Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-08-28

In the tank Tor hOur ana 10 minutes
flying, with 20 minutes emergency
supply in the gravity tank.
For the next half hour he few north.
east toward Chicago at about 1000
feet, then dropped to 900 feet, when
breaks began to appear in the clouds
and occasional ground lights to show
through. After passing over the
lights Of a small town, a fairly clear
space in the clouds was encountered
and he prepared to try for landing.
Releasing the parachute flare, he
whipped the ship around to get into
the wind and blew the flare, which lit
at once, but instead Of drifting gently
down, the flare dropped like a rock.
There was blaze Of white light,
showing the ground for an instant,
then total darkness.
Meanwhile the ship was in a steep
bank, and Lindbergh was so blinded
by the flares intensity he had diff
Guilty in getting back on an even keel.
When he tried to find the ground
again with the wing lights their glare
in the haze was worse than darkness.
At an altitude Of $4,000 feet, with
both tanks dry, he cut the switches.
pulled the ship up into a stall, and
was about to go over the right side
of the cockpit when the right wing
plane would gather speed and spiral
to the right, possibly striking the
parachute after it's first turn. Climb. |
ing back into the cockpit, he righted
the plane, then dived head first over
the left side of the cockpit. while the
air-speed meter registered 20 miles an
hour.
The altimeter now registered $4,000
feet. The rip-cord was pulled imme
diately after clearing the stabilizer,
and the parachute for the fourth time
functioned perfectly.
II was falling head first" said Lind.
bergh. when the risers whipped me
around into an upright position and
the chute opened. The De Haviland
plane vanished in the clouds just as
the parachute opened. 1t was showing
and very cold at this altitude. For
the first minute or SO the parachute
dropped smoothly, then it began to
swing annoying and continued to
oscillate in a wide arc for the next
five minutes, despite all that / could |
do. 1 landed directly on a barbed-wire |
fence without having seen it. The |
fance helped to break the fall. and the
barbs were turned by my heavy flying !
suit. The chute was blown over the |
fence and held open for some time by |
the gusts Of wind before collapsing. |
"Just 500 feet from the parachute I |
found my plane. The nose and wheels |
had struck the ground at the same |
time. After skidding for rs feet it |
had piled up in a pasture beside a |
hedge fence. One wheel had come off |
and stood, inflated, against the wall of |
a hoghouse 100 yards farther on It |
had gone through two fences and the |
wall of the hogshed. The wings of |
the ship were badly splintered, but
the tubular fuselage, although badly |
bent in places, held it's general form. |
The mail sacks, some lying half-open !
and one split in the center, had pro-
tected the mail, which I found un-
damaged"
ONE of the most dangerous and
freakish spectacles Of the air oc. |
CURED near Fairfield, Ohio, when |
Lieut.. James T. Hutchinson was fly |
ing in bombing practice, with Paul |
Stanley as bomber. Both jumped for |
their lives. Flying a Huff-Daland |
light bomber, equipped with Packard |
8O0-horsepower engine, they were sail |
ing along at 5000 feet, when suddenly |
puffs of smoke and fame, belching !
into their faces, sent them scuttling |
from the cockpits. A leaking gas line |
had exploded, blowing the cowling and |
fire wall away and allowing the flames |
free range. |
Clinging to the long strut, Stanley |
got to the wing. Lieut.. Hutchinson |
tried desperately to reach into the |
cockpit to turn off the ignition, but |
flames fought him back. He did sue
coed, however, in throttling down the |
speed Of the engine.
t.
about" the lieutenant later explained. 4
Jump Lieut.. Hutchinson called to |
Stanley, who, letting go the strut, slid !
off the wing. Stanley waited to clear |
the plane before pulling his ring, and |
when his chute opened drifted away. |
Lieut.. Hutchinson jumped as soon as |
he saw Mr.. SANKEY'S chute open. |
Then began for him the most thrilling |
descent.
The controls Of the plane had been |
nicely set for level flight. but one !!
wing was slightly down. Lieut.. |
HutchinsOn's chute was barely open |
when he saw that he was in the center |
of path about which the plane was |
gently circling. The knowledge that |
800 gallons of gasoline, 1000 rounds /
or live machinegun ammunition and |
9 bombs were aboard made him more !
than a little uncomfortable.
For several thousand feet the plane |
and Lieut.. Hutchinson descended at |
about the same rate Of speed, the am |
munition sputtering like popcorn. the |
center of the planes path changing !
sufficiently to cause him to wonder |
each time it swung around him If he |
would be struck or blown to bits.
He tried to side-slip his chute out Of |
danger once or twice, but with alarm |
ing lack of success, the wind conspir. |
ing against him to bring him nearer |
the plane. Finally. however, so much |
Of the planes superstructure burned |
away that it dropped below and de- |
scr1bed a new circle, leaving him free