Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-01-26
GEAR DELAYS TRIP
OF QUESTION MARK
Record Plane, Held in North
Carolina, viii Not Arrive
Here Today.

The first mishap which has overtaken
the big Army tri-motored transport
Question Mark since she left this city
month ago for California, where
early this month she established new
worlds endurance record for all classes
of aircraft. today blocked the last leg
of her return flight here and broke up
plans for an elaborate reception to the
members of her crew at their home sta
ton, Boiling Field.
The Question Mark was crippled when
a starter gear was Shorn off in starting
the motors at Tri-Cities Airport, High
Point. NJ c., early this morning. Efforts
to start the motor by hand failed, and
at 100 O'Clock this morning Maj. Carl
Spatz the Question Marks commander,
called Boiling Field by long distance
and asked that extra parts be sent him
to replace those damaged.
Parts Rushed by Plane.
The parts were loaded aboard two
Army observation planes, which were
flown South from Boiling Field this
morning by Lieut.. Eugene Bayley, Boil
ling Field adjutant. and Lieut.. L. w.
Corps mechanics at Fort Bragg. N. c..
and will continue to High Point, where
repairs will be made.
Plans for the reception today were
Cancelled and rev arrangements will
be made when it is learned the repairs
have been completed and the Question
Mark is able to complete her homeward
journey.
~
At the Office of Maj. Gen. James E.
Fechet, chief of the Army Air Corps.
1t was stated today that the Question
Mark would not come in today and
probably will not return here before
Monday or Tuesday.
Today's mishap. though trivial in
character, is the most serious accident
suffered by the Question Mark in more
than $4,000 miles of flying. She now
is completing her second transconti-
mental trip in addition to flying an
estimated distance of approximately
10000 miles during her record endur-
ance test since leaving this city last
month.
With the Question Mark at High Point
are four members of the crew which
made the record flight: Maj. Spatz.
commander; Capt. Ira c. Eaker, chief
pilot; Lieut.. Elwood r. Quesada, night
pilot, and Staff Sergt Roy w. Hooe,
flight mechanic. The fifth member OF
the crew. Lieut.. Harry A. Halverson, re-
manned at his home station at San
Diego. Calf His place aboard the
Question Mark is being taken by Hans
J. Adamson. civilian member of the
ground crew which participated in the
record fight by refueling the Question
Mark through two refue!ing planes.
Crowd Disappointed.
The failure of the Question Mark to
arrive today disappointed a crowd OF
several hundred persons who had not
heard of the delay and who gathered
at Boiling Field to welcome the record
plane and her crew. The crowd re-
NAMED at the field for some time. how
ever, and witnessed one of the initial
test flights of the new Army bombing
plane LB-7, which will be popularity
known as the Panther. This is the
first bomber with air-cooled motors and
is the forerunner of fleet of IS planes
of the same type ordered by the Army
Air Corps. The Panther took OF Tor
Langley Field, Va. and will return here
this afternoon. She will be flown to
Wright Field, Dayton, Ohio, for official
tests of performance.
The visitors also were attracted by
the big Burnelli high-speed passenger
plane, which possesses many unique
features Of design and construction.