Evening star., 1928-02-13
COSTESESCORTS
! LOST |NDENSEF FOG
Navy Flyers Tell of Fight With
Thick Weather-FrenCh
nviatorS L.uded.

Ths story OF thrilling flight between
Wilmington Del, and Sandy Hook by
the nine -plane Army and Navy escort
for Lieut.. Comdr. Joseph Lcbrix anG
Lieut., .Dieudonne CoSteS Saturday. dur
ins. which the three Navy ships 5ecam.
lest in the dense fog that enVelopsI
the entire formation and were seen nc
more was told last night by Lieut..
Harry A. Dineer of Boiling Field. who
led the accompanying planes on the
trip and who returned TO his post from
Mitchell Field early in the afternoon.
At the same time. Lieut.. Dinssr lauo-
ed the courage. pllotins and navigating
ability of the famous transatlantic air
,,;en, whom, he said, appeared to think
nothing Of the incident and insisted on
thanking the escort for conveying them
to Mitchell Field. when in fact. the big
Breguet plane led the way throughout
After ne took OF from Boiling
Field" Lieut.. Dinger related. we
buzZed over the city for few minutes
and then struck out for New York
The French plane climbed up to $500
feet right of the bat. and I mean il
was cold at that comparatively low
altitude ! pulled up alongside of the
Breguet, but Lieut. Costes drew off.
followed him and pulled up again. but
ssain he drew away. The third time
he waved ME back. so We stayed in the
rear. believing he cid not ike too tight
formation.
Encounters Thick Weather.
The weather began to get thick as
We neared Wilmington. There wes
heavy fog and deep clouds. AS We ap-
preached the city the French flyers
surprised us by climbing right up
through the clouds, and l tell you thar
plane can climb. I closed in on him. as
I did not want 10 take any chances OF
losing him, and ! saw my formation
following close On the tail of my ship.
Lieut. Costes opened up. but We kept
him in sight except when going through
deep clouds.
Finally We came out a, 5000 feet
and looked around but didn't see the
Navy planes. ! imagined they had be-
come lost during the long climb
through the binding mist. When We
came out into the open I was about zoo
feet from the Berguet. So We flew like
this for about an hour without seeing
the ground-something We Army pilots
never DO il there appears chance OF
keeping between the fog and the ground
and In this case think there was a
chance.
BY this time ] was nearly frozen TO
death. but Ne had to stick with them
I was thrilled TO the bone going up
throush that thick stuff with a forma-
ton which he's had little practice. and
III remember that for a long time.
Led Escort Planes.
we had a lucky break for as VIC
cot over New York Harbor the clouds
began to break up. Otherwise. We
would have had TO estimate our posi-
ton and then feel cur way down
through the clouds. The French flyers
few an absolute compass course and
hit Mitchell Field right on the nose.
For some one who knows nothing of our
country it was wonderful piece of
work and shows there are other pilots
than our own. ] congratulated them
when We landed. but they insisted on
thanking US for bringing them up.
The fact is they led US all the way"
Lieut.. Frederick r. Buse Of the Naval
Air Station. vino with Lieut.. Ernest W.
Itch and Capt Ford 0. Rogers. y. S.
n. c.. constituted the Navy formation
said Saturday night that the Navy planes
Nrre we'll In the rear Of the formation
when the climb through the clouds be-
gan TO get above the fog. They followed
the planes In front OF them and passed
through one layer Of clouds and when
they came out into fairly visible area
there we're no planes in sight. They
crliSed around for awhile and seeing
no one. decided to turn back as the
idea Of searching for planes In fog and
clouds at sDeed of i25 miles an hour
Was not reiisaed by any OF the three.
especially when the only knowledge OF
contact would come in the form OF
coliisson IA the binding atmosphere
The Eaxy formation made landing
~ the Philadelphia Navy Yard and
later returned home.
Those In the Army formation were
Lseuts. William Scott Julian S. Dexter.
Il. ]. Hazcn. Frederick Schauss nno
DeveTeuz Myers all Of Boiling Field