Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-06-26
u.S.-HAWANAN HOP
FLYERS AMBITION.
Lieut.. Maitland Has Cherish
ed Dream of Pacific Trip
for Six Years.

ceeds in linking the American West
coast with Hawaii by air he will &C
complish an ambition of six years
standing. TO make the adventurous
undertaking all the more certain OF
success, Maitland and his navigator
Lieut.. Albert J. Hegenberger. have
assembled on their tri-motor Fokker
monoplane the most modern naviga'
tional instruments science has de-
vised. In addition they will travel
a course that is calculated to afford
the least obstacles to overcome.
Spurred on by the possibility that
many unattached pilots may hop off
any day for the prize money offered
by James d. Dole and others for the
Pacific Coast to Hawaii flight, Matt
land and Hegenberger are anxious to
get away at the earliest possible
moment Weather conditions, in fact.
are about the only thing that may
delay the flight. as the tests OF the
instruments carried in the plane and
its airworthiness have both proved
satisfactory.
The recent cross the-country cruise
of Assistant Secretary of war r.
Trubee Dawson. in charge OF aero
nautics, was made in plane OF the
same type as that to be used by Matt
land and Hegenberger. and the sue
cessful performance of the ship on
this occasion was one of the elements
which convinced the Army that the
Hawaiian fight could be accomplished.
On the Dawson flight. approximately
900 miles are covered. and Lieut..
Maitland served most of the time at
the controls.
Dawson Aiding Flight.
Secretary Dawson is intensely in
terested in the proposed flight to
Hawaii, and is giving his personal at
tention to many of the details of the
venture. In Maitland and Hegen-
berger, Secretary Dawson believes ne
has designated two of the most ex-
pert aviators of the Army Air Corps
for the Pacific Coast-Hawaiian flight.
Since Mr.. Dawson assumed the post
as Secretary of War for Air, an office
created as one of the direct off-shoots
of the greater air service" contro-
versy led by Col. William Mitchell,
Lieut.. Maitland has been serving with
him as an executive assistant. The
two have considered all elements OF
ths attempt to span the Pacific, ana
the development Of the Fokker trans
mort nlane. with adequate room Tor
incl for the hop of 2,100 nautical
miles. is an outgrowth OF these stu.
dies. Maitland, in fact, has cnerlsneo
the ambition to make the flight Tor
ak years and sought the assignment
TO lead the expedition.
Both Dawson and Maitland nave
long regarded the hop to Hawah as
fea sible. and If any uncertainties eX-
isted in their minds, the historic flight
of Col. Lindbergh to Paris ana the
cruise of Chamberlin and Levine TO
berlin served to remove these doubts.
The Lindbergh and Chamberlin planes
ere motored by the same engine useu
IN the Maitland ship, and its de-
rendability is regarded as proven. On
The navigational instruments ana ra-
dio. however. Maitland will place MS
greatest dependence.
Navigation Most Important.
That the navigational features OF
the Hawaiian flight are OF prime I'M
,.or,anee was advanced by no less an
suthoritv than Lieut.. Erik Nelson,
who is generally regarded as the most
skilled of the American. rouno'the'
,.,orId f,ilots. The man who lanos on
Hawaiian soil, Nelson contends, WIN pc
stbe luckiest pilot who ever heid
stick or an extra first class naViga-
aAa compared with the problems. OF
.,.oss;ne the Pacific and striking the
islands. the problem OF crossing tne
Atlantic and landing in Europe Is
simple" Nelson said.
ee-degree error In navlgatlon'
Nelson said. would have thrown AInu.
bergh off his course, and perhaps Sent
him over the North sea. A tnr I'M, ~.
cree error the other way would sim
y,Iv have meant that Lindbergh might
have landed on the coast of Spain.
But the man headed for Hawaii who
/, makes a three-degree error in naviga-
tion will be thrown off the course
enough to pass the Hawaiian lslands
entirely and head Off somewhere INTO
the open sea.
Methods Are Approved.
The Maitland Hegenberger expedi-
tion. however, appreciate fully the
value of navigation on the proposed
cruise. and every precaution has Deen
taken to provide equipment win
which to steer their course for the
Hawaiian mainland. In fact, the Hy-
geographic Office of the Navy Depart
ment, at the request or MAJ. zen.
Mason NJ Patrick. chief OF the Army
Air Service, has just completed de-
tailed inspection Of the Astronomical
Hesenberger, and has approved them
The photographic Office is peculiarly
fitted to render this service, having
at its disposal expert theoretical and
practical navigators and over half
century of record in oceanography and
meteorology, sailing and current dl-
rections.
The Weather Bureau also has been
called in to assist the Army In provid-
ing information, as to the wind oil.
rection on the surface and aloft; the
condition Of the sea in Hawaiian
waters. the clouds and their direc-
ton, and data on fog, rain and other
meteorological information. In sup
plying the information the weather
station at Pearl Harbor. Hawaii, will
cooperate with the West Coast sta.
lions. Weather experts here regard
the outlook as most favorable for
the Army's fight as far as prevail
ing winds are concerned. For more
than two.thirds Of the distance sepa'
rating San Francisco from Hawaii
weather experts say. the winds will
be from the eastward and thus favor
the aviators.
While the winds along the California
coast are generally from the north
west during this period of the year,
the tendency is to shift so as to come
from the northeast and from the east
Experience has shown that from about
100 degrees west longitude the winds
are from this direction, which would
be most helpful in driving Maitland
and Hegenberger toward Hawaii. just
as Lindbergh was aided by favorable
winds driving the Spirit Of st. Louis
safely toward Ireland. Belgium and
France. Another favorable considera
ton for transpacific flying is the alb
sence Of fogs at this time, in contrast
to the prevalent North Atlantic fos
banks.
Have Charts Computed.
"Hegenberger and l." Lieut.. Matt
land said the other day. "have so com
puted our charts that we will know by
49, len 9TH rrrlno ,ry.