Evening star., 1928-06-17
AIR HEIGHT RECORD
BELIEVED BROKEN
Lieut.. BIeakIey Credited by
Observers With New Mark.
Barograph Rushed Here.

An attempt to better the present
world altitude record of 38,4l8 feet,
now held by Lieut.. c. c. Champion Of
the Navy, was made by Lieut. william
H. Bleakley Of the Army Air Corps at
Wright Field, near Dayton, Ohio yes
terday. who reached an indicated alti-
tude Of at least 10000.
The Paragraph. carried to what Air
Corps officers at the Ohio field feel is
new world record. was rushed here by
plane yesterday afternoon and will be
caiibrated at the Bureau OF Standards
within the next few days. The findings
OF the bureau. past celebration tests
show, may reduce the figure which the
pilot observed his altimeter in the cock
pit TO have reached. but there also is
chance Of the laboratry tests sus-
tanning the height Lieut.. Bleakley be-
| leves he attained.
Although 1t has been generally
known in aviation circles here for the
past few weeks that the experimental
section Of Wright Field had laid out
an altitude program to work on. first
word Of the fight and its apparently
Washington by Lieut.. Frederick Schauss
Capital yesterday afternoon from the
Ohio airbaSe in Douglas transport,
with two airpiane engines as cargo.
Plane Used by Macready.
The plane In which Lieut.. Bieakiey
made the fight into the upper regions
was equipped with super charged Lib
erty engine and bears the designation
XCO-5 IL is the same ship In which
former Lieut.. John A. Macready OF the
Army, made several valiant attempt 10
wrest the altitude record from Jean
Callizo, whose mark later was stricken
from the record books when he Was ex-
posed as a fraud. Lieut.. Macready re-
signed from the Army IN 1925 and at
that time he was credited with the
American record Of 1850. This mark
was surpassed by Lieut.. Champion with
/ the present figure and it was after his
| spectacular flight over Washington on
! July Is last that the French airman
| was discovered 10 have faxed" his
| mark Of over 10000 feet. Champion
automatically became the record holder
| Macreadys piAne~-floW Bleakley's
| ship-~was designed and built by the Ell
| gineering division Of the then McCook
{ Eiell al DAyNibs AIiabD, E9R1@A@Aa3 ADt
| high altitude work. II wings were
| given a higher lifting power and nu-
rnerous other installations and modi-
/ fIcati0nE were made TO assist the pilot
| IN pushing the plane TO the peak.
| Lieut. Bieakleys flight, from the
! time Of his take-off 70 his perfect land
| ing on Wright Field, required ] hour
and Al minutes, Lieut. 6chauss said
/ Every provision for successful attempt
| had been made down ~ the pilots gog.
/ gIeg, which embodied fine electric wires
| IN the glass Upon reaching the frigic
temperature high above the earth
| Lieut. Bleakley turned on a switch and
| electricity passed through the wires
/ heating the glass and preventing the
| formation of frost and ice, a common
/ and disturbing element In high altitude
flying. The pilots flying suit also was
| electrically heated and he carried a
large supply Of oxygen.
Saw Frozen yap0r
We watched his climb for several
minutes and A. the plane Wss about u
pags oiit III sight we saw a long stream
/ 0f white smoke trailing IT," LIEUT.
Echauss saio The white smoke wal
/ frozen yapof"
! The plane carried two paragraphs
Upon landing and after receiving infOr'
nation from Lieut. Eieakiey that tiis
sItineter IN the cockpit registered 10.
Continued on Page 2, Column 81