Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-01-05
ENDURANCE PLANE
BEGINS FIFTH DAY
OF REFUEL|NG HOP
Question Mark in "ExceIIent
Condition. After 96
Hours in Air.
$500 MILES COVERED
IN CIRCUIT0US FLIGHT
Limit of Time Aloft Seems to De-
pend on Lasting Qualities of
Crew and Motors.
BY the Associated Press.

METROPOLITAN AIRPORT, LOS
ANGELES, January 5.-The monoplane
Question Mark kept on grinding out
aviation history today as its endurance
flight continued for the fifth day.
Completing its ninety-siXth hour in
the air at 1926 am, the Army mono-
plane began to get within striking dis
tance of the endurance record of 118
hours, established by the French dirigi-
bic Dixmude. The feat of keeping an
airplane up long enough to break the
endurance record of a lighter-than-air
machine-an idea which heretofore
has been considered fantastic-thus ap-
peared within reach
The Question Mark took on $50 gall
Ions of gasoline at Z am. in a contact
with refueling plane No. / and then
was reported TO be in excellent con-
dition.
Refueling plane No. 2 took the air
shortly afterward to deliver breakfast,
oil and mail to the endurance planes
crew.
Sullen clouds swirled above the air.
port here this morning as the sun
tried to break through and warm the
chill of the ocean breeze.
Despite the slightly unfavorable
weather, Maj. Carl Spatz, commanding
officer of the ship, gave no indication
that he would turn southwark in search
Of warmer cline.
Men Versus Motors
Cruising serenely onward into un-
charted time spaces of the air, the
Question Mark today groped for the
answer to the question of how close
man and man-made contrivances can
approach the birds in sustained fight.
Becoming in reality question mark
of the skies as it scared toward dirigi-
BILE records, after dropping all existing
airplane endurance records from the
air, the tri-motored Fokker still held
back the solution of whether, given
unlimited fuel aaAd supplies, men or
motors would crack first in continuous
flight.
Having firmly tested its wings in
overcoming extremely troublesome wea
ther, motor and fuel problems, the
Question Mark, at 2:26 am today,
passed its ninety-first hour in the air.
1t then had supported its conquering
crew of five aloft for more than a
full day longer than man ever few
before in an airplane.
At dawn tomorrow morning, If the
thus far smoothly functioning 225-
horsepower motors continue their un-
INTERRUPTED droning, the question Mark
will have eclipsed all existing lighter
than-air endurance records and will
then become supreme in the air.
The dirigible endurance record OF 1l8
hours. made several years ago by the
French-owned Dixmude, will be passed
at 5:26 am. Sunday morning. Sew
eral hours earlier the crew will have
claimed the record of Ill hours 46
minutes made by the Graf Zeppelin
in its recent flight to America.
Mileage Put at $500.
-'lthough not designed as distance
flight, the Army'S air blazer at the pres
ent time has opened new vistas OF dis
tance to aviation, it being estimated
the ship has covered well over $500
miles, which, if in beeline eastward,
would have carried it far out over the
European continent.
Barring adverse flying conditions that
would prevent refueling of the ship, Its
plane can fly for 800 hours, which, II
in straight line flight. would nearly
girdle the globe.
The plane was functioning smoothly
over this airport at midnight today
when refueling plane No. l transferred
a load of 200 gallons of gasoline in a
seven-minute contact at an altitude OF
2.750 feet. The operation was the
fourth successful night refueling con-
eiAs Inff f1aic afN..
port at 1925 am. January l under
orders to remain up as long as the
motors ran.
The transfer seemed to assure a flight
lasting at least until daylight, as the
ship apparently now has put behind II
bumpy air, cloud and fog banks OF two
days ago which threatened life OF the
flight.
During the past "a hours Maj. Car
Spatz, in command, has shown grow
ing tendency to hold the plane close te
this port, so that in the event it il
forced down the crew would not bt
robbed of official credit for breaking
all previous airplane world endurance
records.
Landing Regulations.
International aeronautics regulations
specify a ship must land where 1t tool
lecord-breaking performance.
The ship returned here yesterda,
from the Imperial Valley. to which drea
territory 1t was driven Thursday Whel
fogS obscured vision along the coast ant
nearly caused a shortage of fuel.
The first official observation OF tn
motors was made yesterday Afternoon
by w. E. Thomas, expert for the build
ers. the Wright Aeronautical Corpora
ton. Going up to 5000 feet elevation
he flew for 80 minutes beside the shi
and reported:
The engines are functioning nor
mally and appeared just as efficient a
at the start of the flight The log re
ports reveal satisfactory performance
which these engines would give for 40
or more hours under normal condl
tions"
Maj. Spatz appeared happy an
cheerful, but Capt. Ira G. Eaker, chic
pilot, who has developed slight COLI
was said to look haggard. Log report
dropped here have stated all the me
are we'll, though some were reporte
fatigued, despite the opportunity
sleep when off duty.
Other members of the crew are Lieut.
Harry A. Halverson and Elwood
Quesafa relief pilots, and Sergt. r. Y
Hooe. mechanician, who is equipped
go out on the wings to make motor n
pairs when needed but whose princip
duties thus far have been the mo-
prosaic work of pumping gasoline fro
fuselage to wing tanks. changing OIL ar
making minor motor adJustmen