, and drift
readings showed it to be 20 to %
miles an hour.
In UnfavOrable Wind.
I hoped it was purely a local dis.
turbance. After 90 minutes we were
clear of the squat, flying 500 feet up
al 80 knots. The sky became clearer,
but the wind increased. I asked
Downer to give me our position. We
had now been flying into a head wind
nearly two hours and it showed no
signs of decreasing. The sky ahead
also indicated what I'd expected. that
able wind and could not hope to reach
the Azores until long after dark. We
had no means of landing there at
night.
SO we set our course for Spain. AS
we got farther east the wind abated,
but visibility decreased. After max.
ing calculations to check the previous
ones, Downer sent a wireless giving
our Intentions. After four hours we
struck the coast just south of Cinis-
terre.
Landed at Corunna.
We landed at $50 Saturday night
In the Bay of Corunna, which seems
made for seaplanes.
In deciding to make for Corunna,
We took several factors into con-
sideration: Speed, petrol consumption
and distance, since the petrol con-
sumption is greatly affected by speed,
and we didn't want to be caught at
nightfall without petrol or landing
place.
My impression Of the fight so far is
pleasant. I thought the open Atlantic
would seem terrifying, but to the con-
trary there is curious fascination
In being on the great lonely ocean
with safe boat beneath us, engines