Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-01-08
ENDURANCE PLANE
FORCED TO EARTH
|. AS MOTORS FALTER
Question Mark Ends EpoChaI
Flight in '151St
Hour.
CREW PHYSICALLY FIT
AFTER GRIND ALOFT
12,C00 Miles Covered by Big Fox
ker in Circling Over
California.

By the Associated Press.
LOS ANGELES, January 8.-The
human engine is, after all, superior to
the mechanical one in endurance fly
ing.
That question, one of the many put
to the Army's monoplane Question
Mark, was answered beyond doubt
when the great Fokker gave up the bat
tie yesterday afternoon and settled to
earth after a glorious triumph in the
field of aviation, a Notwithstanding
flight of $50 hours 40 minutes Is Sec
onds and nearly 10000 miles safely
completed
Neither the astounding distance nor
endurance performances of the remark
able ship were regarded by her Army
sponsors as the prime accomplishment,
however. That distinction went to her
through proof of the theory that re-
fueling of airplanes while in flight is
practical, which Army officers said was
the chief mission of the epochal flight.
None of the three 225-horsepower
motors was entirely airworthy when the
crew finally nosed the ship down to
earth at 2:07:1 pm, after a flight
which laster nearly full week. On
the other hand the five men aboard
were pronounced physically fit by
Army physicians who said they need
ed only rest after fatigue of the trying
argosy. First statements from the men
also voiced the fact they we're feeling
physically fit and could take off again
if the motors would nnrpoit
Faithful to the last in the mission
assigned them, the Question Marks
crew kept the great ship aloft until
the very end of its endurance. bringing
it to earth with one motor dead, another
failing rapidly and practically power
less. and the third able to make but
1900 revolutions per minute.
Landing Order Given.
But even against those insurmount-
able odds the courageous crew refused
to give up without daring laSt-min-
ute battle against mechanical failures
When every effort to revive the tagging
motors failed. Maj. Carl Spatz, in COM
mand. finally gave the landing order,
excess gasoline and supplies were
dumped, and the ship glided to earth
practically at the spot from which 1t
took off at 7:26:46 am. January /.
Landing at the Metropolitan Airport
here guaranteed the crew official
recognition for record breaking per-
formances made by the ship. which flew
80 hours longer than aircraft ever
stayed aloft before, and 85 hours long
er than an airplane ever before had
flown.
About the only record of consequence
not lifted by the Question Mark was
the non-refueiing endurance flight rec
ord OF the Germans, Johann Risticz and
Wilhelm Zimmerman, made about six
months ago. That record of IS hours
% minutes stands only by virtue of
the fact that no new supplies were
taken on board during the fight.
The refuCllng endurance record of
go hours 81 minutes, held by Belgian
aviators, was broken by more than 80
hours. Invading the realm of lighter
than-air craft, the Question Mark also
ecllpsed all known endurance records
flying 80 hours longer than the French
dlriglble Dixmude, which held the rec
ord of 1l8 hours
Just how far-reaching an effect the
Question Marks achievement will have
upon the future of military and COM
merclal aviation was yet to be deter
mined. 1t prompted Army and Navy
aviation officers to predict a new era
in flying. 1t demonstrated the feasi-
bility of refueling in air under variety
of conditions. 1t caused Rear Admiral
w. A. Moffett, chief of naval aviation,
to envision round-the-w world nonstop
flights. 1t prompted many aviators to
declare that tranScontinental and even
transoceanic flights might become
commonplace. 1t forecast that air.
planes of the future will carry more pay
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