Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-04-15
A|RMAN CLAIMS
TOP RECORDFORU.S.
Lieut.. Henderson Says in
SeapIane Test Yesterday He
Is Beat Italy's Altitude.

fha Bureau of Standards, Lieu
George r.. Henderson, chief OF the
Navy's fight test board at the NaVai
Air station. Anacostia, expressed con
Fdence that he shattered the ltailah
record OF 20.2o0 feet for seapla mes NJ.
carrying a useful load OF aoO klio-
grams Il .1o2.S1 poundsl in his alI-
sude fight over the city late yes
terday afternoon.
JTpon Lieut.. Henderson's return to
earth after a flight into the rareIeu
atmosphere above the Capital, Wnere
he encountered a temperature OF ~
degrees below zero and was forced
10 use his oxygen supply, the delicate
instrl1ments were taken TO the Bu-
reau to remain untouched for "A
hours. At the expiration of that
period. or some time this evening or
tomorrow morning, experts viii delVe
3nto their recordings, and, II is pre-
6icted. emerge with the seaplane altl-
tude record. =,
at was Just part of a days work, =
Lieut.. Henderson replied to congratu-
lations showered upon him today. II
the record is broken, as / feel conf1-
dent it is, that win be the end Of it,
but If It is not, Wen try again"
hEcDTu Dl
The altimeter in the cockpit of the
Nought "Corsair" observation plane
registered 24,200 feet when Lieut..
Henderson, aware that his oxygen
supply was running low and confident
that the maximum ceiling or the
plane had been reached on that hight,
began his return to the air station IN
wide circles. Yesterday morning,
= mod Hn dc
n preliminary hop to satisfy himself
heyond a doubt that the plane and the
4OO-norsepower, air-cOoled Pratt d
Whitney Wasp" engine could break
the record with the load. On that
flight he reached 22,200 feet, and he
personally calibrated the altimeter
down to q, 500 feet, or 1000 feet more
than the world record. In making ms
own celebrations yesterday morning
Tieut. Henderson took the tempera-
tire into consideration, which will not
be reckoned with by the Bureau OF
Standards officials under universal
practice.
Based on the preliminary perform
ance. Lieut.. Henderson believes a
mark of at least % 900 feet was set by
the plane.
Quick Action Record.
with the after cockpit carrying
about 900 pounds of lead and sand IN
bags and with about 200 pounds
hacked away in front of the pilot, the
"Corsair," equipped with one metal
nontoon and two wing-tip pontoons,
leaned out of the water in less than
IL seconds after full power had been
applied and was off for the record
breaking attempt. Lieut.. Henderson
headed down the river, gaining altl-
tude all the time and then he turned
the plane back in the direction OF
AT the 1900 foot level the airman
experience the first need of oxygen,
so he turned on the juice" from nus
J .6OO-pound tank. Forty minutes
from the time of the take-off he had
reached % 900 feet, regarded as re-
markable rate of climb. but IN the
last five minutes of the climb ne
oould gain only $50 feet. The oxygen
tank showed but 800 pounds lett ana
satisfied that he could not hope 10
cain more than a few feet in the sue
ceeding minutes, Lieut. Henderson
out and began the glide
homeward. He took off at 1923 O'Clock
and landed at 4:44.
His Descent Rapid.
Holes had been drilled in the metal
pontoon to allow the air TO get IN
Lieut.. Henderson's descent was SO
rapid, however, that the pressure WITH
in the pontoon could not be equahzeu
fast enough with that from the out
side and this resulted in the pontoon
buckling in several places. Wnen tne
plane came to rest on the beach,
though, and when the lower atnos-
pheric pressure had gotten into the
nontoon the metal could be heard
cracking for several minutes untlI
fhe pontoon again was normal.
Lieut.. Henderson showed no i'll Ell
fects from the flight. Yesterday $
ventures into the upper air We're by
no means the first, and on previous
occasions with land planes the pilot
has gone beyond the 22,000-foot level.
The officer lauded the performance or
the plane and engine, declaring that
with it's heavy load, he climbed higher
than the fast pursuit planes. Con-
tracts for SO Of the Vought Corsars
were let by the Navy TO the Chance
Vought Airplane Co. of Long Island
CITY, it was announced after the sue
cessful completion Of the flight.
The idea for attacking the Italian
record originated with Rear Admiral
William A. Moffett, chief OF the Blu
feau of Aeronautics, who has been en-
deavoring to bring about return Of
Americas records lost to Europe
through racing and other means.
When the Corsair was received at
the air station for test several months
ago and was flown as land plane,
Lieut.. Henderson and other test pilots
saw in a moment that it would be a
likely candidate for the Italian record.
Reasons for Secrecy.
Plans for the undertaking were
withheld from publication, not because
there were any doubts about the
planes performance, Lieut.. Henderson
eaid, but to obviate any failure pub
Iicity'' in the event a minor piece of
mechanism went wrong and necessi-
tated a postponement, as both the
Army and Navy have had experience
within the past.
Lieut. Henderson equipped himself
for the cold above the city by wearing
a heavy fur-Lned flying suit, two pairs
of gloves, moccasins and a face mask,
making his weight about 100 pounds.
Porter Adams, president of the
National Aeronautic Association; Glenn
/. Martin, airplane manufacturer of
Cleveland, and Henry A. Berliner,
president of the District Chapter Of
the Aeronautic Association, were offl-
ciaI observers of the flight. II. c.. SontaS
of the aeronautics instruments section;
/. S. Holbrook, chief of the weights and
measures section, and r. w. Smith,
also of that section, and all of the
Bureau of Standards, superintendent
the installation of the Paragraphs and
the load carried by the plane.
Admiral Moffett, Capt. II. c. Rich
ardson, Comdr. r. T.. Wilson of the
Bureau Of Aeronautics and Lieut..
Comdr. Homer G. Wick, commanding
the air station. were among the spec
tatorS.
Native of Rhode Island.
Lieut.. Henderson. who was born in
Pawtucket, r. l., in 1898, has been