The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1927-06-08
BY MORRIS DE HAVEN TRACY
United Press staff Correspondent
Copyright, 1927, NEA Service, Incl
CHAPTER VIII

CHAPTER VIII
Captain Charles A. Llndbergh got
what his friends among aviators
believe to be the only real fright Of
his life in 1924 when at Fowler, Col
.orado, with a "Flying Circus" 1t
was largely fear for the safety of
two men who we're riding with him
as passengers.
eve had come to Fowler to give
an exhibition" said Captain j,
Wray Vaughn, who was managing
the Flying Circus"
"Lindbergh was our great stunt
pilot at the time and he was Civ
ing the people plenty of thrills.
1.-TWO men came to the field and
wanted to be taken up. Lindbergh
accordingly hoped off with them.
1t was late afternoon.
1.-THE snip had hardly left the
ground when a nasty wind storm
blew up. The wind howled and
Lindbergh, with his two passengers,
circled over the field, but he could
tell by the feel of the plane that it
would be dangerous to land in such
a blow. So he went up higher and
higher to keep out of the danger
zone, and before the storm abated
it was pitch dark.
1.-THE field where we were flying
was small. 1t was not a regular fly
ing field, but just big open space
which had been turned over to us
for our exhibition work. In it were
two haystacks and several trees. In
daylight a pilot as skilled as Limo
bergh could land and take off with
perfect safety, but at night it was
a different matter. Flares were not
easily available in those days and
lighting such field was an almost
unknown practice in that region.
Last Place in World
80, while the field might be all
right in daylight, it was about the
last place in the world to pick for
landing at night.
"The wind was still pretty heavy
and the night was pitch dark. I
didn't know what was going to be
done about it. I knew he couldn't
stay aloft forever. He had to come
down sometime.
$50, I moved up three automo-
biles and directed their headlights
so they would outline, although
perhaps weakly, the boundaries OF
the field and show up the haystacks
and the trees.
'Lindbergh was watching and
pretty soon he began coming down.
He circled around looking the stu
alton all over, and then dropped low
and made perfect landing.
1.-THE two passengers got out and
were enthusiastic about the splen-
did ride Lindbergh had given them
They thought the long trip was a
part of our generosity and they
probably don't know to this day
that only unusual skill and cool
medicines on the part of Lind
bergh saved their lives.
But Lindbergh got out of the
plane, came over to me and said:
"sYou can put that down in the
book-in all my flying experience
that's the first time ever was
scared"
Lindbergh had joined Vaughn
after going to st. Louis from his
Little Falls home where he had
rested after his first year or so of
following the country fairs in the
Rocky Mountain states. Vaughn
had taken him back to the West.
Need a Pilot
1T wired Lambert field in st.
Louis one day that I needed a pilot
for a summer stunt tour through
the West" Vaughn said telling how
he and Lindbergh met. I told
them I wanted a pilot with plenty
of nerve and one who knew his
business. They replied that they
were sending Lindbergh. I'd never
heard of him before.
$50 I went down to the station in
Denver, Colo, to meet him. I ex-
pected to see a regulation trick air.
man all dressed up in doggy avia-
tors uniform.
"I stood on the station platform
scanning the crowd trying to pick
out someone who looked like an avn
ator, I noticed a tall, gangling kid
in misfit blue suit about three
sizes tho small. He wore an old
cloth cap and carried a cardboard
suitcase and duffle bag.
1.-THE crowd Trimmed out, but I