The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-10-04

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Eckener, the boy Of some forty or
forty-hve years ago.
For referring back to the boy, we
better may understand the genius
Of the mantle air pilot who
learned to ride the storms.
On the Bay Of Flensburg young
Hugo Eckener learned to sail. He
observed the winds and clouds. AS
he sailed more and grew older, these
winds and clouds began to tell him
things. He became the weather au-
thority Of the sailing community.
And now we come to DR.. Eckener,
the pilot, first on the XR-3, crossing
the Atlantic in 1924, and again on
the Graf, crossing the Pacific on
the world cruise.
When DR.. Eckener was preparing
to leave Friedrichshafen with the
zR-3 he was asked what route he
INTENDED to take.
Picks Best Course
Il will decide that when we get
ready to start" he replied. NO two
crossings will follow the same
course. We will select the one that
promises the best weather.
I'VE may swing as far north as
Newfoundland. We may sail as far
south as the Azores. Or we may
start on one route and change to
the other before we get there"
His words were prophetic. Half
way out. twelve hours sail beyond
the Azores, he found from ship and
land reports radioed TO him, that a
, great storm was swinging up from
the Gulf of Mexico.
Storms are not arbitrary things
arising from nowhere, bound no
where. They follow certain natural
causes. The storm areas, some
times 500 miles across, move around
the world, from west to east, lag
ging behind the worlds rotation,
and in the northern hemisphere, in
q counter clock-wise direction.
Storm Due Ahead
This storm, reported to the ZR-3
as moving northeasterly across the
Atlantic, was due ahead. If the
ship continued on its course, it
would presently encounter the south
side of it head on.
DR.. Eckener studied his charts,
then made his decision.
Change the course 80 degrees -
he said. Wen head for NeWfound-
land"
To New York from central Europe
by way of the Azores and New
foundland would strike the layman
as curious navigation. But Eckener
learned the winds as a boy. And
when this one struck the new Amer
-ican ship. he met it on the north,
not on the south side of it.
Rides the Gale
Since the great circle of the storm
was turning in the opposite direc-
ton to the hands of the clock, the
top of the storm was moving with
him, not against him.
Checking his motors and giving
them a chance to rest, he drove
down the Newfoundland and New
England coast at 100 miles an hour.
He had ridden the storm-put it
to work for him.
Also on the first return trip of
the Graf Zeppelin from Lakehurst
to Germany in 1928, Dr. Eckener
utilized the storms, although fog
~ -I,r,A ~
He headed back over the north
Atlantic, taking the Lindbergh
route or the great circle course.
Twenty-four passengers and one
stowaway were aboard.
Swinging up the New England
course toward Newfoundland, DR..
Eckener was in good spirits. Cape
Race, outermost port of Newfound-
land, reported clear weather with
O brisk west wind.
Ship In Storm
In the afternoon the sky became
overcast, white caps appeared, fog
set in, the ship hit a series of
bumps. 1t entered into fog ten de-
greeS warmer. Eckener flew blind
through the fog until evening.
Their proposed route was to pass
Cape Race at 100 miles offshore.
It was no small surprise to the
navigating officers then when Com
mander M. R. Pierce, American OBJ
server, picked up the lights of Ire
passey Bay.
Now the speed Of an airship its
always plus or minus the speed Of
the wind. In this case, the wind
had been blowing a terrific gale
without any of the passengers
dreaming of it, so smoothly had the
ship moved along.
To the sixty mile an hour speed
of the motors had been added per-
haps another sixty by the vicious
southwest gale. Instead of missing
Newfoundland by 100 miles. as they
planned, they were over it a few
minutes after Pierce discovered the
shore lights, due to the amazing
speed Of the ship as it rode the
storm.
And now the passengers knew
they were In gale. AT tunes the
wind was so strong that the ship
was motionlesS. 1t swung forward
fighting its way.
Catches Typhon's Tail
The Crafts motors were very pow
erful. Storms in time play them
selves out. In a few hours they had
cleared the Newfoundland coast and
'by noon the next day the sun had
come out and they found them
selves in midocean-
Again, on the world flight, one of
A. A-rt ror,nrte racai1,ad f,-nr,, L.