The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1928-06-28
CHAPTER XIX

After wing-Walklng came Tie
break-away. This was accomp-
lished by fastening a cable to the
landing gear. The performer Went
out to the wingtip, fastened MS
harness to the loose end OF the cab
lie and to all appearances fell on
the wing. No one on the grouno
could see the cable and break
away always produced quite sen,
sation. Iron loops were clampeo
along the cable for use in climbing
back up.
One of our feature attractions
was the plane change. A rope lad
der was attached to the wing OF a
plane and as one ship flew past the
grandstand, with the performer
standing near the tip of the top
wing. a second plane with the lad
der attached, passed over the hrst
so that the ladder was IN easy
reach of the performer.
We usually made two fake at
tempts to effect the change and ac-
tually counted on the third for sue
cess. In this way the feat looked
more difficult.
A parachute was attached to the
opposite wing from the rope lad
der. After the plane change was
completed, the performer jumped
off with the chute and the show was
over.
In the evening we made a night
fireworks flight. A series OF can
dies, which when lighted emitted a
trail of fire for several hundred
feet behind the ship, was attached
to each wing. After these candles
had burned out, two magnesium
flares started burning, lighting up
the country below well enough to
read a book very clearly. The dis
play was set off by an electric bat
terry in the cockpit.
When the plane reached an alti-
tude of two or three thousand
feet, a number of bombs were
dropped to attract attention; then
the switch was thrown in to start
the trails and colored lights, and
the ship Topped and shunted around
the comet-like trail of fire.
Our greatest difficulty in night
flying lay in lighting the landing
fields from which to operate.
Sometimes a number of cars were
on the field and landed and took
off across the beams of their head
lights. Under such conditions the
ground was well Illuminated and
landing very simple.
On other occasions there would
not be more than one car available
and in one instance, on a dark
night, took off and landed by the
light of a pocket flashlight which
one of the men flashed CONSTANT!
while / was in the air, to enable
me to keep track of the landing
field.
AT one town in Colorado, we
were booked for a fireworks exhi-
bition to be given between dark
ness and midnight. We had been
transforming during the day and
on our way to this town we ran
short, of lubricating oil. By the
time we had replenished our sup
ply it was too late to get in before
dark, and l had never landed at
that town before.
The owner of the plane, how
ever, was sure that he could easily
locate the landing field even in
darkness. He had been there many
times and he knew that the field
was "right next to the golf links. y
We arrived over the town and
after circling a few times, l throt.
tied the motor and shouted:
"Where's the field?"
The reply was immediate ano
full Of confidence. ,
Fright next to the golf links"
"Well, where are the golf links p
Il don't knowp
I was up against another of the
very amusing but equally serious
incidents in transforming life. We
were over strange territory on e
dark night and with a rapidly di
minishing fuel supply. 1t was i'm
perative to land within very few
minutes, yet it was not possible tt
tell one field from another, anc
the line fences were not visable.
/ flew around until the outline
of a strawstack appeared in the
field below US. This field was out
lined on one side by the lighter col
or of the pasture adjoining it anc
a number of trees were discernible
along the end. There was no way
of telling whether it contained
posts or bitches, but we had no al
strawstack in the center.
A hasty examination of the
field showed it to be suitable fol-
night flying and we hailed the first
ear passing for a ride into the
town. We had difficulty in locat.
ing our fireworks and, as the
stores we're all closed, still more
fine was lost before We 1sstalneS5
Che bailwire, nails and boards usee
in building the framework for the
flares and candles and attaching j
to the plane.
1t was nearly midnight whe1
the ship was at last ready for TIT
display. Only one car remained OF
the field. We ran this machine ou
beside the strawstack and place,
it in a position to show UP on on
side of the stack, in addition t.
throwing most of its light on tn
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS