New Britain herald., 1929-01-04
QUESTION MARK
STILL IN THE AIR


showed no Ill effects from its long
grind. It was still flying over the
Imperial Valley. where It was fore
ed yesterday because OF fog along
the coast. There was no indication
to ground observers that any OF its
three Wright motors vas wearing
out.
While the great black plane pass
81 the Tend consecutive hour Of
flight. pursuit plane lowered
above 1t and dropped breakfast 10
it's crew. Through 4 contact hose
IS gallons Of oil was supplied.
Imperial Airport. Imperial Valley.
Cal. Ian. I Refuei'ng ship No.
!. piloted by Captain X. G. Hoyt.
landed here shortly before 10 o'clock
this morning after making a sue
cessful gasoline contact with the
Question Mark. Captain Hoyt said
that $50 gallons Of gasoline were
delivered. The Question Mark had
, been in the air more than - hours.
The limit o. mans mastery Of the
skies in heavier -thar-air craft re-
manned Undetermined today as the
Question Mark. mastering adverse
elements and minor mechanical I'M
projections. droned onward toward
distant aerial goal after having
broken all existing worlds ehdur-
ance records.
Nearing the end OF its third full
day aloft the srmy's tri-motored
| enigma, which assembled at 1:c6 q.
m. January !. steadily advanced TO-
ward lighter than-air records this
morning after having returned ~
America one OF the two principal
airplane endurance flight records
held abroad.
The second European record Q
continuous flight without refueling,
was surpassed at 1:51 a. m. today.
coast time. at which hour the re-
sourceful five-man crew had held
, the ship aloft for ss hours. IS min
utes. a full hour longer than the
record set six months ago by the
Germans. Johann Ricticz and Will
helm Zimmerman.
The monoplane, cropping It's way
over 4 wide section Of Southern Cali
fornia In an effort TO avoid creeping
fog blankets and cloud banks, need
only land at this airport. possibly
1a1 nr
get Official credit for ecltpsing that
record as well as the refueling en-
dnrance record Of 60 hours, min
utes. held by Belgians. which fell
last night
Aoronauticai regulations specify
endurance pianos. In order to set q
new record. must remain up an hour
longer than the previous record
holder. and land at the same field
used for the takeoff.
Even should the plane In the clos
ing hours Of its unprecedented flight
be so crippled that 1t could not re-
turn here 1t will nevertheless have
carried human beings to a new
record OF aerial residence In air.
planes.
Two dawns hence If the plane re-
mains up. and its army sponsors now
vision the ship as still in the all
possibly a week distant. II will be
near TO the existing endurance rec.
ord of a man-made contrivance
which now Is held abroad.
That record of III hours. &c min.
utcs Of continuous flight was made
by the German built Graf Zeppelin
in its Jumping voyage from
Friedrickshafen to Lakehurst, n. J
last fall
4 half hour before the monoplane
equaled the Zimmerman
record last night 1t took on TO gal
Ions Of gasoline in the third success
ful night refuelirg which was the
18th refueling contact successfully
made by the two attendant ships.
/ The contact was made over the
Imperial airport near FL Centre to
which point rcfueling ship No. I,
previously operating at San Diego.
was moved yesterday when fog drove
flight away from the coast line. and
emergency measures were ordered
by Major Carl Spat2 in command
aboard the Question Mark. to meet
the adverse weather conditions.
! After the transfer. which required
nine minutes. the plane swung away
from the port and circled about the
valley. Its crew resting easier in the
knowledge that enough fuel was
aboard to keep aloft at least until
daylight facilitates supply opera
tons.
H Contacts At 20 ~. =. H..
Ma tority OF the first I contacts
made were at a speed Of 20 miles or
hour. and only minor trouble Was
L., w. g