Evening star., 1927-04-14
u. S. FLYERS, IN AIR
81 HOURS, BREAK
WORLDS RECORD
ACoSta and ChamberIin Go
Far Beyond 45-Hour Mark
of French AviaiorS.
FLIGHT is PRELI LIMINARY
TO ATLANTIC ATTEMPT
Have Flown Far Enough to Cross
Ocean Three Times, Plane
Experts Estimate.
N The Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
MINEOLA, n. Y, April 14.-Bert
Acosta and Clarence ID. Chamberlin,
civilian ayiators, landed at 13:42
o'clock after setting a new record for
endurance flying by remaining in the
air for 81 hours l. minutes.
Fer the half hour before the land
ing the plane hung above the field at
an altitude Of about 5000 feet, cours'
ing slowly backward and forward. AT
1895 it dropped toward the earth and
the spectators cheered as they thought
landing was about to be made. The
plane banked off, however, and climb
ed again, repeating this performance
a second time before the actual land
ing was made.
The record breaking performance
eclipsed by six hours the previous
world record of IS hours, II minutes
and So seconds.
BY the time of the landing the crowd
had swelled to thousands and was held
in check by ropes stretched along the
runway and by police reserves called
out when the throngs became unman-
ageable At noon the crowd suddenly
fell silent as it was realized that a
landing must be made very shortly be
cause the supply of gasoline was
known to be running low.
At 1890 only 10 gallons were left
in the planes tank and up to that
time close to Z gallons an hour had
been used in the flight. The last lo
gallons lasted for . hours and j MIN
utes. and observers on the field felt
sure that the flyers had remained In
the air until the tank was absolute
ly dry.
AS soon as the plane landed the
cheering crowd broke through police
lines and swarmed about the record
breaking plane and the two aviators,
who had been in the air for Well over
two days.
Crowd Breaks Restraint.
AS Chamberlain and Acosta showed
their heads from the cabin after the
plane came to a stop, they were
seized and drawn out by the crowd
and carried about the field suil - ns,
shoulders of the people close enough
to capture them.
Chamberlin, fraiI, blond and ap-
parently very tired, was drawn OUT
first and was followed few seconds
later by Acosta, also in the hands
of the cheering mob, which threw all
restraint to the wind.
Both ayiators were smiling happily
as they faced a greater danger rom
injury at the hands of their friends
than that to which they had been
exposed in the air.
Among the first Of the crowd 70
reach the flyers were the two aVi'
ators' wives, who ran along with the
fhrong as their husbands were car
ried about on the shoulders or the en-
thusiastic spectators. AS soon as the
flyers could be extricated from their
admirers they entered a limousine
with their wives and drove away,
their tired faces wreathed in smiles
as they waved from the windows. The
little car in which Mrs. Chamberlln
had driven to the field was left be-
hind. When she arrived she express
ed the opinion that after the long trip
in the air her husband might not
care for the jolting ride home with
her in the small car.
Former Record Made in 1925.
The former world record was estab-
.sished by the French tiiers Drouhin
and Landry at Etamps. France, in
kAugust, 1925. It was the third record
Shattered by the weary aviators since
S4hey started on their endurance
flight over Long Island at 9:30:4O
o'clock Tuesday morning. They re-
mained in the air in an effort to
reach the 50-hour mark they had set
for themselves.
A sleepy group of aviation authori'
ties and newspapermen numbering
about 100. we're the only persons on
hand as the powerful Wright-Bal
Ianca monoplane streaked its way
passed the old record and vanished in
The gray horizon Of early day. The
sfay was clear and the plane was fly
ing at an altitude of about $500 feet
The flight, in addition to an attempt
to set a new worlds endurance record
was in the nature of a test prior to
proposed nonstop New York to Paris
flight in competition for the $z5,oO'
prize offered by Raymond Orteig.
Two Other Marks Set.
Announcement of the new worlC
record was made by Carl S. Schory
secretary of the National Aeronautica
Association. who was the Official ob
server at the fight.
Two previous records had beer
smashed by the flyers. AT 9:35 O'Clock
=. last night Acosta and ChamberhI
passed the American continuous fiylnt
record Of SO hours, 4 minutes and 3
seconds established by Oakley Keli!
and John A. Macready four years ago
The duration flight record Of plan
refueled in the air was broken at 1O.4
O'Clock last night as the aviator
passed the mark held by Lieuts. Smitl
and Richter Army airmen, who stayet
aloft 81 hours Is minutes and IA sec
onds in 1928.
Since they left Roosevelt Field
Acosta and Chamberlin had estah
lished other interesting marks. Fly
ing a triangular route over the Roose
welt, Mitchell and Curtiss aviation
fields in Long Island, the ayiators ha
been in the air long enough to hav
flown almost three times across tn
Atlantic. on the time basis Of the A
cock Brown flight from Newfoundlan
10 Ireland in 1919.
Both Are Veterans.
They had also Travelled far beyon
the distance Of a fight from NeN
York TO san Francisco and return.
A supply of 385 gallons Of gasoline
carried at the start Of the trip, wa
diminishing steadily through IN
morning, but with the passing Of eac
hour the Ightened weight of the crai
allowed slackened speed and subs,
ouent conservation of fuel.
4 motor that hummed perfectly an
2 plane that responded gracefully
every move. from controls left Onl
the fuel supply as the remaining O
stacle 10 completion OF the 50-hou