Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-11-07
SKY TOURS SEEN
BY FLYING BARON
Young Germans Feat Re.
uarded as One of Years
Aerial Classics.

One of the aviation classics of 1929
has been written by modest young
German amateur pilot who bears the
somewhat formidable title Of Baron
Friedr ch-Karl Freiherr Koenig Won und
III Warthausen, but who is known af-
fectionally by aviation people in all
parts of the world today as The
Baron"
IN a light plane. developed from one
Of the famous German glider models,
powered with 20-horSepower, two
cylinder engine, he has flown some
30, 500 miles during the past year on one
of the strangest and most romantic
quests in the history of modern aero
nautics. He has made no fixed pro-
gram for himself he has come and
gone where and when he pleased.
He has visited so many countries that
he has no record of them; has learned
half-dozsn languages en- route; has
visited strange and out-of-the.way
places in a dozen lands; has flown hun
dreds of miles over burning deserts,
trackleSS jungles and open coastal
waters He has been forced down with
out gasoline in the Persian desert. be-
In, held there for DAYS until fuel could
be brought on Comeback.
Awarded Flyers Cul.
The first stages of his flight won for
him the famous Hindenburg Cup.
awarded for the first time last year to
the amateur German aviator judged to
have performed the greatest feat of the
year in furthering the progress OF aero
nautics. With the cup went prize oil
10000 marks, which has financed most
OF his trip.
AS mascots in his little one-place
plane he carries magnificent Siamese
white cat, presented to him by the
crown princess of Siam. and pair of
squat, ugly horned toads, given to him
by the Horned Toad King of Texas"
He has come through many unique
adventures and forced landings UNI
seq he'd, but was victim of an Ell Paso,
Tex. taxicab crash, which put him in
tn hospital for six weeks.
Baron Koenig is a native of Fried
richshafen, on the shores Of Lake Con-
stance, the cradle of German aeronau-
tics Here are located the famous Yep
pelin works, where scores of famous
German airships, including the Graf
Zeppelin and the United States Nays
Los Angeles, were built; the Dornier
works, where the enormous Do-X, which
recently carried 169 persons aloft at
once, was built and is being tested and
where the bulk of German aviation de-
velopment has taken place.
Takes to Air at 81.
Last year, though only 81 years old.
the baron decided to learn to fly. He
had flown alone only II hours when he
started on the world trip, which has
been in progress more than year, and
which will last Is months before he
finally returns home.
In his little plane, which cruises at
rs miles an hour or less, and which
flies some so miles on a gallon OF gaSo-
line, he started off for Moscow on a
nonstop flight. When he left he had
no definite plans in mind, beyond his
arrival at Moscow.
Il Having arrf ed safely at Moscow and
enjoyed the experience Thoroughly, he
decided to go on a lit% farther. He
had close personal friend in the Ger
man diplomatic service at Teheran,
Persia, and decided to visit him.
On the way he ran out of gas over
the Persian desert. and was forced
Gown.
II was inexperienced then and was
careless" he explained x ingeniously.
"Now>I know better"
He was asked what his sensations were
when he found himself in the desert
without fuel and with civilization hun
dreds of miles away.
Lets His Watch Stop.
'Well," he said, II didn't wind my
watch Time means nothing there, and
it wasn't any use keeping 1t going. They
finally brought me gaSollne on canielS
which travelled 10 miles an hour. That
Is fast for camels.'
After his visit at Teheran, still witt
cut any concrete plans in mind, he dc
cided to continue wandering, and f1eU
on to Karachi, India. Until four years
Ego. he said, Germans were forbidden
TO enter India. Nevertheless, he was
warmly received by the British military
flyers.
It was so hot at Karachi that during
the middle of the day no airplane could
take of. the baron said. The heat. ra-
dating from the baked ground, made
the air too thin to support an airplane
close to the earth. he explained.
From Karachi he few across India,
following the Ganges River, to Cal
cutta, arriving there at Christmas time
last year. He spent three months in
this portion of India, flying far into the
surrounding country in every direction,
sightseeing and exploring by air and
on the ground.
While at Calcutta he received word
that he had been awarded the linden
burg Cup and the attendant cash prize
for his flight from Berlin to Karachi.
Little Flying Activity.
East of Karachi. the baron said, he
found little aviation activity. At IA
.achi the British air force made its