Evening star., 1928-02-05
FRENCHMEN MAKE
NEW ORLEANS HOP
Costes and Lebrix Arrive
Safely in 1000 Mile Trip
From Mexico.


NEW ORLEANS. February 4~-Dieu~
donne Costes and Joseph Lebrix. flying
ambassadors of France completed
another leg of their air Journey from
Paris to New York when they landed
at Alvin Calender Field here this after
noon after nonstop flight from
Mexico City at 7:O8 am. and landed
here at SIS pm. completing the l,l00-
mile hop in 10 hours and minutes
It was the first non stop flight between
the two cities.
Several hundred persons, most OF
them from New Orleans French quar-
ter. were at the field 10 greet the in
trepid armen who have hlazed an air
trail between France and the United
States by way of Africa, South Amer
ica. Central America and Mexico.
Their Journey will b" resumed Tues
day morning. when they take of TOR
Washington. going by way of Pensacola,
Fla From Washington they will pro-
coed to New York.
Mayor GrcctS Flyers.
The flyers were greeted by Mayor
Arthur J. O'Kecfe of New Orleans.
Maurice dc Simonin French consul
general, and Andre la Fargue local at
torney Through Mr.. La Fargue the
fivers said they had good trip with
the exception of a short while Just be-
fore they entered Louisiana. when they
buckcd head winds.
When thc NungesScr-Coli tho plane
named from the French airmen who
pcrishcd in an attempted nonstop
flight from Paris to New York, was
brought 10 tho ground tn crowd sureed
toward the flyers and the police had
TO hold them back from the plane while
ii was being wheeled across the field.
The aviators then emerged from the
cockpit and after posing for photog-
ranhers were taken In tow by the re-
ception committee and started TO their
hotel
Three Army planes from Kelly fed.
Tex, escorted the flyers here.
Consider Atlantic Hop.
Costes and Lebrix received newspa- :
pcrmen in their hotel suite an hour after
their arrival. They revealed they had
tentatively decided upon an air tour
OF the United States. visiting all prin-
cipal cities and were holding in abey-
ance their original plan to make the
last leg of their hop a non-top New
York-to-Paris fight They said a def
mite decision would be reached wit
their arrival in New York and would
depend largely on weather conditions.
The most troublesome part of their
journey today was in flying from Mcxi-
co City to Tampico. they said, due to
low hanging clouds. which often forced
them down 10 a low altitude. After
passing TampicO they found fairly
good flying weather until after they
had entered Louisiana from Texas.
where they encountered head winds.
The worst stretch Of their entire
Journey was between Buonos Aires and
Rio de Janeiro, due TO bad weather,
Their flight across the South Atlantic
from ST. Louis. Senegal in Port Natal.
the first in history and made in is
hours. was without incident. they said.
The flyers praised highly their two
seated biplane. Since their departure
from Paris on October 10. the NungeS-
ser-Col has been in the air total of
227 hours. The plane had flown 5000
miles before starting on the tour.
Pleased With Receptions.
Costes and Lebrix emphasized the
purpose OF their tour as one for per-
petuating friendly relations between
France and the Americas and promot-
ing aviation.
They expressed deep appreciation for
receptions accorded them al every stop
and expressed great admiration for
American flyers, especially Col Charles
A. Lindbergh.