Evening star., 1928-05-12
Gen. Fechet Heads Flight to
GreenIy Island to Save
Germans Craft.
MELCH0IR MAY EMPLOY
PARACHUTE FOR LANDING
U. S. Flyers to Come Down Some
Distance Away and Await Re-
port of Airman's Progress.

BY the Associated Press.
PORTLAND, Me-, May 12-The
two Army amphibian planes bound
for Greenly Island, Labrador, from
Mitchell Field. arrived over Portland
Harbor at 1905 pm.
By 'he Associated Press.
mitchell FIELD, N. Y, May H.
Two Army amphibian planes took Of
today on the second leg Of flight tc
Greenly Island to help bring out the
transatlantic monoplane Bremen. The
planes were bound for Pictou, Nova
Scotia. and a stop will be made at Port
land. Me. for re-fueling.
The first plane to leave was the Oaic
piloted by Lieut.. Muir Fairchild, with
Maj. Gen. James E. Fechet, chief OF the
Army Air Corps. as passenger. The
hop-off was made at 9:08 am. The
second plane. the Oaib, which left soon
afterward, was piloted by Capt. Ira C.
Eaker. and Fred Melchoir, chief me-
chanic of the Junkers Co, builders OF
the Bremen. was passenger.
Left d. C. Yesterday.
Taking off from Washington yester-
day afternoon, the flyers spent the night
at Miller Field. Staten Island. where
Melchoir joined them. They hope To
reach Greenly Island Monday.
The flight was undertaken at the re-
quest of the German Ambassador and
Miss Herta Junkers, who pointed out
that unless the Bremen was flown from
her island prison within few days, the
rapidly softening ground would make a
take-oh impossible.
II landing by the two amphibian
planes at the island Is found impossible.
Melchoir plans to drop to the island
by parachute. The Army planes then
will turn back to their fuel base at
ST. George The Junkers mechanic will
fly the Bremen out OF o take-oh Is
possible,
May Try Landing.
After dropping Melchoir. at Greenly
Island. the flyers plan TO wait "a hours
and II no word Is received from him
In that time. TO fly back 10 the island
and attempt a landing In open water.
II Melchoir can do nothing with the
Bremen he will fly back In one OF the
planes TO make further plans. II It ID
found impossible 10 ny the Bremen out,
the plane viii be left on the island un-
I'll steamer can get through.
AWO RH4 @AthubND WbA 0E bGRGh WA0A1k
A regular Army model, ~ feet In diam
eter, and training chute" % feet
In diameter. The Army flyers plan 70
instruct Melchoir In their use.
The most -wracking part oil
parachute jumping--the drop through
space before the ring is pulled releasing
the silk bag--is TO be eliminated for
Melchoir's benefit.
Capt. Baker plans TO throttle down
his motor, while the Junkers mechanic
climbs out on the wing OF the plane,
where he will gull the ripcord and let
the opened parachute pull him OF into
the air for the drop to earth. Ordi-
narily a flyer In making parachute
Jump dives off into space and then
counts three before pulling the ring.
Reached Island April 10.
The State Department obtained per-
mission from the Canadian and New
foundland governments for the Army
planes TO fly over their territory.
The Bremen has been earthbound on
the barren little island off Labrador
since April i3. when Capt. Koehl
brought her down 10 precarious land
ing after wandering around in a snow
storm over Newfoundland and Labrador
at the end Of the ocean flight.
The Ford relief plane. piloted by
Bernt Balchen few In TO the Bremen
April 20 carrying spare propeller and
fuel. The planes motor. however, failed
to function properly and take-off on
wheels also was found impossible. Koehl.
Maj. Fitzmaurice and Baron Won
Huenefeld then few out In the relief
plane.