Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-27
TEXANS CATCH UP ON SLEEP.
Flyers Divide Credit for Feat as Each
Praises the Other

Flyers Divide Credit for Feat as Each
Praises the Other.
FORT WORTH, Tex, May 81 @.-
Having added almost full day to the
world endurance flight record, R. L..
Robbins and James Kelly eschewed the
admiration of the Nation and slept to-
day while experts made a careful ex-
animation of their single motored mon
oplane Fort Worth, which they brought
to earth yesterday after soaring almost
seven and one-half days.
The two pilots, one an ex-cowboy, the
other a former railroad mechanic,
added a new line to the illustrious rec
ord started by the Wright brothers
one-minute fight at Kitty Hawk. N. c.,
in 1908, by keeping the Fort Worth aloft
in good and bad weather for 172 hours,
80 minutes and l second. The record
beats the mark of $50 hours, 40 min
uteS and Is seconds made by the Army
monoplane, Question Mark, by 81 hours,
81 minutes and SO seconds. The Army
plane had three motors, a crew of five
men and an expert ground crew.
Kelly Just Of Ranch.
Robbins has had six Years experience
as flyer, but Kelly came off the ranch
only year and half ago and course
in flying which he took technically
ended in April. although his skill gave
him job with the Texas Air Trans
port Corporation long before that time.
The two flyers divided credit for the
success of their flight. Kelly pointed
out that Robbins ability to get the most
out OF the motor, without straining it.,
was largely responsible for its perform
ance: Robbins attributed large share
OF their success to the intrepidity of
Kelly, who frequently crawled all around
the hood Of the plane to grease the
valve rocker arms. The Question Mark
was brought to earth by valve trouble.
Accident Forces Down Ship.
It was on one Of these trips to grease
the valves that Kelly had an accident
which eventually forced the plane down.
loose buckle on his safety belt knicked
both blades of the propeller. During
Saturday nights rain moisture pene-
trated the scar on the blades and caused
the propeller to swell and split.
Shortly after noon yesterday the pilots
dropped note saying the propeller was
vibrating badly and that they would
have to descend soon. They kept the
ment after 4:05 pm. They decided that
the risk of the propeller flying to pieces
ana perhaps causing them to crash was
too great. Robbins made a perfect
landing.
Crowds Crush Plane.
The plane had scarcely touched the
ground before the enthusiastic crowd,
sloShing through mud was upon it. A
fence, Gordon of police and a spe-
cial guard around the plane wilted be-
fore the rush. The special guard was
crushed back against the fuselage and
the committee of 100 which was to greet
the flyers had to take its turn with the
other spectators. Some semblance of
order finally was obtained and Mrs.
Robbins and Mrs. Kelly were carried to
the plane over the heads of the crowd.
Police and volunteers fought the
crowd back inch by inch as the plane
was brought up to the line. The jam
in front of 1t was so tight that many
daintily shod women lost their shoes
and went home with their hose and
dresses covered with mud.
Content to Grin Joy.
The flyers had very little to say. They
were slightly deaf and contented them
selves for the most part with grinninf
happily at the news reel cameras anc
the crowds.
Each of the pilots won a total Of
81 100 from several air transport com.
panieS and purse of $4,000 is being
raised for them by the Fort Worth AS
ISOLATION of Commerce.
Tomorrow they will attend banquet
given in their honor by 1000 local citi.
| zenS.
The plane used 1910 gallons Of gaso
| line on the flight and 1t is conservative.
estimated that it Travelled more thar
| 10000 miles.
| Speak Over Radio.
Before starting the long sleep the.
have been looking forward to all week
they, Robbins and Kelly, spoke brief.
over the National Broadcasting CO
hook-up through WBAP, the For
Worth Star-Telegram's station,
Robbins declared that much Of tn
credit was Kelly's, but that neither o
them had faced any more difficult stu
atoms on their flight than hundreds o
commercial flyers face daily.
Kelly dWelt upon his experiences II
the COW country. Both praised K. X
Hoffman, and H. S. Jones, the refuelin
pilots, for their cooperation. Hoffman
and Jones also spoke and Lady Mar
Health, English flyer, said few word:
as did the wives Of the flyers.
Although there is no doubt but tina
the record will stand, it will not be
come official until the Paragraph car
ried in the plane has been calibrated 1
Washington and photostatic copies c
the graph certified to the National Aero
nautical Association.
CUpMAH TT AUES pEc0Rn