Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-01-09
QUESTION MARKS
Z CREW H0N0RED
Most Large Cities Invite En-
durance FIyers-WiII
Return to Capital.

BY the Associated Press.
LOS ANGELES, January 9-Tnvita-
lions from practically all large cities
in the United States, urging the crew of
the question Mark to visit them and
bring along another famous craft, were
showered today upon the tlve army
flyers, who ended their record-breaklng
flight Monday
Mai, Carl Spatz. commander, referred
the invitations to the War Department.
He already has orders to fly the plane
to San Diego this week. After under
going minor repairs there, it is to fly
to Washington, manned by its regular
crew. The time of its departure and
the route to be taken have not been
decided upon yet
The five flyers today were in for
round of festivities here. They will be
guests at banquet tonight. Tomorrow
night Mai. Spatz and his fellow
eviators will appear before the Los
Angeles chapter of the Reserve OH
GERS Association.
Trouble Came at End.
The end of one of the greatest flights
in all aviation history came after a
crew of five weary men had fought
constantly against time and motors,
which piled trouble in a heap upon
them an hour before the landing.
Thirty hours before, their work seemed
near an end when the motors baked,
but the trouble cleared away and the
flight went on.
In it's flight, never paralleled as a
continuous journey by any man-made
thing. the Question Mark established
itself as the longest-fying aircraft,
either dirigible or airplane, in aviation
annals. 1t had surpassed the record OF
118 hours Of the Inflated French
dirigible, the Dixmude, by 80 hours, and
the 111-hour and Commute mark Of
the dirigible Graf Zeppelin by SO hours.
The previous longest airplane flight on
record, IS hours and Is minutes, &C
complished in Germany by Johann
Risticz and Wilhelm Zimmerman, was
outdistanced by IS hours, although the
German mark was accomplished with
out refueling.
Head and shoulders above these
achievements, however, the Army placed
a now proved theory-that refueling of
airplaneS while en- route is practical.
This, Army officers said, was the major
purpose Of the flight and its success was
regarded as phenomenal.
Ready to Fly Again.
Minor repairs the three Army Wright
Whirlwind motors put the big ship in
shape to take the air again.
An autopsy" performed on the mo-
tors by Army officers disclosed that they
were not dead at all and had stood up
under nearly seven days of ceaseless
duty with only trivial wear that could
be overcome by quick adjustments.
Lieut.. Ray Harris, engineering officer.
upon dismantling the motors, discov-
cred the rocker arm bushings and
rocker arms in the left motor were
worn, together with valve push rods in
two cylinders, but that otherwise the
motors were normal. Plugged grease
outlets in the left motor, cutting of the
pressure-fed fabrication to the valves,
were held responsible for the trouble
which caused the plane to land
yesterday.
Crews Health Good.
Members of the crew were reported
by board of four Army surgeons to
have been found in excellent" physi-
Cal condition following an examination
made three hours after their flight
ended. The only effects noted were
fatigue, which was to be expected"
the surgeon said, and the loss Of one
to four pounds in weight by each of the
five men.
The members OF the crew last night
went on the air at radio station XII
to record their impressions of the
record-smashing flight.
Maj. Carl Spatz, after giving credit
to the pilots of the refueling planes
and the flying blackboards, on which
messages for the flyers were carried,
the ground crews and all engaged In
preparations for the flight. said, LAS a
matter of fact I am inclined to believe
that the crew of the endurance plane
had an easier time than the ground
and refueling crews"
Refueltng plane In midair, he said,
us not problem, but an easy perform
ance, requiring no more skill than that
demanded of the ordinary we'll qualified
transport pilot. I am thoroughly con-
fident the Army Air Corps has blazed
the trail to the opening of new road
for the progress of aviation, q road
which in the very near future, may lead
to the adoption of refueling operations
as standard feature of airWay systems.
This Summer, transportation lines, link
ing the Atlantic and Pacific seaboards
by air and rail are to be established.
believe that I am not straying too far
af1eld in my enthusiasm when I say
that the next IL months may see de-
velopments toward the creation of air
expresses. making nonstop flights from
coast to coast, refueling en- route and
in the air"