Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-01-27
ENDURANCE FLYERS
ARE PAID TRIBUTE
ON RETURN TO D. c.
Record : Breaking Question
Mark Crew Is Given Warm
Welcome Here.
HOP FROM HIGH POINT
COMES AS SURPRISE
Small Crowd Is at Field to Greet
Airmen After Adventurous
Months Absence.

After an eventful month, during which
they broke all world aircraft endur-
ance records by remaining in the air
more than six days and made two trans
continental trips. members of the crew
of the Question Mark returned to Boil
ing Field, their home station, late yes
terday afternoon. They were warmly
received by delegation of Army off,
cials headed by Secretary of War
Dwight F. Davis.
An elaborate formal reception.
scheduled for yesterday morning, was
Cancelled because of delay at Tri-
Cities Airport, High Point, N. c., caused
by broken gear in the Question Marks
right cupboard motor. the only mishap
during the entire months flying total
ing more than $4,000 miles.
After repairs had been made with a
new gear carried down by Boiling
Field observation plane yesterday morn
ing, the Question Mark hoped of at
about O'Clock yesterday afternoon on
the last leg of her flight and landed
alone at Boiling Field as shadows were
beginning to lengthen over the field.
The four members of the Question
Marks crew wore flying togs. which
Identified them with the famous flight
On their leather flying jackets an
leather helmets were painted large We y
low question marks. matching those on
the sides of the planes fuselage.
n.1Ix
Maj. Carl Spatz. commander of the
big plane, and Capt Ira C. Eaker. chief
pilot, were the only members of the rec
ord flight crew aboard the Question
Mark when she landed here. Lieut. FL
wood r. Quesada, night pilot, and Staff
Sergt. Roy w. Hooe, mechanic, came on
ahead in Refueling Plane No. /, piloted
by Capt. Ross G. Hoyt. The fifth MEM
Der of the crew, Lieut.. Harry A. Halver-
son, remained at his home station, San
Diego. Sergt. Halverson's place was
filled by Hans j. AdamSon, secretary to
f. Trubee Dawson, Assistant Secretary
OF War for Aeronautics, and member
of the ground crew which aided in re-
fueling the Question Mark during itS
record flight.
Arrival of the Question Mark came
as surprise, as it had been announced
earlier that the plane would not ar
rive before Monday or Tuesday. Not
more than 800 persons were on hand to
greet the flyers. The welcoming party
included Secretary Davis. Assistant
Secretary Dawson, Mai. Gen. James E.
Fechet, chief of the Army Air Corps;
Rear Admiral William A. Moffett, chief
of the Navy Bureau of Aeronautics. and
Mrs. Eaker. wife of the Question Marks
chief pilot.
Many famous aeronautical people
were scattered through the small crowd,
among them Lieut.. Leigh Wade, men,
ber of the Army "round-the-world'
flight: Vincent Burnelli, airplane de-
signer and builder. and score of Army
and Navy pilots who have participated
in aeronautical events which have
gone into history.
The Question Mark with Capt. Eaker
at the controls, appeared flying very
low. down the Potomac River at 5
o'clock. Capt. Eaker, having received
warning that Boiling Field was muddy
and dangerously soft in spots, dragged"
the field, flying down its length only
about so feet above the ground so as
to map out his landing. Banking the
plane in short turn so that one wing
appeared almost to drag the ground.
he circled the field and came in to
TAXED cautiously around the puddles
and soft places to where the welcoming
committee awaited the plane in front
of the field operations Office.
Wife Greets Eaker First.
AS Capt. Eaker pulled up and cut his
motors, his wife climbed into the plane
and was the first to welcome the party
home Lieut.. Quesada and Sergt Hooe
then joined Maj. Spatz and Capt. Eaker
and the four were welcomed by Secre-
tary Davis, who congratulated them
heartily on their achievement. The
crowd Immediately hemmed the party
in close to the plane and the flyers and
Secretaries Davis and Dawson were
compelled to stand beside the plane for
more than five minutes while nearly
tWoScore photographers and motion
picture men clicked away.
Mai. Spatz and Capt. Eaker broke
away and went into the operations ottlce
to get out of their flying togs and the
reception" was over.
Mai. Spatz said that he will i'm
mediately prepare an official report in
forming the War Department of de-
tails of the Question Marks flight. In
his report he will give conclusions as
to the practical results of the flight and
the possibility of adapting the reflel-
ing in flight principle to future opera
tions OF military and commercial air.
craft
II have in mind several important
conclusions to be drawn from our ef-
fort" Maj Spatz said, but do not
feel free to say anything about them
until 1 have submitted my report to
the War Department. hope to have
Continued on Page 2, Column 2.)