New Britain herald., 1928-04-25
FLOYD BENNETT IS
 DEAD 0F PNEUMONIA
(Continued from First Page)

'~ohtlnued rom First Page) 1 or his life an obscure figure whose potentlalitles awaited only the mo- ment Of opportunity for develop. ment
 That moment came in 1925 when Commander Richard E. Byrd was given the pick of the whole navy from which to choose mechanics for his Greenland expedition with Don- aid MacMillan.
 'Dtscosered' by Byrd Byrd 'discoyered" Bennett, a prac tlcally unknown aviation mechanic aboard man of war, a navy "grease ball, indistinguishabl from his fel- lows under the smear of oil that was the sarh of his profession. He was not even especially we'll known on his own ship.
 But once he had his chance ' Byrd writes in his recently published book, "skyward," he showed he was good pilot and one of the finest practical men in the navy for hand ling an airplanc's temperamental mechanisms,
 Was a Real Man
 And above that he was real man, fearless and true-one in a mill lion.'
 From the moment that Byrd's keen eyes penetrated the film of grease coating the srubby mechanic and found the man the two were in- sparable. To think of Byrd was to think of Bennett. and vice versa, and therefore much of the material that throws light on the sort of person come from Byrd.
 Byrd's Great Tribute
 Together Bennett and Byrd endur- ed the hardships of Greenland and together, a year later, they flew over the North Pole.
 Bennett said Byrd after that flight, lis a man of the greatest en- ergy, endurance and skill. both as a navigator and as d mechanic l should not like 10 be in the Arctic without him and I would take him before any other man in the world"
 As soon as the pole had been crossed Byrd told Bennett that an aerial crossing Of the Atlantic was his next aim and Bennett asked to be taken along.
 We go together" said Byrd, but Ii was not to be.
 Bennett Injured
 On April 1G of last year the Fok- ker plane America crashed on it's initial test flight and Bennett was so seriously injured that he could take no part i'll the flight to France.
 Bennett had superb control of his emotions but during that test flight that the plane was nose heavy, he gave the only sign of nerv- ousness he ever displayed. That 1 sign, Byrd said. was to lick his lips. |
 The plane, under the guidance of { Anthony Fokker, it's designer, land- | cd at 60 miles an hour and turned | over. All but Fokker were injured, 1 Bennett by far the most seriously. | He was hanging upside down in the ! wreckage of the pilots scat, his leg smashed, blood pouring over his face. blinded with oil. Bennett believed ! be was dying; but his first thought { was of his companions.
 sounded Warning
 We heard q strained voice." says 1 Byrd, crying, Look out for fire '
 It was Bennett, the man in mill ion: Bennett, fearless and true.
 Byrd himself with broken arm, made his way to his comrade md did what he could for him until lelr should come.
 Guess I'm done for, commander" ' Bennett told him and Byrd, though Nonsense, old man." thought he was right.
 Finally Pulled Through
 For week it seemed that Ben lett would die, but he pulled through. He was up on crutches be- ore the rebuilt America left for France and during the past year he seemed to regain his old strength.
 Bennett was on a lecture tour when the chance came to gc as chief pilot of New York city's official re- ief plane to aid the transatlantic Bremen. He had q severe cold but