The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-03-13
col. caAs: a uN05FRoTS Own LIFE story .:::.zz:=

flight; including equipment for
emergency use i'll a forced landing,
After the first few hours there
would be enough air in the fuel
tanks to keep the ship afloat for
some time.
I also carried an air raft which
could be inflated in several minutes
and which could weather a fairly
rough sea.
In addition to food for the actual
flight, 1 carried five tins of con-
centrated Army rations each Of
which contained one days food and
which could be made to last much
longer if necessary.
I carried two canteens of water;
containing a quart for use during
the actual flight and the other con-
tanning a gallon for emergency.
In addition to this water, / had
an Armburst cup which is a device
for condensing the moisture from
human breathing into drinking
water.
The cup is cloth covered and con-
tains a series of battle plates
through which the breath is blown.
The cup is immersed in water
and then removed and blown
through. The evaporation of the
water on the outside cools the cup
walls and BATTLE plates on which the
breath moisture collects and runs
| down to the bottom of the cup.
The following is a list of the
equipment carried on the flight:
. Flashlights.
l Ball Of string.
| Ball of cord
/ Hunting knife.
4 Red flares scaled IL rubber
tubes
Match safe with matches.
! Larger needle.
l Canteen-4 OTIS.
l Canteen-1 at.
! Armburst cup.
! Air raft, pump and repair kit.
5 Cans, Army emergency ra-
tions.
2 Air cushions.
/ Hack saw blade.
| Near the end of April the fac
/ tory work was completed and early
one morning the forty-SiX foot wing
was taken out of the second floor
of the factory onto the top of a
freight car and then lowered to a
waiting truck by means Of a gasoline
crane.
A few days later the plane was
completely assembled in its hangar
and on April %, or sixty days after
the order had been placed, I gave
The Spirit Of ST. Louis her ties.
flight.
The actual performance was above
the theoretical. The plane was of
the ground in six and one-eightil
seconds, or in 1865 feet, and was
carrying over 400 pounds in extra
gas tanks and equipment.
The maximum air speed meter
reading was 1913 M.PH. and the
climb excellent.
The load tests were made from
the old Camp Kearny parade
grounds near San Diego. At day
break, one foggy morning, I took
off from the field at Dutch Flats
and headed for the Army's three
kilometer speed course along Co
ronado Strand.
The visibility became extremely
bad over San Diego harbor and I
was forced to land at Rockwell
Field. North Island. and wait for
the fog to lift before running the
speed Tests.
The sun soon dispelled the fog
and took the plane four times
over the speed course at an aver
age of 1913 M.P.H. in a slight cross
wind. I was carrying about twenty
five gallons Of gasoline and over 400
pounds of extra tanks and equip
ment.
On the way to Camp Kearny
ran a number of tests on the rela-
ton of motor RPM. to air speed,
and by the time reached the old
parade grounds field / had collected
quite a bit of valuable test data.
I decided to run one more test
before landing and had it about
halfway completed when I allowed
the data board to come too close to
the window where a gust of air car
ried it out of the cockpit.
was flying over mesquite, over
five miles from Camp Kearny, at
about a 1,200-foot altitude at the
time, and could only spiral around
and watch the board flutted down
into the top of mesquite bush.
Copyright. 1927. BY Charles A. Lindbergh)
ITO Be Continued