Evening star., 1928-06-20
FRIENDSHIP FLEW
: 1900 MILES IN FOG
Pilot Stultz Sees Record for
\ blind Flying" in Trip
to England.
BY WILMER STULTZ.

LONDON. June 2o.-NTv friends know
I am not much Of talker. least of
all about the Job of plotting, but /
have been checking up on our log. and
I think the Friendships flight consti-
tutes record for flying blind"
We never saw the sea after we went
into a fog an hour out from Trepassey
until we came TO patch OF fairly
clear weather rs miles east OF queens
town. That was the time we saw the
liner America. and We knew we were
on the steamship routes.
Out of 2.iO0 miles j 900 were flown
in fog or rain. Out of 20 hours and
40 minutes of flying we travelled Is
hours by the instruments alone. Hail
that time we had no way of knowing
whether we were being sent of our
course by some unseen drift.
Good Luck With Wind.
Luckily the wind did not change its
direction until We we're near the Eng
lish coast. when I discovered 1t had
changed 10 the south or southwest. /
had taken cross bearings with the help
of two steamers and the radio at 80
O'Clock on the first night out, This
fixed my position as 036 miles on the
fight and only 10 miles of my pro-
jected course. This was encouraging,
but never had another chance to
check my course. few entirely by
compass and with the aid of the turn
and bank indicator.
We had planned our course 10 come
over Valentia. When We were due
there Ireland did not appear We
ha~o,- "a ~ Art r1-ex
about two hours overdue when We
sighted the small island which We now
know was Lundy Island at the entrance
to Bristol Channel.
At the time We thought il was the
end of Cornwall. There is an island at
the end OF Cornwall and while We could
see this Welsh coast we could not see
the north coast of Cornwall and
Devonshire for the mist We made for
the land We saw, still thinking it was
Cornwall as could see from the map
that 1t was not Ireland.
Saw Good Landing Water.
I came down in BURY Port simply
because / could see a nice stretch of
smooth water and there was big buoy
to tie-up 10.
When We started from Trepassey we
expected to find fog over the Grand
Banks, but that was a holiday TO what
We found later. The only thing which
did serve US was the wind. We ran
into fog and some snow and rain about
an hour out from Trepassey Climbing
70 about 2.500 feet 10 get over it,
We did cross II. but few further to-
ward Europe, higher because of the
fog, and during the early morning We
were up to 1000 feet. Still the fog
rose higher
About 750 miles out when above the |
fog I took a bearing from a ship. We
could not hear the motors, of course, /
but judged from the strength of the
messages We we're not more than 5 or
10 miles of This was a useful !
check. The next came at 1890 when
we got an answer from two ships.
These each gave me bearings which /
was able to lay across my chart so as
70 Tx the position. IT was then night |
and We were flying above the clouds
with the northern twilight which was
also help in giving an idea Of the di-
rection. Actually I arranged to steer a
course i06 magnetic which would bring
Us over valentia.
Thought They Saw Light.
1t means a course about IS miles
'aonger than the great circle course but /
Slmplihed the navigation. We held
that course all through the night. |
Then for moment before dawn we |
had shock when we saw ahead what |
seemed very powerful light almost
that Of a lighthouse away down beyond
the fog
There could not be any lighthouse
where We were unless We had made
some colossal speed. Then we real
lied il was the star Venus. Then as
dawn began TO break and the fog still
rose higher we decided TO go down into
II in the hope Of finding some clearer
weather
Eventually we found streak between
two fog cloud layers at about 5000
feet. In this we few for hours Some
times we went into the fog as two
layers met, then we got clear space
again. We came down to 500 feet to
see II IL were clear over the sea, but
we were still in the fog.
We did not dare 70 descend for fear
the mist vent right down TO the water
Brief Glimpse Of Sea.
About half an hour after we sighted
the America there was hole in the
clouds. Through this We saw the sea
for the first time in about 1900 miles
Va 1@SL&s AIl&E EsU1fd III again anu
next. when We came into thinner
weather, picked out a steamer about
five miles south OF our course.
We circled over her in order TO try
and check our position. but our radio
had gone out during the night on the
transmitting side. That was why we
dropped notes asking for our position.
We had no answer and thinking we
could not be far out turned back on
our course. That was why ! did not
see the directions which ] gather were
written on the steamers deck Then
when We saw land We decided to come
down because we were not quite sure
Of OUR position, the amount Of petrol
we could rely upon, nor the weather
ahead We did not intend 20 stop at
vaientia L We had enough fuel to go
further.
I find that by further checking our
course we must have passed over that
place IN the clouds without knowing
~. That was when We were beginning
To wonder whether We should find
clear L2tnb 70 n1ck IID land as nv any