The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1928-04-05
CHAPTER VII

Some weeks I hardly made eX-
penses, and on others l carried
passengers all week long at five
dollars each. On the whole l was
able to make a fair profit in addi-
ton to meeting expenses and de-
probation.
One evening / was waiting for
chance passengers at a field IN
southern Minnesota, a car drove
up with several young fellows in
it, one of whom was a graduate OF
the Army Air Service Training
Schools. He asked me why l did
not apply for enlistment as ca
Diet at Brooks Field and explained
that by writing to the Chief of Air
Service at the War Department in
Washington l could get enrolment
blanks and full information on the
course and it's requirements.
/ had always wanted to fly
modern and powerful planes. Ever
since / had watched a group of
fourteen DeHavilands with their
four hundred horsepower Liberty
motors come into the field at
Lincoln in my flying school days, l
had longed to fly one of them. The
Army offered the onIy opportunity,
for there were no Liberty engines
flying around transforming. Con-
sequently at the hotel that night
] wrote my letter to the Chief of
Air Service, and few days later
when j received my next mail for
warded from Minneapolis, letter
from Washington with the enroll
ment blanks was included. The let
ter informed me that candidate
must be between twenty and TWEEN
ty-seven years of age inclusive, un-
married, of good physical condi-
ton, and must have a high school
education or it's equivalent.
l completed and returned the
forms, and short time later re-
ceived another message authoriz-
ing me to appear before an exam
lining board at Chanute Field,
Rantoul, ILL.,, in January, 1924.
Toward the end of September I
began to work south. Cold wealth
er was coming on In Minnesota and
most people did not enjoy flying in
an open cockpit in winter.
l transformed over in to Wis
consin, but found that some one
had been carrying passengers for
half price there. I had always
conformed to the rule in use among
most pilots at that time, of giving
a good ride for SIS, but not carry
ing anyone for less. So left
southern Wisconsin and turned
toward Illinois. After taking off
/ decided to take in the Interna-
tional Air Races at st. Louis,
which were then in progress; so in
stead Of sizing up each town I
passed over for it's passenger pos
-sibilities flew toward st. Louis
unit the gasoline ran low, then
landed, took on a fresh supply
from a passing truck and pressed
on to Carlinville, III. There l
picked up more fuel and a S25
passenger for st. Louis. 3.
AS we neared Lambert Field,
where the races were being held,
We passed over the race course
while the members contest was in
progress. / landed on a hill east
of Lambert in order to keep out
of the way Of the races, and wait
ed until evening before hopping
over and stalking my ship down at
the end of one of the long rows of
civilian planes.
A large number of my old
friends were attending the races
and soon after landing I met Bud
Quincy who, together with one of
the flying students at Lincoln, had
managed to get to the races with
out buying Pullman ticket. He
had brought his chute with him
and was entered in the parachute
spot landing contest, in which he
was to be the last attraction of
the meet by staging a double drop.
In the evening after the races
were over for the day, l carried a
-Four no Scanoarc onI 1ooIod o1,o-. ~ n