The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-02-16

on lUS Sue, DuC IL was 100 laCe, Ine
controls had no effect.
The Negro meanwhile decided that
the "fliphopS' were over and poked
his head over the side of the cock
pit looking for mother earth. AT
that instant we whipped
The ship gathered speed as it
slid backwards toward the ground,
the air caught the tail surfaces,
jeTked them around past the heavier
nose and we were in 4 vertical dive;
again in full control, but with no
red handkerchief waving over the
cockpit.
l tried another loop in the same
manner. but just before reaching
the stalling point in the next one
kicked the ship over on one wing
and evaded a whipstall.
After a second failure I decided
that there must be something
wrong with my method Of looping
and gave up any further attempt
for that afternoon. But it was not
until we were almost touching the
ground that the bandarna again
appeared above the coWling.
I remained in Maben for two
weeks carrying over sixty passengers
in all or about three hundred
dollars worth.
People flocked in from all over
the surrounding country, some
travelling for fifteen miles in OK
carts Just to see the plane fly.
One old Negro woman came up
and asked
Boss! How much you all charge
foah take me up to Heaben and
leave me dah?'
l could have carried many more
passengers but it, rained nearly
every day and each flight rutted
the field badly.
When 1 landed it was necessary
to pass over a soft spot between
two hillsides, and before taking off
I had to taxi back over this soft
place on the way to the far corner
of the field.
During the last few days several
men were required to push the
plane through the mud to the hill
side beyond.
Another difficulty was that the
old black wartime rubber shock
absorber card had deteriorated to
such an extent that I replaced it
with hemp rope and taking over
the harder parts of the field was
very rough procedure, especially
since the ground had been plowed
in years gone by and allowed to
grow sod without being narrowed.
/ made several attempt to find
another suitable field nearby but
there was none from which / could
safely operate.
Landing fields are of primary i'm
portance to safety in aviation. 1t
is not a question of how small a
field plane can operate from, but
rather of how large field is neces-
sary to make that operation safe.
Large and well equipped airports
situated close to cities will go far
toward developing commercial air
lines and keeping the United States
at the top in aeronautical activity.
The cities who foresee the future
of air transportation and provide
suitable airports will find them
selves the center of airlines radiat-
ing in every direction.
When an airline is organized, one
of the primary considerations is
the condition and location of the
various landing fields where ter
minals are contemplated.
If the airport is small and in poor
condition, or If a passenger must of
necessity spend nearly as much
time in travelling from the business
district out to the field as it will
require for him to fly from the
field to his destination, then it is
very probable that some other city
will be selected for the stopping
point.
The condition of the field to-
gether with the fact that after a
heavy rain it was often necessary to
carry gasoline in five gallon cans
mile and half over the railroad
tracks by hand forced me to leave
Maben and a large number of
would-be passengers behind, and
early one morning I took off for the
last time and again headed for
Texas.
Copyright. 1923. by Charles A. Lindbergh
Ito Pc Continued