Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-08-19

Both were crude affairs and the oil
feed went on the fritz almost from
the start Periodically throughout
the trip l would send a note back
to Capt. Schluter telling him to turn
on the valve while / pumped the
tubing full by blowing on it.
think we lost considerable gas
because of the poor feed. 1t seemed
to fairly squirt out at times. and
was afraid to speed up at any time.
[ kept her right at ! $50 revolutions
per minute practically all the way,
dropping down to 1900 toward the
finish in an effort to conserve every
ounce. Had | forced her any. the
feed might have broken and we
would surely have landed in the deep.
Transoceanic flying is still in its
infancy and we have a lot to learn
For one thing we have discovered
that navigation and the radio are
the two greatest aids. BY radio !
mean the radio beacon and the re-
ceiving and sending aboard the plane.
Hopes Friends Get In.
As I write this my friends Jack
Frost and Augie Pedlar have not been
reported. Neither, believe. had a
radio set. but they both had expert
enced navigators aboard What
happened only the Lord knows and
l am still hoping they arrive safely.
The period before the start of the
flight was almost as narrowing as the
voyage itself. We worked night and
day making preparations all the time
hesieEed by people wanting auto
graphs or begging for a seat In the
plane on the voyage. 1t was surpris-
ing to learn how many persons We're
DESTROYS of making the trip. some of.
fering their services as navigator and
others merely asking permission to
ride as passenger. The risk was en-
tirely discounted, showing that avfa-
ton has taken a tremendous hold upon
the American public. thanks. of
course, to Charlie Lindbergh, Cham
berlin and Byrd
When l announced that I would
take a navigator on the voyage / was
immediately besieged with applica-
lions ranging from 16-year-old Boy
Scout to a woman mathematician who
wanted the experience. Hundreds of
these applications We're received, and
the rush got so bad that | called in
the services of a seafaring friend, who
agreed to help me select the man. The
ineligibles were quickly weeded out.
and then came the business Of deter
mining my man, It was not long be-
fore Capt. Schluter was decided upon,
and the fact that he passed the test
100 per cent indicates that the choice
was an excellent one. and that test was
further backed up by the fact that
he got us here safely.
Needed All His knowledge.
The captain informs me that he was
never before called upon to use his
navigation knowledge as he was on
this flight. He has faced the thick fog
off Alaska without finchA3. treach-
erous channels have held no terrors
for him. but this flight has been an
experience he will never forget. The
bridge of a ship and the cockpit of an
airplane are entirely foreign to each
other except for one thing. The cap
tain's long experience at sea at least
kept him from getting seasick in the
plane. He managed to eat two sand
witches. but 1 did not touch bite, be-
cause I knew If I ate I would get
sleepy.
Right now don't feel like attempt
ing another transoceanic flight; ii Is
too much water to see at one time
from tiny airplane But If I ever do
that / am equipped with a complete
radio set. Also I shall certainly not
be without q navigator.
1t was my original intention to at
tempt the fight alone. travelling by
dead reckoning, but now l realize how
futile my effort would have been.
Aloha Proved Good Ship.
The Aloha, a Vance -Breese model, is
a wonderful little ship and proved its
worth, and the J-5-C Wright Whirl-
wind motor never whimpered. Had