Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-06-24

Newfoundland. Alcock, an Englishman.
and Brown, an American by birth,
landed Is hours and IL minutes later
at Clifden, Ireland. averaging lib miles
an hour, a speed which never has been
broken by any transatlantic flyer.
Aviation has developed much since the
Alcock- Brown attempt, but their feat Is
as remarkable and heroic today as 1t
was then. In fact, their record looms
brighter In the light of recent failures
Of costly and improved planes.
One of the huge difficulties besetting
long-distance flyers is the heavy load of
fuel Much more gas is carried these
days than in the earlier flights An
ordinary transatlantic fight calls for
enough fuel to carry the plane from 4n
to SIS hours. Even such supply mas
be found to be inadequate, inaSinuch as
high winds and unfavorable weather
may reduce the speed of plane almost
to that of a baby carriage.
In September 1926, Capt. Rene
Fonck, French ace, crashed to earth in
his overloaded plane. and was killed in
| the flames. Last April 20, Comdr.
Davis and Lieut.. Wooster of the United
States Navy, also crashed in an over
loaded plane.
When Old Glory left Maine on a
non stop flight to Rome. it ran along
| the beach for two miles before 1t could
rise. It carried load heavier than any
single motored monoplane had ever
| tried to lift before.
| Marchese di Pinedo started from Ire
passey. Newfoundland. May %, 1927, on
l,500-mile flight to the Azores. He dis
carded his 400-pound radio set in lieu
OF an equal weight of fuel. But high
winds cut his speed TO less than go
miles an hour Fortunately he sighted
a schooner and his seaplane was taken
in tow. Again the wind demon demon
strated it's domination. A flying plane
| can't enlist the aid Of wind like ships
sail. A sailing ship navigates In a sea
| of water, a plane navigates In a sea OF
| air.
How rare Is good weather over the
North Atlantic wastes? Ask a trans
atlantic flyer and he will tell you, Jolly
seldom" Behind his statement are re-
ports furnished him by the United
States Weather Bureau. The comments
of the New York meteorological office
after the Lindbergh- Chamberlin flights
are the last word on North Atlantic cli-
mate. The bureau had been receiving
radio weather reports twice daily from
10 steamships and mail reports from SOC
scattered vessels. The meteorologisi
There really have been only three
times since April 20. 1927, when trans
atlantic fight could have been safe
First, on the day chamberlin and
Aeosta began their record-breaking en-
durance flight over Manhattan. II
they had taken off for Europe they
would have reached it without any trou-
BILE The second day was on May 70
when Lindbergh and the Spirit Of st
Louis hoped for Paris and the third
day when Chamberlin and Levine be-
gan their flight 10 Germany"
Lindbergh had better weather thar
he had expected. Relying on his earth
inductor compass, he guided his shil
to a point on the Irish coast just
three miles from the spot he had mark.
ed on his map.
Chamherlin and Levine had diffi:-
Guilty with their earth inductor compass:
and were forced To take a simple compass
course until they found their bearing
by passing over the s., s. Mauritania
near Ireland.
DURING 1927 the Atlantic wa
- crossed four times by nonstop
flights and l2 lives were lost In I'M
successful attempts. The transpacifie
flight was completed four times also
and 10 lives lost.
The Pacific fleet organized search
Ing party for victims of the Dole race
and according TO the report OF Ad'
miral r., II Jackson, the flagship Hol'
land. light cruiser. % destroyefs.