Imperial Valley press., 1928-04-12
AV|A10RS
OFF FOR
AMERICA
German Plane With Irish
Pilot Aboard Leaves on
Bold Adventure.
DUE HERE FRIDAY
Weather Conditions Over
Atlantic Not All Favor
able to Flight.
BY GEORGE MacDONAGH
Omitted Press Staff Correspondent

RALDONNEL ATRDROME, Dub
lin, Ireland, April 1.-TWO Germans
End. a laughing Irishman today at
tempted n flight that no man ever
accomplished-a westward crossing
of the North Atlantic.
At 5:38 n. m. today the trim gray
monoplane Rrcmcn glided down the
board runway at Baldonnel Field and
started toward Mitchell Field, L.
l., or heaven.' In it were Baron
Gunther Won liuenefcld, Captain
Herman Koehl and Commandant
James Fitzmaurice of the Irish Free
state Air force.
Within SO hours they hoped to
be in New York-to accomplish a
feat that in the past II months has
deficd four attempts.
Their plane was capable of more
than 90 miles an hour flying speed.
At that rate and on their own idea
that SO hours would be sufficient
for the flight they should glide to
a landing on Mitchell Field at about
noon Friday.
When the plane left it carried
sufficient gasoline for - hours in
the air.
The fusclage was marked with a
German flag and alongside it had
been painted Free State tri-col-
or since Commandant Fitzmauricc
Joined the expedition.
a Free State plane accompanied
the flyers over Ireland.
The Free State plane took off at
$50 a. m. leading many observers
10 believe that the Bremen was un.
der way. The transatlantic plane,
iowever, did not take the air until
j:3s n. m.
When the three climbed into the
cabin of the Junkers machine they
waved a farewell. \ deafcning roar
made many of the 800 people at the
field, crowd that included Presi-
dent and Mrs. Cosgrave and the
German consul--clasp their hands
over their ears.
The plane rolled slowly down the
runways, gained speed and easily
pointed west toward the great un
conquered spaces of the North At
lantic.
Held Up For Weeks
The Germans arrived here sud
denly n few weeks ago from Berlin.
In addition to koehl and Won Huen.
cfeld, Arthur Spingler, was in the
rlane. They intended to stop only
= few hours and then start for
America but the weather was not
favorable.
Finally Spindler returned to Ger
many and Fitzmaurice was selected
TO replace him as assistant pilot to
Koehl.
The flyers were unprepared for
siege on the buffeting North At
lantic seas should their plane be
forced down.
1t is land plane. They have no
life buoys. They have no radio.
There is no lifeboat. They discard.
ed all this as Il means Of tightening
the load.
Baron Won IIuencfeld carried a
Iistol but he SAID it had no special
significance. They carried oranges.
lceled bananas, a special brand of
strong coffee, fresh water and slabs
cf chocolate. They figured the food
sufficient to appease their appetit-
ties in the thirty six hours they con
tcmplated flying.
GALWAY, Ireland, April 12.-
The civic guards today reported to
the United Press that the German
airplane Bremen passed Costello bay
at. 1905 a. m.
The plane was flying strong in a
northwesterly direction, the guards
reported.
Visibility was reported as very
bad.
The Bremen covered the distance
between Baldonnel Airdrome and
Costello bay, approximately ITO
miles in one hour and 27 minutes,
the civic guards said. This would
be an average speed of about rs
miles an hour, about Is miles an
hour less than the flyers hoped to
make.