Evening star., 1927-05-03
THRILLS OF LONG AIR JOURNEY
RECITED BY GOOD WILL FLYERS
Participants in History-Making Adven-
ture Describe Perils Incurred, Long
Jumps Made, and Courtesies Received.

won the gratitude of the visiting air
men. the pilots said.
En- route to Naldivia, Chile, the fly.
erS encountered the worst fog in their
flying careers. we were flying
formation as tight as the one we were
in yesterday when we arrived" said
Capt. Eaker. ''and we could not see
the other planes. We were down to
the very waters edge. and the spray
splashed up and hit the bottom of our
planes"
High winds were encountered at
various places along the flight, ne
cessitating the engines being thrown
wide open in order to make headway.
They took off in storm out of Rio,
the pilots said. something which they
never would have done in this coun-
try.
One of the biggest thrills Capt.
Eaker and Lieut.. Fairchild received
was in crossing the Andes. The clouds
hung low over the peaks and it was
necessary to fly above the clouds.
There was nothing below us but the
big white blanket" said Lieut.. Fair
child "and we had no idea what we
would run into if we went through
the clouds. We were carrying a heavy
load and got lost from the others.
Finally it became necessary to go
down.
Experience Good Luck"
"As we flew down through the
clouds wondering whether we would
strike a peak any second. it sort of
took the JOY out of the whole eXpe-
dtion. Luck was with us. though. and
1t was a great feeling to find we were
right over lake with high noun
tainS all around us.
From then on, it was just mat
ter of winding in and about the noun
tains and canyons-the most beauti-
full part of the whole trip. The tenn.
perature was so cold it froze the
water bottle in the back cockpit.
In Ecuador, however, the airmen
encountered torrid weather. I'VE had
to dip our tools in water to cool them
off before using Them said Capt.
Eaker, ''and we couldn't grab hold of
the metal edges of the cockpit, they
were so hot"
The airmen are proud of the fact
that on departing from every port for
the next stop they had no idea OF
what weather they could accomplish,
and in spite of rain, fog and high
winds, they never once turned back.
Mai. Dargue lauded the spirit of his
comrades and pronounced them "a
fine bunch of young. men," 1t is no
easy matter. the commander said, to
choose a group of airmen who will
have TO associate together constantly
and still have complete harmony.
I'VE never had disagreement" ="
said the major, "and there were no
harsh spots in our relationship. We
are better friends today than we ever
were and l hate to part from them.
Decorations rendered.
AS evidence of the manner in which
they were received, Maj. Dargue said
the flight personnel will receive dec
orations from Venezuela, Bo'V4l,
Peru. Haiti and Cuba. In the YES
Indies, he said, the people are eN
thusiastic over the possibilities "
aviation. The Governor of st. Vim.
cents Island can see one of the island
groups from his home, but yet it re-
quireS SO days for mail to pass be-
tween the two points.
The pilots astounded military air.
men in several of the countries they
visited by the speed and accuracy
with which they handled the mechani.
cal side of their planes. They not
only flew the planes, but took care of
the engines and mechanism, said
Maj. Dargue. In Chile they took an
engine out one morning and the fol
lowing afternoon the plane, with a
new engine, was in the air and on its
way" The San Francisco used three
Liberty engines while the other planes
made five changes each
At several points along the line of
flight the flyers took prominent Off
cials for short trips over the capitals
of their cities. At Vera Cruz Capt.
Eaker took Gen. Gomez military
commander of that district, for a
flight, and the general showed his
gratitude by assigning special guard
for the plane. aides to the two pilots
and paid the expenses of the airmen
while in that city
Took Short Flights Only.
Viewing the flight from the stand
point of flying alone, the airmen pre-
ferred to fly eight and nine hour
jumps without landing, but they were