The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1927-10-12

The other aviators flew far
ther north, to take advantage
of the points of Newfoundland
and Ireland bulging far into
the sea.
The plane American Girl, in
which Miss Elder and Pilot George
Haldeman started from Roosevelt
Field, New York, at 5:04 p. m. yes
terda,', had not been seen since last
night, when the steamer American
Banker reported her $50 miles east
of New York.
The plane was flying at 80 degrees
from true north-roughly east
northeast.
The plane was in the middle OF
the main steamer lane, to which 1t
had stuck between the time 1t
passed Ambrose light, off the New
York coast, and the time the Ameri-
can Banker reported seeing 1t $50
miles east of the light and about
$50 miles from Roosevelt field, the
starting point.
Follow Steamer Lane
The fliers announced before the
flight that they would follow the
steamer lanes across the ocean.
This would carry them over or near
more than a hundred steamers
stretched out across the Atlantic
from New York to the coast of
France.
With their emergency radio send
ing set, they hoped to be able to
signal one or more of the steamers
in case of a forced landing at sea.
The sending limit of the set was
seventy-five miles.
The southern route, while almost
doubling the distance of open-sea
flying and adding 400 miles to the
total distance of the flight, was
chosen because Of its greater safe
ty so late in the year. There would
be less danger Of encountering ice,
snow, sleet or high winds than
along the more northerly Lindbergh
trail.
Weather Grows Bad
The weather at the time and
place Of the takeoff was perfect, but
a report compiled by James H. Kim
ball Of the local weather bureau
showed weather conditions across
the Atlantic the most unfavorable
of any flight undertaken from the
American side Of the Atlantic this
summer.
In spite of the adverse weather
conditions and the fact that he had
advised against the flight, Kimball
was confident Haldeman and his
fair companion and co-pilot would
make 1t.
IF any man can work his way
through the bad weather ahead, he
can," the weather expert said. "But
he will have rough going"
The American Girl carried $50
gallons of gasoline and twenty gall
Ions of oil. It's cruising radius was
estimated at from 4.4O0 to 1890
miles.
The monoplane weighed $3.50
pounds at the start.
Use Three Compasses
1t was equipped with three COM
passes-earth inductor, aperiodic
and magnetic. Haldeman expected
to rely almost entirely on the earth
inductor.
Emergency equipment did not in
clude, as most Of the transatlantic
planes, a rubber boat. Instead, each
Of the fliers carried a rubber suit.
in which, it was said, they would
be able to remain afloat for seventy
two hours. Each suit has apparatus
in the hood by which breath could
be condensed into water.
The plane itself, like other land
planes, probably would not remain
afioat long. Dump valves on the
gas tanks might enable the pilot
to bring the plane down on the
water upright, in which event the
empty tanks would keep the plane
afloat.
That would give them time to
send out distress calls with their
small radio outfit.
The plane also carried Very pis-
tolls and flares.